Society For American Archaeology

What Society For American Archaeology does

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1934 and headquartered in Washington, DC. It serves practicing archaeologists, archaeology students, educators, and avocational archaeologists across the Americas — primarily the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru — through a portfolio of peer-reviewed publications, professional development programs, advocacy, and grants. Core products include quarterly journals (American Antiquity and Latin American Antiquity), The SAA Archaeological Record magazine, SAA Press books, an online marketplace for publications, an annual meeting (the 92nd scheduled for April 7-11, 2027 in Indianapolis), continuing education seminars, a career center, and a member-center portal. Operationally it is lean, with 1-10 paid staff and day-to-day management delegated by a member-elected Board of Directors to an Executive Director.

The organization is governed through more than 50 committees and task forces staffed by 700+ volunteers, with 24 scholarship, award, and grant committees distributing over $200,000 annually. Revenue is generated through four principal streams: recurring membership dues, one-time publication sales through its marketplace, annual meeting registration and exhibit fees, and donations that fund scholarships and grants (including the Historically Underrecognized Student Archaeology Scholarships, Native American Scholarships, and the H. and T. King Grant for Archaeology of the Ancient Americas). The 2022 Board-approved refresh of purpose, mission, and vision statements and the January 2024 update to the Principles of Archaeological Ethics frame the most recent strategic positioning, alongside advocacy on U.S. preservation legislation and digital outreach for the publications portfolio. Technology is supplied via a hosting and data-processing partnership with ASI (Advanced Solutions International); no proprietary AI or data products are disclosed.

Name

Society For American Archaeology

Legal name

Society for American Archaeology

Website

https://saa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Society for American Archaeology is a 1934-founded, Washington, DC-based nonprofit professional membership organization serving archaeologists, students, educators, and avocational enthusiasts across the Americas through peer-reviewed journals, an annual meeting, publications, scholarships, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Organization

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

Keywords

• Professional archaeology
• Archaeological publications
• Archaeology conferences
• Membership association
• Archaeology education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SAA generates revenue primarily through membership subscriptions. Members pay dues to join and receive benefits including access to journals, publications, the member center, and online learning resources.
2. Publications Sales: SAA operates a marketplace selling monographs, books, and publications including SAA Press books.
3. Annual Meeting Registration: Revenue generated from annual meeting registrations, submissions, exhibits, and advertising.
4. Scholarships and Grants: SAA distributes over $200,000 annually in scholarships, awards, and grants through 24 different committees. This is funded through member donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Society for American Archaeology is a nonprofit professional membership organization that serves archaeologists across the Americas through individual memberships. Its core deliverables include quarterly peer-reviewed journals (American Antiquity and Latin American Antiquity), a magazine (The SAA Archaeological Record), SAA Press books, an Annual Meeting, an online marketplace, a Career Center, scholarships and grants, education and outreach programs, and a government affairs advocacy program.

Product overview

The Society for American Archaeology operates as a professional membership organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services centered on advancing archaeology. The core offerings include peer-reviewed publications (quarterly journals American Antiquity and Latin American Antiquity, The SAA Archaeological Record magazine, and SAA Press books), annual meetings and conferences, online professional development seminars, a career center, and a marketplace for archaeological publications. Financial support programs provide scholarships and research grants including the H. and T. King Grant. Education and outreach initiatives encompass teaching resources, public archaeology programs, and awards recognizing excellence. The member center provides exclusive access to journals, directories, and online learning content. Government affairs advocacy represents member interests in policy matters affecting archaeology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAA Quarterly Journals Peer-reviewed academic journals published quarterly, including American Antiquity and Latin American Antiquity, providing research articles on archaeology for members and subscribers.
• The SAA Archaeological Record Magazine publication featuring articles, news, and discussions relevant to SAA members and the broader archaeological community.
• SAA Press Books Book publishing program producing scholarly and educational publications in archaeology, sold through the SAA marketplace.
• Annual Meeting Annual conference event featuring presentations, sessions, exhibits, and networking for archaeologists, with registration, submissions, and advertising opportunities.
• Online Seminars and Continuing Education Professional development offerings including online seminars, webinars, and educational recordings covering archaeological methods, practices, and career development, with 30+ hours of content.
• Marketplace Online store offering monographs, books, and archaeological publications for purchase by members and the public.
• Career Center Job board and career resources hosted at careers.saa.org connecting archaeology professionals with employment opportunities.
• Scholarships and Grants Program Financial support programs including Historically Underrecognized Student Archaeology Scholarships (HUSAS), Native American Scholarships, and research grants, with over $200,000 distributed annually across 24 committees.
• Education and Outreach Programs Public education initiatives including teaching guidelines, classroom resources, Archaeology Education Newsletter archive dating to 1990, and outreach materials for educators and archaeologists.
• Member Center Exclusive member portal providing access to journals, membership directory, interest groups, and online learning archive of continuing education seminars.
• H. and T. King Grant for Archaeology of the Ancient Americas Research grant supporting site-based or collections-based research across Latin America for understanding Indigenous cultures from Mesoamerica, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
• Government Affairs Program Advocacy initiative working to advance interests of archaeologists through policy engagement and legislative advocacy, including a Take Action portal for contacting elected representatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $200,000 in scholarships, awards, and grants distributed annually to support the profession and diverse cohorts

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASI (Advanced Solutions International)coreTechnology or IntegrationASI provides web hosting and data hosting services for SAA. Located in Ashburn, VA. Website and member data are stored and processed by ASI on behalf of SAA.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Archaeological Institute of America: The AIA is the other major North American archaeology membership organization, founded in 1879. It overlaps SAA directly on professional membership, publications (American Journal of Archaeology), annual meetings, and society-based advocacy, though with a stronger classical/Mediterranean bent versus SAA's Americas focus.
• Society for Historical Archaeology: SHA is a peer professional society for historical archaeologists, offering its own journal, awards, and annual conference. It directly competes with SAA for members working in CRM, museums, and academia who focus on historical-era archaeology.
• World Archaeological Congress: WAC is the largest global professional archaeology organization, with quadrennial congresses and member-driven working groups. It is comparable to SAA as a membership society for archaeologists but competes for international members and represents a broader geographic scope than SAA.
• Society for American Ethnohistory: SAE is a smaller but directly comparable professional society serving ethnohistorians and archaeologists working with Indigenous and descendant communities in the Americas. It competes with SAA for members interested in indigenous archaeology, ethics, and cultural heritage.
• Register of Professional Archaeologists: RPA is the U.S. professional certification body for archaeologists, providing credentials that overlap with SAA's professional standards and ethics remit. It is directly comparable as a discipline-specific governance body serving the same professional archaeologist constituency.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The National Trust is a U.S. nonprofit focused on preserving historic places and cultural heritage. It overlaps SAA on heritage advocacy, public education, and policy engagement around archaeological and cultural resources, though with a preservation rather than research orientation.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science: AAAS is the largest general scientific professional society in the U.S., offering Science magazine, annual meetings, and advocacy. It serves as a structural and operational analog to SAA at a far broader scale, illustrating how a large membership society monetizes publications, meetings, and advocacy.
• American Anthropological Association: AAA is the largest U.S. professional society covering anthropology broadly, including archaeology as a subfield. It overlaps SAA in serving academic archaeologists, publishing journals (American Anthropologist), running annual meetings, and advocating for the discipline.
• Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian: NMAI is a major U.S. institution operating museum, research, and education programming on Indigenous archaeology and cultural heritage. It overlaps with SAA's outreach, education, and publications offerings and represents a much larger institutional scale.

Regional players

• European Association of Archaeologists: EAA is the leading European professional archaeology association with an annual meeting (Amsterdam, etc.) and the European Journal of Archaeology. It is directly comparable to SAA in structure and services but serves a European rather than American membership base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ54dtuh9q8zAjCBaHna6eQ
• Xx.com/saaorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/184456042736

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Society For American Archaeology