Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

What Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History does

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is a 501(c)(3) non-profit natural history museum founded in 1883 and located in Pacific Grove, California, on the Monterey Peninsula. It is city-owned (transferred to the City of Pacific Grove in 1916) and operated by the Museum Foundation of Pacific Grove, a non-profit created in 2009 to run the institution. The museum serves Monterey County residents, K-12 students, regional tourists, and the citizen science community through a portfolio of permanent exhibits (Wonder, Birds of Monterey County featuring 291 species and 409 mounted specimens, Chinese Fishing Village, Rumsen Ohlone Basketry, Changes of Monterey County, Native Plant Garden) and rotating exhibitions (Jade Beneath the Sea, Illustrating Nature, Along the Pacific Edge, Tethered Light). It also manages the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary at 250 Ridge Road, the largest overwintering monarch site in the county.

The institution operates with a 14-person staff covering executive leadership, education and outreach, collections and research, development, marketing, interpretive programs, field science, exhibitions, and guest services. Its core technology stack is a standard non-profit SaaS configuration: Blackbaud for ticketing/donations/camp registration, Acuity Scheduling for visitor appointments, Volgistics for volunteer management, izi.travel for audio tours, iNaturalist and GLOBE for community science data collection, and opt-in SMS for communications. There is no proprietary software product or AI/ML capability disclosed; the museum's defensible technical assets are its physical collections and ecological datasets (long-term Western Monarch Count, BLOY, and LiMPETS monitoring data).

Revenue is generated across multiple streams: admissions ($12 adult / $8 reduced, with free entry for Monterey County residents, EBT/SNAP cardholders at $3, and Blue Star military families), tiered annual memberships with 10-20% store discounts, facility rentals for weddings and corporate events (up to 125 guests, with Sea Stars Catering & Events as exclusive caterer), summer camps ($410/week members, $460/week general), children's birthday parties ($435-$485), the Night Owl annual fundraiser, a museum store featuring local artisans, and a diversified grant portfolio (IMLS, City of Pacific Grove, Harden Foundation, Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation, Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, YLACES, Montage Health). Marketing operates through community-led, event-driven, and direct-to-consumer motions, with strong reliance on PR coverage (Monterey Herald, KSBW, KION, SF Chronicle, Washington Post, New York Times) and community partnerships rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Legal name

Museum Foundation of Pacific Grove

Website

https://pgmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is a 501(c)(3) natural history museum in Pacific Grove, California, serving Monterey County residents, K-12 students, and tourists through exhibits, education programs, community science, and facility rentals since 1883.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural History Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural History Museums (THAJADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations) (THAAAAAG), Citizen Science & Conservation Volunteer Tourism Programs (On-Site) (THAAAFAH)

Keywords

• Natural history exhibits
• Museum education programs
• Summer science camps
• Community museum events
• Natural history collections

Headquarters

HQ city

Pacific Grove

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Charges admission fees for general museum entry: $12 adults, $8 youth/seniors/military/students, with free entry for Monterey County residents, members, children under 3, school field trips, and free/discounted rates for EBT cardholders and Blue Star military families.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership tiers with benefits including unlimited admission, discounts at museum store (10-20%), exclusive member events, and newsletter access.
3. Facility Rentals & Venue Events: Private event rentals including weddings (up to 125 guests), corporate events, birthday parties ($435-485), rehearsal dinners. Partners with Sea Stars Catering & Events.
4. Summer Camps: Week-long summer camps for grades K-5: $410/week for members, $460/week general, plus $100 for Pinecone overnight camp. Includes field trips and hands-on science activities.
5. Museum Store: Retail store selling items from local artisans including honey, jewelry, jade, books, candles, soaps, and educational materials about local natural and cultural history.
6. Donations & Grants: Relies on donor support and foundation grants to meet community needs, including annual Night Owl fundraiser and major funding from City of Pacific Grove, Harden Foundation, and others.
7. Night Owl Annual Fundraiser: Annual 21+ fundraiser event featuring live music, murder mystery, costume contest, food/drink vendors. Sponsorship opportunities available with tiered benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit natural history museum that displays regional and historical natural history collections and hosts educational exhibits, school programs, summer camps, community events, and facility rentals. Its primary products are in-person exhibit experiences and educational programming offered to residents and visitors of the Monterey Peninsula.

Product overview

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit natural history museum offering a unified portfolio of exhibits, educational programs, and community science initiatives centered on the natural and cultural history of Monterey County. Its core offerings include permanent exhibits (Wonder, Birds of Monterey County, Jade Beneath the Sea, Native Plant Garden, Chinese Fishing Village, Rumsen Ohlone Basketry, Changes of Monterey County) and rotating exhibitions (Illustrating Nature, Along the Pacific Edge, Tethered Light). These are complemented by education programs including summer camps (Acorn K-2 and Pinecone 3-5 grades), Science Saturday monthly events, school field trips, and the Naturalists in Training internship. The museum also manages the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary and offers community science programs (Black Oystercatcher Monitoring, Western Monarch Count, LiMPETS, iNaturalist bioblitzes). Visitor engagement is extended through audio tours on izi.travel, a museum store, and facility rentals for private events. The museum generates revenue through admissions, memberships, facility rentals, summer camp fees, and an annual Night Owl fundraiser, with membership tiers providing discounts and priority access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Natural History Museum Exhibits

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached over 50,000 people annually across Monterey County
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sea Stars Catering & EventscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive catering and events partnership for all museum weddings and facility rentals. Described as one of the premiere event and catering organizations on the Central Coast, handling planning, food, and decor for events up to 125 guests.
• Montage HealthminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting summer camps, providing funding that enables camp programming for children.
• Blue Star Museums (NEA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with National Endowment for the Arts providing free admission for active military and families Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• Museums for All (IMLS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational initiative administered by IMLS offering reduced $3 admission for EBT/SNAP cardholders and their families.
• Local Jade Artists and HistorianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with jade artists including Sandy Hamm, Josh Robertson, Luke Curtice, Mike Burkleo, and Don Wobber for Jade Beneath the Sea exhibit, ensuring authentic representation of Big Sur jade history and techniques.
• Monterey Regional Monarch AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal conservation partnership for monarch butterfly education, stewardship, and volunteer opportunities at Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary.
• Monterey Peninsula PrideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership hosting Queer Natural History Trivia Night and other LGBTQ+ community events at the museum.
• California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Science Illustration ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual partnership hosting Illustrating Nature exhibition featuring graduating science illustrators, with artist markets and demonstrations.
• Rumsen Ohlone Community Partners (Carla Munoz, Desiree Munoz, Violet Smith, Tinker Gomez)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partnership for Native Plant Garden ethnobotany section, creating Seasonal Wheel and Traditional Ruk representing historic Ohlone stewardship practices.
• Carmel Bach FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMuseum serves as venue for Birdsong concert series featuring talented musicians in the Bird Gallery.
• Monterey Peninsula CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum participates in MPC Earth Day Event, providing outreach and community science programming.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lindsay Wildlife Experience: Walnut Creek-based wildlife rehabilitation hospital and natural history education center. Comparable as a smaller nonprofit combining wildlife conservation, community science, and family education programming.
• CuriOdyssey: San Mateo children's museum and wildlife center focused on hands-on science education and native animal exhibits. Closely comparable in family programming model, summer camps, and live-animal birthday parties.
• Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History: Small California coastal natural history museum founded in 1904 with comparable size, scope (local flora, fauna, geology), educational programming, and free-admission-for-locals model. Closest direct peer in scale and mission.

Broad incumbents

• Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Major Los Angeles natural history museum with extensive collections in birds, marine life, and California ecology. Significantly larger institution but directly comparable in core natural history mission and exhibit type.
• Oakland Museum of California: California-focused museum covering natural science, history, and art with strong community engagement and California ecosystems galleries. Larger and broader in scope but overlapping in mission and regional nonprofit model.
• California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco-based natural history institution combining aquarium, planetarium, and natural history museum. Larger scale and broader scope, but overlaps significantly in natural history interpretation, citizen science, and California biodiversity exhibitions.
• San Diego Natural History Museum: Oldest scientific institution in Southern California, with deep focus on regional biodiversity and paleontology. Comparable in curatorial depth and citizen science programming, but at meaningfully greater scale.

Regional players

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: Laguna Beach-based marine wildlife rehabilitation and education nonprofit. Operates in adjacent coastal California conservation space with overlapping volunteer and education audiences.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Major Monterey-region aquarium focused on marine wildlife conservation and education. Operates a reciprocal $2 admission discount program with the Pacific Grove Museum and serves overlapping tourist audiences on the Monterey Peninsula.

Others

• Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve: Monterey-area estuarine reserve focused on wetland conservation, education, and citizen science. Not a museum, but a regional peer in conservation programming, volunteer engagement, and school field trips.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PGMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/pgmuseum

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History