El Museo

What El Museo does

El Museo del Barrio, founded in 1969 by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz, is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to presenting and preserving the art and culture of Puerto Rican, Latin American, and Caribbean communities in the United States. The museum operates from the historic Heckscher Building at 1230 Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's Museum Mile and stewards a permanent collection of over 8,500 objects spanning 800+ years, complemented by rotating exhibitions, the ESTAMOS BIEN / LA TRIENAL national Latinx survey series, and signature cultural celebrations including the 47+ year-old Three Kings Day Parade and Día de Muertos programming.

Revenue is generated across six streams: pay-what-you-can admission ($9 suggested for adults, $5 for students/seniors, free for members and children under 12), annual individual and corporate memberships, an annual benefit gala raising over $1 million, venue rentals of El Teatro (572 seats), El Café (90 seated/250 standing), classrooms and Las Galerías, retail through La Tienda (in-person and online via Square), and institutional/corporate funding from Ford Foundation, MacKenzie Scott, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, A24, American Express, and others. Educational programming spans K-12 group visits, Coquí Club for ages 1-4, college and adult programs, and accessibility initiatives such as a Spanish-language memory-loss program with Arts & Minds (since 2015).

The technology stack is lean and partner-dependent: the primary digital surface is a bilingual (English/Spanish) multimedia guide delivered through the third-party Bloomberg Connects app, supplemented by a Square-based e-commerce storefront, standard social channels, and an email newsletter. No proprietary AI/ML systems, in-house platform, or API product surface is evident. Operations are run by an 11-50 person staff under Executive Director Patrick Charpenel (since May 2017), with recent addition of Arturo Agüero as Director of Education and Public Programs in March 2026.

Name

El Museo

Legal name

El Museo del Barrio

Website

https://elmuseo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

El Museo del Barrio is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit museum in New York City's El Barrio that presents and preserves Latinx, Latin American, and Caribbean art and culture for families, K-12 schools, artists, and the general public through exhibitions, education, events, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum / Art Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Latin American art museum
• Cultural institution
• Exhibition programming
• Bilingual museum education
• Permanent art collection

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual and corporate membership programs providing annual recurring revenue with benefits including free admission, special events access, and discounts
2. Gala and Special Events: Annual benefit gala raising over $1 million supporting exhibitions, educational initiatives, and permanent collection stewardship. Also includes ticket sales for concerts, film screenings, and programs
3. Venue Rentals: Rental of El Teatro (572 capacity), El Café (90 seated/250 standing), classrooms, and Las Galerías for private events, corporate functions, performances, and receptions
4. Retail - La Tienda: Museum gift shop selling merchandise, artist editions, catalogs, Santos de Palo, and other items both in-person and online
5. Corporate Sponsorship: Support from corporate partners including A24, American Express, Bank of America, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Goldman Sachs, and others for programming and exhibitions
6. Institutional Grants and Donations: Funding from foundations (Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund), government (NYC, NY State, Federal), and individual donors including $8M gift from Mackenzie Scott in 2021

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

El Museo del Barrio operates a cultural museum dedicated to presenting, preserving, and educating the public about Puerto Rican, Caribbean, and Latin American art and culture. Its core offering includes rotating exhibitions in Las Galerías, public access to a permanent collection of over 8,500 objects spanning more than 800 years, bilingual educational and family programming (including Coquí Club for ages 1-4 and group visits for K-12 through adult learners), annual cultural celebrations (Three Kings Day Parade, Día de Muertos), and a slate of community events, performances, and artist residencies.

Product overview

El Museo del Barrio is a museum institution presenting and preserving Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino art and culture. The museum operates as a unified institution with multiple interconnected offerings: Las Galerías hosts rotating exhibitions alongside a Permanent Collection of over 8,500 objects spanning 800+ years of history; La Tienda provides a retail/gift shop; El Teatro and El Café serve as event venues; Bloomberg Connects offers a digital guide app; Coquí Club serves early childhood visitors; and Group Visits/Educational Programs provide learning experiences. The museum also hosts major cultural celebrations (Three Kings Day Parade, Día de Muertos) and offers event rentals and membership programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Tienda: The museum's gift shop offering art merchandise, catalogues, and cultural items
• El Café
• El Teatro
• Las Galerías
• Bloomberg Connects
• Coquí Club

Products and services

• Las Galerías (Museum Exhibitions and Permanent Collection Access) Rotating exhibitions of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino art presented in Las Galerías alongside the museum's permanent collection of more than 8,500 objects spanning 800+ years of art history. Accessible via pay-what-you-can admission. Includes triennial series such as ESTAMOS BIEN (2021) and Flow States LA TRIENAL 2024.
• La Tienda (Museum Gift Shop) Museum gift shop offering merchandise, art catalogs, limited edition prints, Santos de Palo, and other culturally themed items. Operates in-person during museum hours and online 24/7 via Square e-commerce.
• Venue Rentals (El Teatro, El Café, Courtyard, Classrooms, Las Galerías) Rental of museum event spaces including the historic 572-seat El Teatro theater (originally built in 1921, with landmark murals by Willy Pogany), El Café (90 seated/250 standing overlooking Central Park's Conservatory Garden), Courtyard, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and Las Galerías. Used for private receptions, meetings, corporate functions, performances, and film productions. Non-profit discounts available with 501(c)(3) documentation.
• Group Visits and Educational Programs Guided tours and educational workshops for K-12, college/university, and adult groups (10+) with advance booking. Includes curriculum-aligned bilingual workshops for schools and tours tailored to exhibition themes.
• Membership Programs (Individual, Corporate, Circulo) Annual membership tiers including Individual Membership, Corporate Membership, and Circulo (premium patron circle), providing benefits such as free admission, special events access, and discounts across museum programs and retail.
• Cultural Celebrations (Three Kings Day Parade, Día de Muertos) Annual signature community celebrations including the Three Kings Day Parade (the largest in NYC and one of the city's longest-running cultural traditions, since 1979) and Día de Muertos featuring art-making, live music, and community altars.
• Coquí Club (Early Childhood Bilingual Program) Bilingual (English/Spanish) immersion program for the museum's youngest visitors ages 1-4, including age-appropriate cultural programming and family activities.
• Bloomberg Connects Digital Guide Bilingual (English/Spanish) multimedia mobile app providing exhibition content, museum history, El Barrio neighborhood context, permanent collection information, public program listings, and cultural celebration details. Available on App Store and Google Play.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Gala raised more than $1 million to support exhibitions, educational initiatives, and permanent collection stewardship
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aspen ConexióncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Partnership to convene leaders across the art world to examine the rise of the U.S. Latino art market during Frieze New York: In the City program
• Maestro Dobel TequilacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize partnership; 2026 recipient Guadalupe Rosales announced at gala; solo exhibition to open at museum
• Museum of the City of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-admission partnership where El Museo admission grants entry to both museums; co-presenting Uptown Bounce summer block party series (13th year)
• BelongócoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric 2026 residency uniting two Pan Latin cultural pillars of NYC with Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing free concert series at El Teatro
• Frieze Art FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurated Diálogos section at Frieze New York focusing on contemporary Latinx and Latin American artists; first section of its kind at the fair (since 2019)
• Bloomberg PhilanthropiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding for bilingual digital guide on Bloomberg Connects app
• Arts & MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to present New York's first Spanish-language museum program engaging individuals with memory loss in art-centered activities (since 2015)

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Museum of Mexican Art: Largest Mexican/Latinx art museum in the U.S. based in Chicago. Directly comparable to El Museo as a free-admission, community-rooted cultural institution dedicated to presenting Mexican and Latin American art through a permanent collection, exhibitions, and educational programming.
• Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA): The only museum in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary Latin American art, located in Long Beach, CA. Closely comparable to El Museo in mission (dedicated Latin American art), programming model (rotating exhibitions + permanent collection), and venue rentals.
• Mexic-Arte Museum: Austin-based museum focused on Mexican and Latino art and culture. Comparable to El Museo in operating as a community-rooted cultural institution with rotating exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural events tied to Mexican/Latin American heritage.
• The Mexican Museum: San Francisco museum dedicated to Mexican and Mexican-American art and culture. Directly comparable in mission to El Museo — collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting Chicano/Mexican/Latin American art with a permanent collection spanning pre-Columbian to contemporary works.
• Studio Museum in Harlem: NYC neighborhood-rooted museum (Harlem) dedicated to preserving and presenting work by artists of African descent. Highly comparable operating model: community-based cultural institution on Museum Mile-adjacent geography, education-focused programming, and a permanent collection-as-platform model.
• National Hispanic Cultural Center: Albuquerque-based cultural institution dedicated to Hispanic and Latino arts and culture. Comparable to El Museo as a community-rooted cultural center offering visual arts, performing arts, and educational programming tied to Hispanic/Latino heritage.

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of the American Latino: The Smithsonian's planned national museum dedicated to the American Latino experience. Comparable to El Museo in mission (preserving and presenting Latino history/culture), but operates at national scale and within the Smithsonian umbrella, making it a broader institutional incumbent rather than a direct neighborhood competitor.
• Asia Society Museum: NYC-based cultural institution presenting traditional and contemporary Asian art alongside performing arts and policy programming. Comparable to El Museo as a non-Western-heritage museum on Manhattan's Upper East Side with a permanent collection, performing arts venue, and education focus.
• Smithsonian American Art Museum: Washington, D.C.-based national museum presenting American art across cultures including significant Latino/Latinx holdings. Comparable to El Museo as an institutional peer in collecting and exhibiting Latinx art, but operates at much larger national scale and within the Smithsonian umbrella.

Regional players

• Museum of the City of New York: NYC museum focused on the city's history and culture. Directly comparable to El Museo as an operating partner (cross-admission and Uptown Bounce programming), and as a peer NYC cultural institution with a permanent collection, education programs, and venue rentals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elmuseo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ElMuseodelBarrioNY
• Facebookfacebook.com/elmuseo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-museo-del-barrio
• Instagraminstagram.com/elmuseo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 El Museo