Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

What Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center does

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) institution founded in 2002 and located at 2301 Hardies Lane in Santa Rosa, California. It serves as the official repository for Charles M. Schulz's artistic legacy, housing the world's largest collection of Peanuts comic strips, original artworks, letters, photographs, and related ephemera. The museum offers a core visitor experience through permanent and traveling exhibitions, supplemented by a research center that provides scholarly access, reproduction services, and finding aids. Additional offerings include educational classes and camps, downloadable coloring sheets, a digital guide, and a digital collection database. The institution is part of the Schulz Campus, which also includes Snoopy's Home Ice and the Warm Puppy Cafe, and maintains a sister-museum relationship with Snoopy Museum Tokyo.

The museum serves three primary customer segments: individual visitors and families (primary), schools and educational groups, and corporate partners. Revenue is generated through five streams: admissions to galleries and exhibitions, retail sales via an online Shopify store and physical museum shop, annual membership programs, donations and commemorative gifts, and corporate memberships and sponsorships. Distribution is primarily through the Santa Rosa physical location, with global reach via e-commerce and the Tokyo affiliate. The museum is governed by a Board of Directors and operates with 11-50 employees.

In the 2024-2025 season, the museum recorded its highest-ever admissions, with attendance rising nearly 45% compared to the prior year, driven in part by Snoopy's 75th anniversary celebrations and the Peanuts brand's strong Gen Z engagement on social media (85.4 million TikTok video views in 2024). The institution benefits from indirect brand momentum generated by Peanuts Worldwide LLC's global licensing program, which has expanded to over 1,200 licensees worldwide. The museum has no venture capital, private equity, or institutional ownership; it is an independent cultural institution funded through its diversified revenue mix.

Name

Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

Legal name

Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center

Website

https://schulzmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) museum in Santa Rosa, California that houses the world's largest collection of Peanuts comic strips. It serves individual visitors, families, schools, and corporate partners through exhibitions, educational programs, memberships, retail, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Comic art museum
• Cultural exhibitions
• Educational programs
• Museum memberships
• Cartooning classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admissions: Revenue from visitor admissions to the museum galleries and exhibitions. The museum saw attendance rise nearly 45 percent in the 2024-2025 season compared to the previous year.
2. Museum Store/Retail: The museum operates an online shop selling Peanuts merchandise and exclusive products. The website directs visitors to shop at charles-m-schulz-museum.myshopify.com.
3. Membership Program: Annual membership programs offering year-round benefits including exclusive collectibles and in-person and online experiences for members.
4. Donations and Commemorative Gifts: The museum accepts donations and commemorative gifts as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Corporate sponsorship programs are also available.
5. Corporate Membership and Sponsorships: Corporate membership and corporate sponsorships provide revenue streams from business partners seeking association with the museum and Peanuts brand.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) cultural institution that preserves, exhibits, and researches the work of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. It houses the world's largest collection of Peanuts comic strips and original Schulz artworks, presenting them through permanent and rotating exhibitions, a digital collection database, a research center, educational classes and camps, and an exclusive merchandise store. Year-round membership, donations, corporate sponsorships, and admissions/tour fees sustain its operations.

Product overview

The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) museum dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the work of cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The museum offers a core visitor experience housing the world's largest collection of Peanuts comic strips, supported by a searchable digital Collection database and Research Center. Additional offerings include educational Classes & Camps for children, downloadable Coloring Sheets, a Museum Store with exclusive merchandise, Membership programs, and a Digital Guide for visitors. The museum maintains a sister Snoopy Museum Tokyo and features rotating exhibitions such as the Snoopy's Family exhibition (March-September 2026).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum Experience (On-site Visit)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Brooks Legacy Senior Dog RescueminorOthersGenerous sponsor of the Snoopy's Family exhibition (March 28-September 16, 2026). The partnership aligns the museum's dog-themed content with a senior dog rescue organization.
• Memorial Beach Veterinary HospitalminorOthersGenerous sponsor of the Snoopy's Family exhibition. Veterinary hospital partnership supporting the exhibition about Snoopy's family of dogs.
• Snoopy Museum TokyocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Charles M. Schulz Museum maintains a relationship with the Snoopy Museum Tokyo as part of its international exhibitions and traveling exhibition program. This partnership extends the museum's reach to international audiences.
• Peanuts Worldwide LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe museum serves as the official repository and display venue for Peanuts intellectual property. The Peanuts brand's global expansion (75th anniversary, 1,200+ licensees, Gen Z engagement) directly benefits the museum through increased brand awareness and visitor interest.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Snoopy Museum Tokyo: Sister museum dedicated to Snoopy and the Peanuts franchise, operating in Tokyo since 2016. Direct peer because it shares the same IP focus, similar exhibition model, and has a mutual partnership with the Santa Rosa museum for content exchange.
• Cartoon Art Museum: San Francisco-based nonprofit museum dedicated to cartoon and comic art across all genres. Direct peer because it shares a similar-sized nonprofit museum model focused exclusively on cartoon/comic art and serves a comparable Northern California audience.
• Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum: Located at Ohio State University, this is one of the largest research libraries of cartoon art in the world. Direct peer because it preserves original cartoon artworks, runs exhibitions, and offers research services — a museum-library hybrid similar to the Schulz Museum's research center.
• The Cartoon Museum: London-based museum dedicated to British and global cartoon and comic art. Direct peer because it focuses on cartoon/comic art preservation, runs rotating exhibitions, and offers educational programming in a comparable nonprofit museum format.

Broad incumbents

• Norman Rockwell Museum: Located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, this is the largest museum dedicated to a single American illustrator. Broad incumbent because it operates a similar single-artist-focused museum model with original collections, research facilities, and educational programming at greater scale.
• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world, located in Indianapolis. Broad incumbent because it serves a similar family and school-group audience with educational programming, interactive exhibits, and field trip experiences at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• ToonSeum: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit museum dedicated to cartoon and comic art. Emerging player because it operates a similar niche cartoon-art museum model with rotating exhibitions and educational programming, but at smaller scale and narrower collection scope.
• Center for Cartoon Studies: Vermont-based nonprofit educational institution focused on cartoon and comics arts education. Emerging player because it shares the cartoon art educational mission, runs workshops and residencies, and serves a comparable creator and student audience.

Regional players

• Children's Creativity Museum: San Francisco-based interactive museum focused on creativity and media arts for children. Regional player because it serves a similar Bay Area family audience with hands-on educational programming, comparable visitor base demographics, and overlapping educational outreach mission.
• Sonoma County Museum: Local Santa Rosa cultural institution focused on Sonoma County history and art. Regional player because it shares the same geographic market, competes for the same tourist and local visitors, and operates a comparable small nonprofit museum model in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJQSNYbOl68OzOCFJ3HspFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/schulzmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/schulzmuseum
• Xx.com/schulzmuseum

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 Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center