North Carolina Aquarium Society

What North Carolina Aquarium Society does

The North Carolina Aquarium Society (NCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1976, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, that serves as the official nonprofit partner and private fundraising arm of the state's aquarium system. Its footprint spans four aquarium locations—Jennette's Pier, Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher—which collectively serve more than 1.4 million visitors annually. The Society's mission is to raise private funds that bring exhibits to life, sustain aquatic species care, and advance conservation and education programming under three pillars: Education, Conservation, and Discovery.

Its commercial offering is built on three revenue streams: an annual Membership Program (individual, couple, and family tiers starting at $79/year) providing free aquarium admission, free NC Zoo admission, Jennette's Pier Walk-On Pass, gift shop and program discounts, and reciprocity with 150+ partner zoos and aquariums; donation programs routed through GiveCloud that fund habitat restoration, species protection, and educational initiatives; and a retail channel comprising an online gift shop plus digital gift cards. Adjacent offerings include the Aquarium Scholars educational program and the SEAmail segmented email newsletter.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, combining the Society's own website (ncasociety.org), email, organic social, and on-site engagement at the four aquariums. The Society is structurally dependent on its formal relationship with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, which oversees the state aquariums themselves. Governance is board-led under CEO Liz Baird, and the organization holds Charity Navigator 4-star, GuideStar Platinum, AZA accreditation, and NC Green Travel certification. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; underlying operations appear to run on standard nonprofit web-commerce and donor-management tooling.

Name

North Carolina Aquarium Society

Legal name

North Carolina Aquarium Society

Website

https://ncaquariumsociety.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Short description

North Carolina Aquarium Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1976 that serves as the official fundraising and support partner for North Carolina's four state aquariums, funding exhibits, species care, conservation, and education through memberships, donations, and retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Aquarium Support Services

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

Keywords

• Aquarium membership programs
• Conservation fundraising
• Nonprofit education services
• Aquatic species conservation
• Wildlife habitat restoration

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions for individuals, couples, and families providing free aquarium admission, free NC Zoo admission, Jennette's Pier Walk-On Pass, gift shop and program discounts, and reciprocity with 150+ zoos and aquariums.
2. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from supporters to fund habitat restoration, species protection, and education initiatives.
3. Gift Shop Sales: Online gift shop sales offering merchandise that supports aquatic life protection and education within the aquariums.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The North Carolina Aquarium Society (NCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the official fundraising and support partner of the four North Carolina state aquariums (Jennette's Pier, Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher). It raises private funds to support aquarium exhibits, aquatic species care, conservation initiatives, and education programs, and offers annual memberships, donations, and an online gift shop.

Product overview

The North Carolina Aquarium Society operates as a nonprofit organization that serves as the fundraising and support arm for North Carolina's state aquariums. Its offerings include annual membership programs providing benefits like free admission to aquariums and the NC Zoo, donation/fundraising programs to support exhibits and conservation, an online gift shop, gift cards, and email newsletter subscriptions (SEAmail) for aquarium updates. The Society supports four aquarium locations: Jennette's Pier, Roanoke Island, Pine Knoll Shores, and Fort Fisher, collectively serving over 1.4 million annual visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership subscriptions for individuals, couples, and families providing free aquarium admission, free NC Zoo admission, Jennette's Pier Walk-On Pass, gift shop and program discounts, and reciprocity with 150+ zoos and aquariums.
• Donation Programs One-time and recurring donations from supporters funding habitat restoration, species protection, conservation education, and animal rescue initiatives at the four North Carolina Aquariums.
• Online Gift Shop Online retail storefront offering merchandise that supports aquatic life protection and education programs within the North Carolina Aquariums.
• Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase through the NCAS online gift shop.
• Aquarium Scholars Educational scholarship/support program under the North Carolina Aquarium Society aimed at inspiring the next generation of aquatic stewards through hands-on aquatic education and exposure to aquatic science.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.4 million+ visitors annually served through aquarium experiences

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North Carolina AquariumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe North Carolina Aquarium Society is the official nonprofit partner of the state's Aquariums, raising private funds to bring exhibits to life, care for aquatic species, and advance education and conservation.
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society and its affiliated aquariums are members of AZA, the leading organization for zoos and aquariums dedicated to conservation, education, and recreation.
• NC Green TravelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with NC Green Travel program, demonstrating commitment to sustainable and environmentally responsible tourism practices.
• North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal relationship with NC DNCR, the state agency that oversees the North Carolina Aquariums.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Aquarium (Baltimore): A nonprofit public aquarium in Baltimore financed through memberships, donations, and admissions—operating under a comparable nonprofit mission and membership/reciprocity framework as NCAS, with overlapping donor audiences.
• New England Aquarium: A Boston-based nonprofit aquarium supported by a membership-driven funding program, operating a mission, reciprocity participation, and visitor/exhibit model structurally similar to NCAS's aquarium society model.
• Tennessee Aquarium: A nonprofit freshwater and saltwater aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, supported by a membership-and-donation-driven funding model analogous to NCAS, serving a comparable mission of education, conservation, and visitor engagement across multiple sites.
• Shedd Aquarium: A Chicago-based nonprofit aquarium operated as a private 501(c)(3), funded through memberships, donations, and admissions, with conservation and education programs that closely mirror NCAS's mission and revenue structure.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: A prominent nonprofit aquarium in Monterey, California, with a robust membership and donor program focused on conservation, education, and exhibit-based experiences—directly analogous in mission and revenue mix to NCAS.
• Seattle Aquarium: A nonprofit waterfront aquarium supported by a membership society and donation-driven funding, with a conservation, education, and visitor experience mission directly comparable to NCAS across multiple sites.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: A federally operated zoo and conservation institution that participates in the AZA reciprocity network alongside NCAS-supported aquariums, representing a broader incumbent in the zoo/aquarium visitor and donor ecosystem.
• Georgia Aquarium: The largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere, located in Atlanta, Georgia, and operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; comparable in mission and visitor scale to the NC Aquarium ecosystem supported by NCAS, though significantly larger and broader in scope.

Others

• National Audubon Society: A national nonprofit conservation organization with a membership-and-donation revenue model analogous to NCAS, competing for overlapping donor dollars among conservation-minded givers, though focused on birds and broader habitats rather than aquariums.
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): The accrediting and membership trade association of which NCAS-affiliated aquariums are members; comparable as an ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, providing the reciprocity infrastructure and accreditation that underpins NCAS membership value.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NCAquariumSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncaquariumsociety

Compliance4 records

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 North Carolina Aquarium Society