What Cooper Hewitt does

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum is the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design, operating as a federal trust instrumentality under the Smithsonian Institution from the landmark Carnegie Mansion at 2 East 91st Street in New York City. Founded in 1897 by Sarah and Eleanor Hewitt and incorporated into the Smithsonian in 1967, it stewards a permanent collection of more than 215,000 design objects spanning 30 centuries, supported by a research library of more than 100,000 volumes, 147,000+ drawings and prints at the Drue Heinz Study Center, and notable special collections such as the Edward F. Caldwell Lighting Collection.

The museum's product surface combines physical exhibitions (Design Across Time, Made in America, Art of Noise, Devon Turnbull: HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3, and the AI-themed installation The Substitute), a fully digitized online collection database, digital exhibitions, and a National Design Awards program in its 26th year honoring ten categories of design excellence. Educational offerings span K-12 field trips, teen programs including the Design Hive internship and National High School Design Competition, adult learning, accessibility programs, and a joint Master of Arts in History of Design and Curatorial Studies with Parsons School of Design. A research library, publications program, retail SHOP, and event venue rentals in the Carnegie Mansion round out the offering.

Revenue is assembled from tiered admissions (adult $22, senior $16, student/disability $10, free under 18, pay-what-you-wish 5–6 p.m.), recurring memberships, retail and publication sales, event venue rentals, corporate sponsorships (Adobe, Apple, Bloomberg Philanthropies), foundation grants (Getty, Henry Luce, Terra Foundation, Tavolozza), Smithsonian federal appropriations, and individual donations. The museum's customer base is diversified across general public visitors, K-12 and graduate students, scholars and researchers, and design professionals, while its distribution mix balances the on-site New York experience with traveling exhibitions, digital platforms, and Smithsonian-wide cross-promotion.

Name

Cooper Hewitt

Legal name

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Website

https://cooperhewitt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cooper Hewitt is the only US museum devoted exclusively to historical and contemporary design, operating as a Smithsonian Institution museum in New York's Carnegie Mansion with a 215,000+ object collection, a research library, education programs, and the National Design Awards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Museum (Cultural and Educational Institution)

NAICS

Museums (712110), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Design exhibitions
• Design museum
• Design education
• Museum programs
• Cultural collections

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales for museum entry with tiered pricing based on visitor category (adults, seniors, students, visitors with disabilities) and time-based pay-what-you-wish pricing.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership providing free admission, events access, discounts at shop and café, and other benefits.
3. SHOP Cooper Hewitt: Retail store selling design-inspired merchandise, publications, and gifts.
4. Event Rentals and Space Usage: Private event hosting at the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden, Great Hall, Library, and other spaces in the historic Carnegie Mansion for corporate and social events.
5. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate support at various levels ($100,000+ to $500-$999) including Adobe, Apple, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and others.
6. Publications and Books: Exhibition books, design criticism in print and ebook formats, DesignFile ebook series, Design Journal, and education kits.
7. Philanthropic Support: Donations, grants from foundations (The Henry Luce Foundation, Terra Foundation for American Art, etc.), and public funds from NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, presents exhibitions of historical and contemporary design, cares for a permanent collection of decorative arts and design objects, and delivers educational programs and a research library. It also operates a museum shop and a café as part of the visitor experience.

Product overview

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum operates as a single unified museum institution offering admission, exhibitions, education programs, and research services. The core offerings include rotating and permanent exhibitions such as Design Across Time, Made in America, and Art of Noise; the annual National Design Awards program honoring design innovation; comprehensive education programs spanning family, school (K-12), teen, and adult audiences; a Master's program in partnership with Parsons School of Design; a research library with over 100,000 volumes; and publications including books and ebooks. Additional services include museum tours, membership programs, a retail shop, and space rentals for private events at the historic Carnegie Mansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• National Design Awards: Annual awards program launched in 2000 to honor design innovation and impact, bestowed in ten categories including Architecture, Fashion Design, Product Design, Digital Design, and Climate Action.

Quantifiable outcome

• 215,000+ design objects accessible to the public
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Parsons School of Design (The New School)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited Master's Program in the History of Design and Curatorial Studies is jointly delivered by Cooper Hewitt and Parsons School of Design. The two-year program confers a Master of Arts degree and prepares graduates for careers at museums, galleries, auction houses, and universities. Students receive hands-on experience with masterworks of design and are fully integrated into Cooper Hewitt's curatorial departments.
• Getty (The Paper Project initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGetty provides funding support for The Stradanus Project, a conservation, research, and digitization initiative for 143 sheets of drawings by Johannes Stradanus held in Cooper Hewitt's collection. The project includes innovative conservation treatment and public programming.
• SFMOMAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFMOMA organized the Art of Noise exhibition which travels to Cooper Hewitt. The exhibition features over 300 artworks drawn largely from the collections of Cooper Hewitt and SFMOMA. Curated by Joseph Becker (SFMOMA) with support from Cynthia Trope (Cooper Hewitt).
• Smithsonian InstitutionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooper Hewitt is a Smithsonian Institution museum, receiving institutional support, cross-promotion through Smithsonian channels, and participating in Smithsonian-wide initiatives including 'Our Shared Future: 250' commemorating the nation's 250th anniversary.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): Major New York museum with a significant design and architecture collection alongside its broader art holdings. Overlaps with Cooper Hewitt on design programming and audience but competes at much larger scale and broader scope.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art: NYC flagship museum with design, decorative arts, and architecture wings. Competes for the same Museum Mile visitor audience but is orders of magnitude larger and broader in scope.
• Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A): London's museum of art, design, and performance with the world's largest collection of decorative arts and design. Comparable to Cooper Hewitt as a globally significant design collection and learning institution, though far larger in scope and scale.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum: Sister Smithsonian Institution museum covering American art, craft, and design. Shares institutional governance, federal backing, and programming collaboration with Cooper Hewitt, and competes for overlapping Smithsonian audiences.
• Philadelphia Museum of Art: Major US art museum with substantial design, decorative arts, and craft collections. Comparable as a tier-one US museum with a meaningful design component, overlapping audience and educational programming.

Direct peers

• The Design Museum: London-based museum dedicated to contemporary design and architecture, with a permanent collection and rotating exhibitions. It is the closest international peer to Cooper Hewitt as a standalone design-focused museum with comparable collection, exhibition, and learning programming.
• Vitra Design Museum: German design museum focused on furniture, industrial design, and architecture, with a major collection and traveling exhibitions. Directly comparable to Cooper Hewitt in mission, collection scale, and exhibition-led programming.
• Wolfsonian-FIU: Miami-based museum at Florida International University focused on decorative arts, design, and propaganda. Comparable as a smaller-scale, design-specialized museum with collection, exhibition, and academic research operations.
• MAK – Museum of Applied Arts: Vienna museum dedicated to applied arts, contemporary design, and craft, with a major permanent collection. Directly comparable to Cooper Hewitt as a design-focused museum with both historic and contemporary holdings.
• Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation: Dearborn, Michigan museum featuring American industrial design, innovation, and craft. Comparable in its focus on industrial and product design history, with collection, exhibition, and educational programming for K-12 and adult audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cooperhewitt
• YouTubeyoutube.com/cooperhewitt
• Facebookfacebook.com/cooperhewitt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooper-hewitt-national-design-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/cooperhewitt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooper Hewitt