Archaeology Southwest

What Archaeology Southwest does

Archaeology Southwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit preservation archaeology organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, on the homelands of the Tohono O'odham Nation and the lands of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. The organization, formerly known as the Center for Desert Archaeology, conducts landscape-scale archaeological research, advocates for protection of cultural sites across the American Southwest, and maintains the Heritage Southwest Database cataloguing more than 10,000 ancient and historic archaeological sites. Its technical core includes the cyberSW big-data research platform (NSF RIDIR-funded) and a portfolio of digital and physical exhibits, including Bears Ears: Vulnerable Places and From Above. It operates a secondary office in Reserve, New Mexico.

The organization serves a hybrid audience of individual members and donors, students, educators, and — most distinctively — nearly 100 federally recognized Tribal nations across the Southwest, alongside federal agency partners (BIA, BLM) and academic collaborators (University of Arizona, Western New Mexico University, Arizona State University). Revenue is generated through a diversified mix: individual donations and memberships ($50 one-time or $5/month recurring, with a $25/year student rate), planned giving, foundation and federal grants (notably NSF $1.7M for cyberSW and NEH grants of $350K and $175K), a fee-based Speakers Bureau ($500 per appearance), biannual magazine and publication sales through a WooCommerce bookstore with 124 SKUs, and tuition from the six-week Preservation Archaeology Field School. Public engagement is driven through Archaeology Caf\u00e9 (in-person in Tucson and Zoom), the Preservation Archaeology Blog, a weekly Preservation Archaeology Today e-newsletter, and active channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Distribution is direct-to-consumer only, with no reseller or retail channels.

The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: free educational content (fact sheets, online tutorials such as Hands-On Archaeology, exhibits, video archive) builds top-of-funnel awareness, which is converted through donations, memberships, field school enrollment, and speaking engagements. The organization's competitive position rests on its named Preservation Archaeology methodology, its long-running reputation (Charity Navigator 4-star, Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency), and an unusually deep ecosystem of Tribal, federal, academic, and coalition partners that creates high switching costs for any alternative intermediary in regional preservation archaeology.

Name

Archaeology Southwest

Legal name

Archaeology Southwest

Website

https://archaeologysouthwest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Archaeology Southwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit preservation archaeology organization founded in 1989, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. It conducts archaeological research, advocates for cultural site protection, collaborates with Tribal nations, and delivers educational programming for members, students, educators, and the public across the American Southwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Archaeological Preservation Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours (THAKAGAN)

Keywords

• Preservation archaeology
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Archaeological research
• Tribal collaboration
• Heritage education

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Memberships: Primary revenue stream through one-time and recurring donations. Members receive Archaeology Southwest Magazine, newsletter access, bookstore discounts, and event invitations. Options include $50 one-time or $5/month recurring donations.
2. Planned Giving and Bequests: Accepts Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs for donors 70½ or older, and bequests through wills or living trusts. Legal name is Archaeology Southwest, EIN 86-0640183.
3. Speakers Bureau: Fee-based speaking engagements by staff experts at $500 appearance fee (negotiable). Staff include subject matter experts on Chaco, tribal collaboration, ancient technologies, and Southwest archaeology.
4. Publications and Magazine Sales: Archaeology Southwest Magazine (biannual) and other publications sold through online bookstore. Members receive discounts. Free PDF archives available for issues 5+ years old.
5. Field School Tuition: Six-week Preservation Archaeology Field School offered in collaboration with Western New Mexico University and University of Arizona, with tuition and registration fees.
6. Foundation and Government Grants: Major grants including: cyberSW NSF award ($1.7M), NEH collaborative research grant for Lower Gila River project ($175K), and NEH grant for cyberSW expansion ($350K).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Archaeology Southwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that conducts Preservation Archaeology research and advocates for landscape-scale protection of cultural sites across the American Southwest. It offers educational programs (a six-week field school, Archaeology Café public events, hands-on tutorials), publishes a biannual magazine, operates the cyberSW digital research platform and Heritage Southwest Database covering 10,000+ archaeological sites, collaborates with Tribal Nations on heritage protection, and sells publications and merchandise through an online bookstore.

Product overview

Archaeology Southwest operates as a nonprofit preservation archaeology organization offering a portfolio of educational and research products. The core offering is the biannual Archaeology Southwest Magazine, complemented by the weekly Preservation Archaeology Today digest and monthly This Month newsletter. Public engagement programs include Archaeology Café (in-person and virtual events), the Preservation Archaeology Field School (collaborative six-week program), and Exhibits (both physical and online). The organization maintains digital research platforms including the cyberSW big data initiative and Heritage Southwest Database (10,000+ sites). Educational resources encompass the Preservation Archaeology Blog, Video Archive, Fact Sheet Series, and Hands-On Archaeology tutorials. Advocacy programs include Save History/ARPA Assistance and the BIA NAGPRA Assistance Program. The Speakers Bureau provides staff experts for external presentations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cyberSW: A digital research and education platform that provides big data solutions for archaeological questions in the Southwest.
• Save History
• Preservation Archaeology Field School
• Archaeology Café
• Hands-On Archaeology

Products and services

• Archaeology Southwest Magazine Award-winning biannual publication featuring in-depth exploration of archaeological topics, cultural landscapes, and preservation efforts across the American Southwest. Available to members with free PDF access to back issues older than 5 years.
• Preservation Archaeology Field School A tuition-based six-week educational program teaching excavation, survey, experimental archaeology, and laboratory methods focused on museum collections and survey data. Held in collaboration with Western New Mexico University and the University of Arizona.
• Speakers Bureau Staff experts available to present on Southwest archaeology topics for a $500 negotiable appearance fee, available in-person or virtually to groups, organizations, and institutions.
• cyberSW Digital Research Platform A digital research and education platform using big data approaches to address major archaeological questions about the Southwest. Funded by a $1.7M NSF RIDIR award and a $350,000 NEH grant for tribal-collaborative expansion.
• Heritage Southwest Database A geodatabase hosted by the organization holding information on more than 10,000 ancient and historic archaeological sites in the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico.
• Online Bookstore and Publications WooCommerce-based e-commerce store selling Archaeology Southwest Magazine, related publications, and merchandise. Members receive 25% discount; physical mailing address in Tucson, AZ.
• Membership and Sustaining Donor Program Tiered donor-membership program with one-time gifts of $50+, monthly recurring donations of $5 (Sustaining Circle), and student rate of $25/year with academic ID. Includes magazine, newsletter, bookstore discounts, and event invitations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heritage Southwest database holds information on more than 10,000 ancient and historic archaeological sites
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU) agreement for NAGPRA Assistance Program. Collaborates to foster respectful relations and strengthen NAGPRA compliance at BIA.
• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year CESU agreement for ARPA Assistance Initiative (Save History). Team collaborates on detecting, responding to, and preventing archaeological resource crime on Tribal lands.
• Western New Mexico UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative field school partner. Students research NAN Ranch collections at WNMU Museum and conduct archaeological survey. Field school held at WNMU campus in Silver City, NM.
• University of ArizonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerField school orientation partner. Students begin 3-day orientation to Preservation Archaeology at University of Arizona. Also academic collaboration through Laboratory of Tree Ring Research and School of Anthropology.
• Tohono O'odham NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive tribal collaboration. Organization headquartered on Tohono O'odham homelands. Staff serve as cultural resource advisors. Joint lawsuit filed against SunZia transmission line and border wall construction.
• San Carlos Apache TribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint litigation partner with Tohono O'odham Nation against US Federal Government regarding SunZia transmission line through San Pedro Valley.
• Coalition to Protect Greater ChacocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchaeology Southwest is part of this collaborative effort with All Pueblo Council of Governors and other organizations working to protect Greater Chaco Landscape from oil and gas development.
• Arizona State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership through School of Human Evolution and Social Change. Partner site includes Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve. Hosts Center for Archaeology and Society.
• Conservation Lands FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for protection, restoration, and expansion of National Conservation Lands through education, advocacy, and partnerships. Member of Friends Grassroots Network.
• Coalition for American HeritageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition advancing nation's commitment to heritage preservation through advocacy and policy work.
• Respect Great Bend CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition campaign for permanent protections for public lands at Great Bend of the Gila. Quechan (Kwatsáan) Tribe collaborating on ancestral landscape protection.
• Amerind FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum, art gallery, and research center in Dragoon, Arizona. Hosted Four Nations Symposium on Sonoran Rock Imagery convened by Archaeology Southwest.
• Arizona State MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum partnership for collections research and curation. Worked on Snaketown Collection documentation before return to Gila River Indian Community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Conservation Lands Foundation: National nonprofit advancing protection, restoration, and expansion of National Conservation Lands. Existing partner of Archaeology Southwest via the Friends Grassroots Network, with adjacent public-lands advocacy focus rather than direct archaeological research.

Broad incumbents

• Society for American Archaeology (SAA): Professional society representing the interests of American archaeologists worldwide with advocacy, publications, and conferences. Operates more broadly than Archaeology Southwest's regional preservation focus but shares the cultural-resource-protection advocacy and membership base.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National-scale nonprofit focused on saving historic places, with similar advocacy, member-supported revenue, and grant-funded programs. Operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than Archaeology Southwest, but engages overlapping public-lands and cultural-resource issues.

Direct peers

• Archaeological Institute of America (AIA): Oldest and largest nonprofit archaeology organization in the US, promoting archaeological research and public education. Comparable nonprofit mission, membership model, magazine publication (Archaeology magazine), and lecture/event programming.
• Archaeological Conservancy: National nonprofit dedicated to preserving archaeological sites through direct acquisition and stewardship. Highly comparable mission of protecting cultural landscapes, with comparable member-and-grant-supported operating model and overlap in Southwest preservation priorities.
• Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: Southwest-focused nonprofit running archaeological research and K-12/public education programs, including a residential field school in southwestern Colorado. Directly comparable research-education-preservation model and Southwest geographic focus.

Regional players

• School for Advanced Research (SAR): Santa Fe-based independent research institution supporting scholarship on the American Southwest and Indigenous peoples. Comparable regional Southwest focus, scholar-residency and seminar model, and nonprofit research-and-education orientation.
• Amerind Foundation: Museum, art gallery, and research center in Dragoon, Arizona focused on Native American cultures of the Americas. Active partner of Archaeology Southwest, with overlapping Southwest geography, museum/heritage interpretation, and Indigenous-collaboration priorities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arch_sw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsRG3vav9m6rbnLM7VYtdaQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArchaeologySouthwest
• Instagraminstagram.com/archaeologysouthwest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Archaeology Southwest