Richmond Museum

What Richmond Museum does

The Richmond Museum Association (RMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1954 and headquartered in Richmond, California, that preserves and interprets local history and culture. It operates two physical venues: the Richmond Museum of History & Culture, housed in the city's historic Carnegie Library at 400 Nevin Avenue, and the S.S. Red Oak Victory, a WWII Victory ship berthed at the Port of Richmond. The organization runs permanent and seasonal exhibits covering Ohlone history, early city development, and the WWII Homefront; an appointment-only Research Room housing city directories from 1907, newspapers from 1912–1945, oral histories, yearbooks, photographs, and maps; free K–12 school field trips aligned to California Content Standards with companion teacher guides; venue rentals in the Carnegie Library building; and an e-commerce gift shop selling locally themed books, apparel, prints, and artisan goods. A 2026 program expansion added "The Art of Opportunity," a hybrid job-readiness and art-therapy program run with Mending of Mothers.

The operating model is community-led: only two paid professional staff (Museum Director Evelyn Santos and Collections Manager Victoria Stuhr) are supported by an extensive volunteer corps and a board of up to sixteen directors. Revenue is diversified across six streams — annual memberships, pay-what-you-can admissions (with pass access through Discover & Go and Museums for All), S.S. Red Oak Victory ticket sales ($10–$20), venue rentals, research reproduction fees, and a multi-sponsor donation/grant stack led by Chevron Richmond USA, San Francisco Foundation, Mechanics Bank, Ed Fund, Lesher Foundation, and East Bay Community Foundation. Marketing and distribution run through the museum website, email newsletter, YouTube/Facebook/Instagram, the MIRROR blog, VolunteerMatch, and direct booking (school field trips via the Director's email; venue rentals via the Director; research by appointment). The customer base is regional — primarily Contra Costa County and adjacent Bay Area cities — with no global footprint claim.

Name

Richmond Museum

Legal name

Richmond Museum Association

Website

https://richmondmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Richmond Museum (Richmond Museum Association) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1954 that preserves Richmond, California history through two venues — the Carnegie Library-based museum and the WWII S.S. Red Oak Victory ship — serving K-12 schools, researchers, local residents, and event organizers via exhibits, archives, free field trips, and venue rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

History Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• History museum services
• Educational programs
• Cultural preservation
• Archival research
• Community heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Annual giving program with membership tiers offering benefits including gift shop discounts, free admission, behind the scenes tours, and members only events.
2. Admission Fees: Pay what you can admission model. Passes also available through Discover & Go and Museums for All programs.
3. Museum Gift Shop: E-commerce retail sales of books, apparel, prints, merchandise, and locally themed items.
4. Venue Rentals: Rental of museum building for private events, celebrations, and community gatherings.
5. Research Services: Research room access by appointment. Reproduction fees for published photographs.
6. Donations: Tax-deductible donations and monthly donor programs supporting museum operations and specific initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Richmond Museum Association operates a local history museum housed in Richmond, California's historic Carnegie Library, providing permanent and seasonal exhibits, K-12 educational field trips, archival research services, and community programs. It also administers the S.S. Red Oak Victory, a WWII Victory ship offering guided tours and events. Revenue is generated through pay-what-you-can admission, annual memberships, gift shop sales, venue rentals, research services, donations, and grants.

Product overview

The Richmond Museum of History & Culture is a nonprofit organization operated by the Richmond Museum Association (RMA), offering a unified suite of public history and cultural services. Its core offering is the Richmond Museum of History & Culture — a museum housed in Richmond's historic Carnegie Library featuring permanent and seasonal exhibits on the city's history (Ohlone, early development, WWII Homefront). Adjacent to but distinct from this is the S.S. Red Oak Victory, a WWII Victory ship offering maritime-themed tours and events. Supporting services include a Research Room (access to primary archives including city directories from 1907 and newspapers from 1912), School Field Trips and Educational Tours (K–12, aligned to CA Content Standards, free), Teacher Guides (K–12 curriculum materials), Venue Rentals (the historic Carnegie Library building for private events), a Museum Gift Shop (selling books, apparel, prints, and local artisan goods), Artifact Donation Services (managed by a collections manager), and a public programs strand including 'The Art of Opportunity' (job readiness and art therapy, free, in partnership with Mending of Mothers). The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no public funding, relying on memberships, donations, and admissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• S.S. Red Oak Victory: A historic World War II Victory ship berthed at the Port of Richmond, operated by the RMA as a separate tourist attraction with its own tours, events, and admission fees.

Products and services

• Richmond Museum of History & Culture
• S.S. Red Oak Victory A WWII Victory ship berthed at the Port of Richmond, administered by the Richmond Museum Association. Offers self-guided tours, docent-led deck tours, engine room tours, movie nights, pancake breakfasts, seasonal dances, and private event rentals. Open Sundays with varying summer and winter hours.
• Research Room Services An appointment-only research facility offering access to primary historical resources including Richmond city directories (dating to 1907), Richmond Independent newspapers (1912-1945), oral histories, yearbooks, maps, photographs, and newspaper clippings, plus reproduction of published photographs for a fee.
• School Field Trips and Educational Tours (K-12) Free grade-specific guided tours and companion lesson materials for grades K-12, covering topics including Ohlone Indians, California Ranchos, WWII Homefront, Agriculture, Civil Rights Movement, and more. Tours available Tuesday-Thursday, 11 AM-4 PM, and booked via email with the Museum Director.
• Museum Exhibitions Permanent and seasonal history exhibits covering Richmond's past including the Ohlone people, early city development, WWII Homefront, and rotating thematic displays. The permanent exhibit is open during regular museum hours; seasonal exhibits change throughout the year.
• Venue Rentals Rental of the museum's historic Carnegie Library building for private events including parties, community gatherings, meetings, and celebrations. Bookings managed by Museum Director Evelyn Santos.
• Museum Gift Shop An on-site and online retail store selling locally themed books, apparel, prints, art prints, postcards, magnets, DVDs, and curated artisan goods, including products from the Richmond Historical Society, Chris Granillo art, the Children's Art Studio, and in-house merchandise.
• The Art of Opportunity A hybrid job readiness and art therapy program combining career coaching, resume building, mock interviews, financial literacy training, and history museum tours. Run in partnership with Mending of Mothers and offered as free sessions on select Wednesdays in summer 2026.
• Artifact Donation Services A program accepting donated historical objects and materials related to Richmond's history, managed by Collections Manager Victoria Stuhr. Donors must submit photos and descriptions via email prior to drop-off; the museum reserves the right to decline items not meeting preservation criteria.
• Teacher Guides and Educational Resources PDF-based teacher guides aligned with California Content Standards for grades K-12, covering local pre-colonial cultures, Spanish missionary period, WWII industries, and the Black Panther movement. Available for individual grade levels and as a combined all-in-one guide.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• City of RichmondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing support and collaboration for museum operations and community programs.
• Port of RichmondcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner hosting the S.S. Red Oak Victory ship at Berth 5 of the Port of Richmond.
• National Park Service Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor partner in WWII historical preservation and visitor education, sharing resources and programming related to the Rosie the Riveter historical site.
• Rosie the Riveter TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner supporting WWII historical preservation and education initiatives.
• West Contra Costa Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing school field trip programs aligned with curriculum standards.
• Kaiser Permanente Heritage ResourcesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare heritage partner supporting historical preservation and educational programming.
• Richmond Public LibrarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for public education and access to historical resources.
• Contra Costa County LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty library partner for Discover & Go museum pass program.
• Nevin Avenue Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for local outreach and programming.
• City of Richmond Department of RecreationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for community recreation programs and events.
• Richmond Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness organization partner for economic development and community engagement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berkeley Historical Society: East Bay local history nonprofit with archival collections, exhibits, and educational programming. Operates at similar size and funding model as RMA, targeting overlapping community demographics.
• Hayward Area Historical Society: Local history nonprofit operating museums and heritage sites in the East Bay, relying on admissions, memberships, and grants with a small paid staff. Closely mirrors the RMA's operating model, scale, and community-museum positioning.
• Contra Costa County Historical Society: County-wide history preservation organization overlapping directly with RMA's territory and mission. Highly comparable as a peer heritage nonprofit in the same geography, sharing donor pools and audiences.
• Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum: Maritime and regional history museum in a Bay Area port city with a similar combination of local history exhibits and naval/maritime heritage assets. Directly comparable to the museum + ship model RMA operates.
• San Pablo Historical Society: Small, volunteer-led local heritage nonprofit in a neighboring Contra Costa city. Closest scale match to RMA in terms of paid staff footprint, volunteer dependence, and programming scope.

Broad incumbents

• USS Midway Museum: Large-scale moored aircraft carrier museum in San Diego with paid admissions, school programs, and event rentals. Illustrates the mature version of the ship-museum model RMA operates at far smaller scale.
• Oakland Museum of California: Major Bay Area history and culture museum serving the East Bay with permanent collections on California history. Directly comparable as a regional history institution but at significantly larger scale, offering a benchmark for programming and visitor model.
• Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park: NPS site in Richmond specifically focused on WWII Home Front history — a direct programmatic complement and existing partner of RMA. Comparable as a history/heritage visitor experience in the same city.

Regional players

• San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park: Federally operated maritime heritage site with historic ships and visitor programming. Shares the historic-vessel preservation and educational programming model, though federally resourced and at larger scale.
• USS Iowa Museum (Los Angeles): Operates a moored naval museum ship on the West Coast with paid admission, tours, and events. Comparable as a ship-based heritage attraction business model, located in a different region from RMA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbOTeuITENXjZw8kmxf1Jng/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/RichmondMuseumCA
• Instagraminstagram.com/richmondcamuseum
• Xx.com/richmondhistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richmond-museum-of-history

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Richmond Museum