Baha'i National Center

What Baha'i National Center does

The Baha'i National Center (legal name: National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States) is the nine-member elected governing body of the U.S. Baha'i community, headquartered at 1233 Central Street in Evanston, Illinois. It operates a multi-channel religious and educational platform anchored by the bahai.us website, the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette (one of only eight continental Baha'i temples worldwide), three year-round conference and retreat centers, the Wilmette Institute online learning center, the bahaibookstore.com publishing e-commerce storefront, Brilliant Star children's magazine, and the U.S. Bahá'í News newsletter. The organization serves enrolled Baha'i members and the general public across all 50 states through community-led programming built on the Ruhi Institute study curriculum.

The organization functions as a religious nonprofit rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue derives from two streams: (1) voluntary member contributions to Baha'i funds, which only enrolled members may give and which support the National Spiritual Assembly, the House of Worship, conference centers, and community programs; and (2) publication sales (books, journals, music, ebooks, audiobooks) through bahaibookstore.com. All core religious services — prayer gatherings, study circles, children's classes, junior youth groups, devotional meetings — are offered free of charge to participants of any faith or background. Go-to-market is community-led and grassroots, relying on local spiritual assemblies, personal invitation, interfaith partnerships, and organic outreach through the national website.

Operations are governed by the National Spiritual Assembly elected annually at the National Convention from 171 electoral units, with ultimate doctrinal and administrative authority residing with the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel. The organization has 101–250 employees and pursues an active interfaith and public-affairs agenda on racial unity, environmental protection, gender equality, and human rights through an Office of Public Affairs and partnerships with interfaith organizations across multiple states. No venture, private equity, or public ownership structures apply; this is a spiritual administrative body, not an investable entity.

Name

Baha'i National Center

Legal name

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States

Website

https://bahai.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Religious nonprofit governing body for the U.S. Baha'i community, operating the Wilmette House of Worship, three retreat centers, publishing, online learning, and grassroots community programs across all 50 states, funded by member contributions and publication sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Religious organization services
• Spiritual education programs
• Interfaith community building
• Religious publishing
• Faith-based publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Member Contributions (Tithes/Obligations): Baha'i members contribute to Baha'i funds as a spiritual obligation. Only enrolled members may give to Baha'i funds. These contributions support the operations of the National Spiritual Assembly, Houses of Worship, conference centers, and community programs.
2. Sale of Baha'i Publications and Books: The organization operates bahaibookstore.com, selling Baha'i books, journals, magazines, music, ebooks, and audiobooks. This provides a secondary revenue stream for publishing and educational materials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Baha'i National Center serves as the national governing body of the Baha'i Faith in the United States, operating under the National Spiritual Assembly. It provides spiritual education through Ruhi Institute-based study circles, children's classes, junior youth groups, and devotional gatherings; maintains the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois (one of eight continental Houses of Worship worldwide) for prayer and reflection; publishes books and educational materials through bahaibookstore.com; and operates the Wilmette Institute for online Baha'i learning.

Product overview

The Baha'i National Center operates primarily through the Bahai.us website, which serves as the central hub for the U.S. Baha'i community. The organization offers a unified digital presence that encompasses the main website, the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette (a national landmark open for prayer and meditation), the Bahaibookstore.com publishing platform, the Wilmette Institute online learning center, Brilliant Star children's magazine, and the U.S. Bahá'í News newsletter. Ruhi study materials support community-based spiritual education through study circles. The portfolio represents a cohesive ecosystem designed to inform, educate, and engage both members and the general public about the Baha'i Faith.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bahai.us Website

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Interfaith Conference of Greater MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaha'is have been represented on committees of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee for several years, participating in the Amazing Faiths dinner dialogues program since 2011. Baha'is have served as moderators and hosts for interfaith events.
• Nevada Interfaith AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrad Corbin serves on the executive board of the Nevada Interfaith Association. The Faith Forum column in the Reno Gazette Journal has featured Baha'i perspectives for over eight years, promoting interfaith dialogue through a major local publication.
• Kaufman Interfaith Institute (Grand Valley State University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArea Baha'is have participated fully in the institute's initiatives including 'The Year of' series of programs held every three years since the 1980s. Baha'is served on planning councils representing arts, business, community, religious leadership, and education areas.
• Triangle Interfaith Alliance (North Carolina)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Alliance sponsors annual meetings, interfaith prayer gatherings, dialogue groups, and service projects. Baha'is collaborate on planning interfaith prayer services held at various houses of worship.
• Various Faith Communities (Hindu Temple, Methodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Buddhist, Jewish, Latter-day Saints, Muslim Mosque)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaha'i-led interfaith prayer services and devotional gatherings are hosted at diverse religious venues across communities, fostering cross-faith collaboration and understanding.
• Local Libraries (Virginia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn interfaith organization collaborates with local library systems to host speaker series offering in-depth learning about various faiths with elevated dialogue without proselytizing.
• Loudoun County Interfaith CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaha'is participate in panel discussions, prayer vigils, community reflection meetings, annual Day of Thanks celebration with multicultural performances, and annual Martin Luther King Jr. march and event.
• Memorial Hospital PembrokeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaha'i volunteer chaplain Nosrat Scott collaborated with hospital chaplaincy to create an inclusive 'House of Worship' space with prayers from eight religious traditions, transforming a formerly Christian-only chapel.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Islamic Society of North America (ISNA): National umbrella organization for the U.S. Muslim community with a comparable structure of elected national leadership, faith-based programming, retreats, and interfaith engagement. Most directly comparable in scale and role as a national religious governing body for a minority faith in the U.S.
• Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI-USA): U.S. arm of a global Buddhist movement with strong emphasis on peace, interfaith dialogue, grassroots community building, and youth engagement. Comparable as a progressive, internationally-rooted religious body with structured community education programs and active public affairs work.
• Unitarian Universalist Association: National liberal religious denomination with a U.S. headquarters, congregational structure, social justice focus, and emphasis on interfaith cooperation. Comparable as a U.S. national religious body operating social-action programming across diverse communities.
• Hindu American Foundation (HAF): National advocacy and community organization for Hindu Americans with active public affairs work, educational programming, and interfaith engagement. Comparable as a U.S. national body representing a minority faith with policy and community-building functions.
• Sikh Coalition: National Sikh American advocacy and community organization with public affairs, education, and interfaith programming. Comparable as a U.S. national religious body for a minority faith focused on civil rights, education, and interfaith collaboration.
• Buddhist Churches of America: National organization representing Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in the continental U.S. with headquarters, publications, educational programs, and youth activities. Comparable in scale and structure as a U.S. national religious body for an Asian-origin minority faith.

Broad incumbents

• National Council of Churches: Largest ecumenical body in the U.S. representing dozens of Christian denominations with significant interfaith engagement and public policy work. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the interfaith and national religious advocacy space where the Baha'i Center also operates.
• World Council of Churches: Global ecumenical body promoting Christian unity and interfaith cooperation. Comparable as a broader interfaith/religious institution with a similar theological commitment to unity of faiths, though operating at much larger international scale.

Emerging players

• Interfaith America (formerly Interfaith Youth Core): Chicago-headquartered interfaith organization with deep higher-education and civic partnerships. Comparable as a peer in the U.S. interfaith infrastructure space, particularly relevant given Baha'i interfaith work in Illinois and Wisconsin.
• Parliament of the World's Religions: Chicago-based international interfaith convocation organization. Comparable as a peer organization operating in the same interfaith convening space, with overlapping networks in U.S. interfaith leadership and a similar emphasis on the oneness of religious traditions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/bahai
• Facebookfacebook.com/bahai.us
• Xx.com/BahaiUS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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