National Council for Preservation Education

What National Council for Preservation Education does

The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) is a U.S. non-profit educational organization founded in 1978 and headquartered in Ithaca, NY, serving as the national clearinghouse and peer review body for historic preservation education. Its primary constituents are academic institutions offering historic preservation degree and certificate programs, individual preservation students and faculty, and allied preservation organizations. NCPE's core product portfolio includes the peer-reviewed Preservation Education & Research (PER) journal, the NCPE Internship Program (founded 1991 in partnership with the National Park Service and now extending to multiple federal agencies), faculty research grants, the James Marston Fitch Award, a Syllabus Bank, an annual conference co-located with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's PastForward, and a directory of U.S. preservation academic programs.

The organization operates a WordPress-based digital platform at ncpe.us as its primary technology infrastructure, supporting content publication, membership administration, internship applications (routed via preservenet.org), and access to scholarly resources. NCPE also maintains a YouTube channel (@ncpe) for conference recordings and fireside chat programming. The technology stack is standard web CMS rather than proprietary software, with value concentrated in content assets and network relationships rather than technical differentiation.

NCPE's business model is a non-profit membership subscription structure: institutional dues are $500-$1,000 annually based on program count ($500 for one program, $750 for two, $1,000 for three, $500 for associate members). Revenue is supplemented by grant administration fees and partnership funding from NPS and National Trust. The 1-10 employee operation is volunteer-governed via an Executive Board (President, Treasurer, Secretary, committee chairs, and at-large members), with institutional archives housed at Eastern Michigan University's Special Collections in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Name

National Council for Preservation Education

Legal name

National Council for Preservation Education

Website

https://ncpe.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NCPE is a U.S. non-profit founded in 1978 serving as the national clearinghouse for historic preservation education, connecting academic programs, students, and faculty through its PER journal, internship pipeline with federal agencies, faculty grants, and annual conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Preservation Education Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

Keywords

• Historic preservation education
• Academic preservation programs
• Preservation internship network
• Preservation faculty grants
• Preservation curriculum resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Dues: NCPE generates revenue through annual membership dues from academic institutions with preservation programs. Dues are structured by number of programs: one program $500, two programs $750, three programs $1,000. Associate members pay $500.
2. Grants and Awards Programs: NCPE administers grant programs including Early Career Faculty Research and Creative Activities Grant ($5,000) and Mid-Career Faculty Research and Creative Activities Grant ($5,000), funded through organizational resources and sponsorships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) is a non-profit educational organization that serves as the national clearinghouse and peer review body for historic preservation education. It coordinates preservation education efforts across academic institutions, facilitates student internship placement at federal agencies through its partnership with the National Park Service, publishes the peer-reviewed Preservation Education & Research (PER) journal, administers faculty research grants, maintains a syllabus bank, and hosts an annual conference alongside the National Trust for Historic Preservation's PastForward event.

Product overview

The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) is a non-profit educational organization that serves as a network and resource hub for the historic preservation field. Rather than a unified software product, NCPE offers a portfolio of services including the peer-reviewed Preservation Education & Research (PER) Journal, the NCPE Internship Program connecting students with federal agencies, grant programs for early and mid-career faculty, a Syllabus Bank of preservation course materials, annual conferences, and an academic programs guide. These offerings coordinate efforts related to preservation education with public and private organizations and facilitate the exchange of information and ideas concerning preservation education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Preservation Education & Research (PER) Journal: A peer-reviewed journal published by NCPE to exchange and disseminate information concerning preservation education and research.
• PreserveNet
• NCPE Internship Program

Products and services

• Preservation Education & Research (PER) Journal A peer-reviewed journal that disseminates international scholarship relevant to historic environment education, including historic preservation, heritage conservation, heritage studies, building and landscape conservation, urban conservation, and cultural patrimony. Targeted at preservation faculty, researchers, and graduate students.
• NCPE Internship Program A program founded in partnership with the National Park Service that connects college students and recent graduates with preservation internships at National Parks, NPS units, and other federal agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, General Services Administration, and Department of Defense.
• NCPE Grants and Awards Program Grant programs including the Early Career Faculty Research and Creative Activities Grant (up to $5,000), Mid-Career Faculty Research and Creative Activities Grant (up to $5,000), and the James Marston Fitch Award honoring outstanding preservation educators.
• Syllabus Bank A repository of syllabi shared by preservation programs across the country, covering preservation theory, policy, law, building trades, conservation, documentation, architectural history, and landscape. Available to member institutions and faculty.
• NCPE Annual Conference Annual membership meeting and conference on historic preservation pedagogy, typically held in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's PastForward conference, featuring paper presentations, student poster competitions, and networking events.
• NCPE Guide to Academic Programs A reference source listing member academic programs in historic preservation and allied fields throughout the United States, including degree types, areas of emphasis, and contact information for program directors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,000 students and graduates have completed NCPE internships since 1992
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Park Service (NPS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1991NCPE's Internship Program was founded in partnership with the National Park Service in 1991, with first interns hired in 1992 at NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C. The partnership enables students to intern at National Parks, NPS units, and other federal agencies including Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, General Services Administration, and Department of Defense.
• National Trust for Historic PreservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPE co-sponsors the annual Student Paper Competition with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Winners receive free conference registration plus $700 travel and hotel stipend, and present papers at PastForward, the National Preservation Conference.
• Eastern Michigan University LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPE Archives are housed at Eastern Michigan University Library's Special Collections in Ypsilanti, Michigan, providing public access to organizational records and Historic Preservation Special Collection documents.
• PreserveNetmajorTechnology or IntegrationNCPE sponsors PreserveNet, an online resource platform for preservation education and professional resources, expanding the organization's digital reach and resource sharing capabilities.
• Academic Publishers (for PER Journal)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCPE established a partnership between Preservation Education & Research (PER) journal and academic publishers to enhance journal distribution and accessibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Preservation Institute (NPI): Nonprofit providing training and continuing education in historic preservation to professionals, agency staff, and citizens. Closely comparable as a preservation education nonprofit offering workshops and certification, with overlap in target audience and content focus.
• Association for Preservation Technology (APT): International nonprofit dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving historic structures. Highly comparable as a preservation-focused professional association with conferences, publications, and member programs, though with a technical/conservation engineering orientation versus NCPE's academic-education focus.
• Society of Architectural Historians (SAH): Membership organization for scholars, students, and professionals in architectural history and preservation. Directly comparable as an academic society with conferences, a peer-reviewed journal, grants, and member programs serving overlapping faculty and student populations.
• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): National membership association supporting institutions and individuals working in state and local history. Comparable as a field-specific association with conferences, publications, and member programs serving an adjacent audience of historians and preservation practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The largest U.S. nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation. Closely comparable as a peer organization that NCPE co-sponsors events with, but significantly broader in scope (advocacy, property ownership, member-based public engagement) versus NCPE's educational focus.
• National Main Street Center: A program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation focused on commercial district revitalization through preservation. Comparable as a preservation-focused organization offering training, conferences, and resources, though with a downtown-economic-development orientation.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA): The primary professional association for U.S. architects, with significant overlap in membership and continuing education for preservation professionals. Much larger and broader than NCPE, but serves an adjacent professional community.

Others

• Preserve America: Federal initiative established by the White House in 2003 to support historic preservation through recognition and community programs. Comparable as a preservation-promotion program with overlapping constituencies, though federally operated rather than independently member-funded.

Emerging players

• Docomomo US: U.S. chapter of an international organization focused on documentation and conservation of modernist architecture. Comparable as a smaller, mission-specific preservation nonprofit with educational programs, conferences, and publications, though narrower in scope than NCPE.

Regional players

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP): Independent federal agency that advises the President and Congress on historic preservation policy. Comparable as a preservation-policy institution, though operating as a government body rather than nonprofit and focused on regulatory review rather than education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ncpe/videos
• Xx.com/assistantncpe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-council-for-preservation-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Council for Preservation Education