Reginald F. Lewis Museum

What Reginald F. Lewis Museum does

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture is a nonprofit museum headquartered at 830 E Pratt Street in Baltimore's Inner Harbor that documents, interprets, and preserves approximately 400 years of African American Marylander history. Founded in 2005 through a public/private partnership anchored by a $5 million lead gift from the Reginald F. Lewis Foundation and matched by the State of Maryland, the institution is operated by the Maryland African American Museum Corporation and holds Smithsonian Affiliate status. The core product is a Permanent Exhibition Gallery spanning three subjects — Building Maryland, Building America; Strength Of The Mind; Things Hold, Lines Connect — supplemented by rotating exhibitions (the TITAN: The Legacy of Reginald F. Lewis feature running Feb 2025 to Aug 2027, iWITNESS: Media & The Movement), the permanent Lynching in Maryland installation with the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project, the KID ZONE: Lifting As We Climb children's exhibit, and a satellite gallery at The Village at Mondawmin hosting Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals. A community murals program adds three installations in 2025-2026.

The museum operates a diversified nonprofit revenue model spanning per-visit admissions ($8-$15 depending on segment; free for Maryland public school educators, children under six, and members; $13/$10/$8 group rates), annual memberships, individual donations and stock transfers processed via Brown Advisory, corporate sponsorships and matching gifts via Double the Donation, government and foundation grants (MSDE, MSAC, City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, United Way of Central Maryland), venue and event rentals through Tripleseat, and a Shopify-powered retail shop. Underlying technology is entirely third-party SaaS: Veevart for ticketing and donations, Salesforce for donor CRM and point-of-sale, Tripleseat for event booking, Shopify for e-commerce, The Events Calendar plugin, and Instagram Feed for social embedding — there is no proprietary software, AI/ML, or developer-facing API surface.

The institution serves multiple customer segments: general public visitors and tourists, K-12 educators and school groups (with free admission for Maryland public school educators and a free four-day Summer Teacher Institute offering 45 PDP hours in partnership with Maryland Public Television), venue-rental clients (weddings, corporate events, nonprofit galas), donors and corporate sponsors, and underserved audiences reached through Museums for All (SNAP/EBT), Bank of America Museums on Us, and Blue Star Museums partnerships. Marketing is distributed across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, earned media in Baltimore-area outlets, email, and direct partnerships with Baltimore City Public Schools, MSEA, Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins, and Baltimore City Hall.

Name

Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Legal name

Maryland African American Museum Corporation

Website

https://lewismuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate nonprofit museum in Baltimore's Inner Harbor that documents, interprets, and preserves 400 years of African American Marylander history through permanent and rotating exhibitions, K-12 educational programs, community events, and a satellite gallery at Mondawmin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum and Heritage Institution

NAICS

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAB

History Museums

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

SECONDARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• African American history museum
• Cultural heritage exhibitions
• Museum education programs
• Community art programming
• Event venue rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

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

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Per-visit admission pricing: General $15, Seniors (65+) $12, Youth (7-17) $12, Children 6 and under FREE, Maryland Public School Educators FREE, Veterans and Active-Duty Military $12. Members admitted free. Group rates (10+) at $13 Adults / $10 Students / $8 additional adult chaperone.
2. Memberships: Annual memberships that include free admission and exclusive benefits; referenced as "Members – FREE, Join Today!" with dedicated membership page.
3. Individual Donations (incl. Matching Gifts & Stock): Online one-time and recurring donations via Veevart donation platform; stock donation processing through Brown Advisory (DTC# 2803, account 5298005); corporate matching gift program via Double the Donation.
4. Corporate Sponsorships & Corporate Memberships: Sponsorship packages for exhibitions, programs, and events with on-site recognition and marketing/promotional acknowledgment; corporate memberships.
5. Government & Foundation Grants: General operating support from Maryland State Department of Education, Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), City of Baltimore, Baltimore County, and United Way of Central Maryland.
6. Venue & Event Rentals: Rental of 2nd Floor Upper Lobby, 4th Floor Reception and Meeting Spaces, Theater, Board Room, Conference Room, and Lewis Flex Classroom for weddings, corporate events, nonprofit galas, and private dinners; booked via Tripleseat.
7. Museum Shop Retail Sales: Physical museum store plus e-commerce storefront at reginaldflewismuseum.myshopify.com selling books, apparel, jewelry (Crown line), and unique gifts celebrating Black culture.
8. Educational Programs & Teacher Institutes: Free and fee-based educational programming including the free four-day Summer Teacher Institute (eligible for 45 PDP hours via Maryland Public Television partnership).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture is a Smithsonian-affiliated nonprofit museum that operates permanent and rotating exhibitions, education programs, community events, a museum shop, and event venue rentals documenting African American history in Maryland. Its core offerings center on the Permanent Exhibition Gallery covering 400 years of African American Maryland history, the featured TITAN exhibition, the Lynching in Maryland installation, KID ZONE, and supporting satellite programming.

Product overview

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture operates as an integrated cultural platform combining a core Permanent Exhibition Gallery (Building Maryland, Building America; Strength Of The Mind; Things Hold, Lines Connect) with rotating current exhibitions such as the featured TITAN: The Legacy of Reginald F. Lewis, the current iWITNESS: Media & The Movement, the permanent KID ZONE: Lifting As We Climb, the satellite Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals at The Village at Mondawmin, the permanent Lynching in Maryland installation (with Maryland Lynching Memorial Project), and community exhibitions like the High School Juried Art Show 2026 and Mayor Scott's Black History Month Student Art Contest. The museum layers education programs (African American History Institute / Summer Teacher Institute, Children's Book Festival, Maryland at 250: The Values That Shape Us (FREEDOM) Lecture Series) and annual community events (Juneteenth Celebration, Community Murals Program including Frederick Douglass / Liberty, Taste of Legacy, and The Children Shall Lead) onto its core exhibitions. Supporting commercial offerings include the Shopify-powered Museum Shop for books, apparel, and unique gifts, the Tripleseat-based Rent Our Space venue rental service for weddings, galas, and corporate events in featured spaces like the Theater and 4th Floor Reception, and a Salesforce-backed CRM driving donations, memberships, and matching gifts through Veevart ticketing and Double the Donation matching gifts integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Lewis Museum Shop: Retail shop selling books, apparel, and unique gifts celebrating Black culture, operated through reginaldflewismuseum.myshopify.com.
• The Lewis at The Village at Mondawmin

Products and services

• TITAN: The Legacy of Reginald F. Lewis Featured main gallery exhibition (February 8, 2025—August 2, 2027) exploring the life of Maryland native Reginald Francis Lewis, the first African American to build a billion-dollar company, through personal artifacts, family testimonials, and rare photographs.
• Permanent Exhibition Gallery Three permanent exhibitions on the 3rd floor covering Maryland's earliest Black residents from the 1630s, ancient African intellectual traditions, and the role of family and community bonds.
• Lynching in Maryland Permanent installation created in collaboration with the Maryland Lynching Memorial Project honoring 38 documented victims of racial terror lynchings in Maryland between 1854 and 1933.
• iWITNESS: Media & The Movement Exhibition commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, examining how media impacted the modern American Civil Rights Movement with focus on Maryland activists and community leaders.
• KID ZONE: Lifting As We Climb Hands-on discovery exhibit for young visitors with lift-and-drop panels, spin discs, sliders, an illustrated Maryland map, activity stations for art, dance, music, and Lewis Museum collection items.
• Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals Satellite gallery exhibition at The Village at Mondawmin presenting African American health professionals in Baltimore and the Chesapeake region and their interventions to protect and support Black public health.
• Host Your Event / Rent Our Space Premium event spaces in downtown Baltimore for weddings, corporate receptions, nonprofit galas, and private dinners across the 2nd Floor Upper Lobby, 4th Floor Reception and Meeting Spaces, Theater, Board Room, Conference Room, and Lewis Flex Classroom.
• The Lewis Museum Shop Online and onsite retail shop offering books, apparel, jewelry (Crown line), Pan-African Flags, and unique gifts celebrating Black culture, powered by Shopify.
• African American History Institute / Summer Teacher Institute Multi-day professional development experience for K-12 educators examining freedom experiences of enslaved and free Black Marylanders, with field trips to regional historical sites and 45 PDP hours in partnership with Maryland Public Television.
• High School Juried Art Show 2026 Juried art exhibition (May 4, 2026 – February 28, 2027) in collaboration with MSEA showcasing Maryland high school students interpreting the African American experience through America's 250-year history.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20th anniversary milestone reached in 2025 with TITAN exhibition as the museum's 100th exhibition
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Smithsonian Institution (Smithsonian Affiliate program)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lewis is a Smithsonian Affiliate, providing access to Smithsonian collections, traveling exhibitions, and national resources. Logo is prominently displayed in the site header and footer.
• UnderArmourcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTitle sponsor of the Juneteenth 2026: Celebrate Freedom Day at the Lewis (Friday, June 19, 2026, 10am–4pm, free admission).
• Morgan State University (College of Interdisciplinary and Continuing Studies)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting partner for the Juneteenth 2026 celebration at the museum.
• WalmartcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting partner for the Juneteenth 2026 celebration at the museum.
• Johns Hopkins UniversitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored food for the TITAN Community Day on Saturday, February 8, 2025; Hopkins Day at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum was also held in February 2025.
• Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE, an Exelon company)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the Children's Book Festival 2026 (April 11, 2026).
• Harris TeeterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood sponsor of the Children's Book Festival 2026.
• The Fresh MarketminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFood sponsor of the Children's Book Festival 2026.
• Maryland Lynching Memorial ProjectflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the permanent 'Lynching in Maryland' installation honoring 38 documented victims of racial terror lynchings between 1854 and 1933.
• Maryland State Education Association (MSEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presents the High School Juried Art Show 2026 (May 4, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027), commemorating 250 Years of the Black Experience.
• City of Baltimore — Mayor Brandon M. Scott's Office / Baltimore City HallcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts the Mayor Scott's Black History Month Student Art Contest & Exhibition (since 2023); 2026 contest featured 125 submissions with 25 finalists displayed at City Hall and first-prize winners on display at the museum.
• Maryland 400 Commission & Maryland Center for History and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting the Maryland at 250 lecture series; opened with a keynote by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries on April 16, 2026. Supports the upcoming 'The Lines We Cross: 250 Years of Maryland Forging America' exhibition.
• Maryland Public TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on the Summer Teacher Institute 2026, making participating educators eligible to earn 45 PDP hours.
• Bank of America / Merrill Lynch (Museums On Us)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMuseums On Us partner — offers Bank of America or Merrill cardholders free admission on the first full weekend of every month (with valid ID).
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) & Association of Children's Museums (ACM) — Museums for AllcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Museums for All, offering free general admission to individuals and families presenting a SNAP/EBT card (covers up to 3 additional individuals).
• National Endowment for the Arts & Blue Star Families (Blue Star Museums)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in Blue Star Museums (2026 program: May 16 – Sept 7, 2026) offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families.
• Baltimore (MD) Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the TITAN Community Day on Saturday, February 8, 2025, which set the museum's community day attendance record.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of African American History and Culture (Smithsonian): The Smithsonian's flagship African American history museum on the National Mall. Operates as a broader incumbent with national reach and substantially larger resources, sharing mission and donor universe; serves as both a peer aspirationally and a Smithsonian Affiliate relationship for The Lewis.

Direct peers

• African American Museum in Philadelphia: Philadelphia's first museum devoted to African American life, presenting permanent and rotating exhibitions on Black history with comparable education and community programming. Closely aligned in mission, scale, and mid-Atlantic Smithsonian-Affiliate museum context.
• DuSable Museum of African American History: Chicago-based African American history museum with permanent collections, rotating exhibitions, and education programs. Comparable mid-size nonprofit scale, Smithsonian Affiliation status, and operating model anchored by admissions, memberships, and donor support.
• California African American Museum: Los Angeles-based museum focused on African American art, history, and culture. Comparable mid-size operating model with permanent and rotating exhibitions, education programs, and community events; operates on a larger geographic scale but with a directly aligned programmatic mission.
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Detroit-based African American history museum of comparable scale and mission, presenting permanent and rotating exhibitions on Black history. Directly comparable in operating model (admissions, memberships, venue rentals, education programs, donor-supported nonprofit) and visitor scale.
• National Civil Rights Museum: Memphis-based museum at the Lorraine Motel site documenting the American Civil Rights Movement. Closest thematic peer in African American civil rights exhibition programming and education, with similar nonprofit operating model and Smithsonian Affiliation status.
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: Birmingham, Alabama museum interpreting the Civil Rights Movement with permanent galleries, educational programming, and rotating exhibitions. Comparable in mission, scale, and education-driven revenue model, including K-12 field-trip programming and teacher professional development.
• National Great Blacks in Wax Museum: The closest geographic and category peer — an African American history museum also located in the Baltimore metro area (Easton, MD) featuring wax figures and exhibits on Black history. Directly competes for the same regional audience, K-12 field-trip market, and tourism draw in Maryland.

Regional players

• Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC): Maryland-focused history institution currently co-presenting the Maryland at 250 lecture series with The Lewis. Regional peer serving overlapping statewide audiences and educator networks, though broader in scope (general Maryland history vs. African American–specific).
• Baltimore Museum of Art: Major Baltimore-based art museum with overlapping downtown cultural-tourism audience, group-tour revenue, and venue-rental market. Regional competitor for Baltimore tourism, K-12 field trips, and corporate event clientele, though focused on fine art rather than African American history.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@reginaldf.lewismuseum5881
• Facebookfacebook.com/rflewismuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reginald-f-lewis-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/lewismuseum
• Xx.com/lewismuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Reginald F. Lewis Museum