BAMPFA

What BAMPFA does

BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive) is a non-profit university art museum, movie theater, and film archive operated by The Regents of the University of California and housed at 2155 Center Street in Downtown Berkeley, California. The institution presents more than 300 film screenings and approximately 10 exhibitions annually, supported by an extensive art and film collection, the MATRIX Program for Contemporary Art (founded 1978), the Fisher Family Art Lab, Library and Study Centers, and an on-site Kopi Bar and Bakery. Public programming includes artist talks, curator conversations, readings, workshops, performances, and family events.

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: admission and ticketing for film screenings and exhibitions, a tiered membership program (starting at $40/year, with $300+ tiers unlocking NARM, ROAM, and MARP reciprocal benefits across 1,000+ museums), donations and grants from foundations and government arts agencies (Haas, Hewlett, Mellon, Eucalyptus, NEA, NEH), retail sales through the BAMPFA Store, and a commercial venue-filming program administered with UC Berkeley Capital Strategies. The institution also accepts donations of art, film, video, and research materials valued at $5,000 or more, subject to independent appraisal.

BAMPFA reaches audiences through a multi-channel marketing mix spanning Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, YouTube, an email newsletter, quarterly program guides, and a press room, with advance tickets sold online via secure.bampfa.org. The organization participates in reciprocal membership networks including the College and University Art Museums Reciprocal Program (70+ university museums), NARM, ROAM, and MARP, and partners with UC Berkeley academic departments such as the Center for Korean Studies and the Departments of African American Studies and Gender and Women's Studies for joint programming. The Hofmann Society recognizes legacy donors who include BAMPFA in their estate plans.

Name

BAMPFA

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California

Website

https://bampfa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BAMPFA is a non-profit university art museum and film archive at UC Berkeley that presents 300+ film screenings and ~10 exhibitions annually for the general public, UC Berkeley students, and families. Revenue comes from admissions, a tiered membership program, foundation and government grants, retail, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum & Film Archive

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

Keywords

• Art museum exhibitions
• Film screening programs
• Contemporary art curation
• Film archive preservation
• Public cultural programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission and Ticketing: Revenue from ticket sales for film screenings and exhibitions
2. Memberships: Annual membership programs providing free admission and reciprocal benefits
3. Donations and Grants: Support from institutional funders including foundations, government agencies, and individual donors
4. Store Sales: The BAMPFA Store sells merchandise related to exhibitions and art
5. Art and Film Donations: Accepts donations of works of art, film, video, and research materials; donations valued at $5,000 or more require independent appraisal

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BAMPFA is a university art museum and film archive that operates galleries, a movie theater, study centers, an art lab, retail store, and cafe in Downtown Berkeley. It sells admission to rotating art exhibitions and 300+ annual film screenings, runs educational and cultural public programs, accepts art and film donations into its permanent collections, and offers tiered memberships with reciprocal access to partner museums.

Product overview

BAMPFA (Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive) operates as a unified cultural institution combining an art museum, movie theater, and film archive. The institution's core offerings include galleries presenting rotating visual art exhibitions, hundreds of annual film screenings across diverse programming, and a significant film archive. The MATRIX Program (founded 1978) provides an experimental platform for contemporary art. The Fisher Family Art Lab offers hands-on workshops and creative programming. Additional offerings include the Library and Study Centers for research, a retail store, on-site cafe (Kopi Bar and Bakery), and a tiered membership program with reciprocal benefits at over 1,000 museums. Public programs including talks, readings, and workshops complement the exhibition and film schedule.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BAMPFA Art Galleries and Museum Art museum featuring visual art exhibitions across multiple galleries, showcasing contemporary and historical works through rotating exhibitions and permanent collections for general public visitors.
• Film Screenings and Movie Theater Movie theater programming featuring hundreds of film screenings annually, including retrospectives, festivals, director spotlights, and classic cinema presentations for general audiences.
• Film Archive Comprehensive film archive preserving and providing access to films, videos, and film-related research materials for scholars and film enthusiasts.
• MATRIX Program for Contemporary Art Experimental contemporary art exhibition program founded in 1978, providing artists with resources to create and present new work.
• Fisher Family Art Lab Hands-on creative workshop space offering interactive art-making activities, workshops, and educational programs for visitors of all ages.
• Library and Study Centers Research facilities providing access to film books, periodicals, still photographs, posters, production files, and film-related documentation for students and scholars.
• Public Programs (Talks, Readings, Workshops) Educational programming including artist talks, curator conversations, readings, workshops, performances, and family events complementing exhibitions and film screenings.
• BAMPFA Store Museum retail store offering art-related merchandise, books, and specialty items.
• Kopi Bar and Bakery On-site cafe and bakery providing refreshments for museum visitors.
• Membership Program Tiered annual membership program offering benefits including free admission, reciprocal museum access, discounts, and exclusive events. Memberships start at $40/year; higher tiers ($300+) provide access to NARM, ROAM, and MARP reciprocal programs with over 1,000 participating museums.
• BAMPFA Collections Extensive collection of works of art and film materials held by the institution, available for research and featured in exhibitions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• College and University Art Museums Reciprocal ProgramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMPFA participates in the reciprocal membership program providing all members free admission to 70+ college and university museums across North America. Major participants include Anderson Collection at Stanford, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Hammer Museum, and others.
• North American Reciprocal Museums (NARM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMPFA members at $300+ level receive free general admission to over 1,000 museums in the US and Canada through NARM. Includes major institutions like SFMOMA, de Young Museum, Guggenheim, and Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
• Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums (ROAM)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMPFA members at $300+ tier access additional reciprocal benefits through ROAM partnership.
• Museum Alliance Reciprocal Program (MARP)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBAMPFA members at $300+ tier access MARP benefits for free general admission at participating institutions.
• Asian Art Museum of San FranciscominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSan Francisco Bay Area reciprocal partner for BAMPFA $300+ members
• de Young MuseumminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSan Francisco Bay Area reciprocal partner for BAMPFA $300+ members
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSan Francisco Bay Area reciprocal partner for BAMPFA $300+ members
• UC Berkeley Campus DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with UC Berkeley departments for classroom scheduling and joint programming aligned with BAMPFA's mission. Contact: Office of the Registrar.
• UC Berkeley Capital StrategiesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers campus filming program for commercial shoots including movies, TV, commercials, and still photography at BAMPFA. Contact: [email protected]
• Small Press TrafficminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiterary organization collaborated on collective marathon reading of Dictée by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha
• UC Berkeley Center for Korean StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented Weaving Histories: Lee ShinJa's Art from the 1950s to the 2000s in partnership with UC Berkeley's Center for Korean Studies
• UC Berkeley Departments of African American Studies and Gender and Women's StudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on This Unruly Witness: June Jordan's Legacy event

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Whitney Museum of American Art: Major contemporary art museum with a national brand, robust exhibition calendar, and film/video programming. Comparable on contemporary-art curatorial focus and event-driven audience model, though at substantially greater scale.
• de Young Museum: Larger, established Bay Area art museum under the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Overlaps with BAMPFA on fine arts exhibitions and Bay Area membership reciprocal programs, but operates at greater scale and broader historical scope.

Direct peers

• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Major Bay Area art museum that, like BAMPFA, presents contemporary art exhibitions alongside film programming and operates a tiered membership with reciprocal benefits. Closest comparable institution by geography, scale, and combined visual-art/film focus.
• Harvard Art Museums: Major university art museum system at Harvard combining curatorial, exhibition, and educational programming anchored by an elite research university. Comparable to BAMPFA in university-affiliation, collection breadth, and academic integration.
• Metrograph: New York cinema and cultural venue that combines theatrical film programming (retrospectives, repertory, premieres) with a restaurant/bar and curated cultural events. Comparable to BAMPFA's film-archive/theater arm and its hybrid cultural-venue positioning.
• The Broad: Contemporary art museum in Los Angeles affiliated with a major research university footprint (UCLA/downtown LA). Comparable in curatorial emphasis on contemporary art and in operating a high-throughput exhibition model alongside educational programming.
• Hammer Museum (UCLA): University art museum at UCLA presenting contemporary art exhibitions and public programs. Comparable as a research-university-affiliated museum with a curatorial focus on contemporary work and robust public programming.
• Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University: University art museum serving the Stanford community with exhibitions, collections, and educational programming. Directly comparable as another top-tier Northern California university museum with similar academic-affiliation dynamics.

Regional players

• Oakland Museum of California: East Bay cultural institution close to BAMPFA serving overlapping regional audiences with exhibitions, public programs, and events. Comparable as a local/regional museum with a similar event-driven engagement model.
• Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Bay Area museum offering exhibitions, public programs, and reciprocal membership benefits to BAMPFA's higher-tier members. Comparable as a regional cultural institution with similar GTM motion and donor/visitor model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bampfa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/BAMPFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/bampfa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-california-berkeley-art-museum-and-pacific-film-archive
• Instagraminstagram.com/bampfa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 BAMPFA