Puget Sound Mycological Society

What Puget Sound Mycological Society does

The Puget Sound Mycological Society (PSMS) is a 501(c)(3) educational and scientific nonprofit founded in 1964 in Seattle, Washington by Dr. Dixie Lee Ray, Dr. Daniel E. Stuntz, and Ben Woo. The society serves Pacific Northwest mycology enthusiasts, professional mycologists, students, and K-12 classrooms through a portfolio of in-person and online educational offerings. Core products include monthly membership meetings with noted mycological speakers (held September through June at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture), seasonal field trips to forest campgrounds in the Cascades and Olympic Peninsula with on-site Master Identifiers, the Hildegard Hendrickson ID Clinic (weekly during spring and fall), low-cost classes covering identification, microscopy, cultivation, mycophagy, natural dyeing, and photography, and an annual Wild Mushroom Show at Shoreline Community College that displays up to 400 mushroom varieties. Supporting assets include a borrowable library of approximately 750 mycology books, the monthly Spore Prints newsletter (digitized since September 2001), and the PSMS Cookbook (three editions, latest 2021).

PSMS operates entirely on a volunteer basis with no paid positions. Revenue is generated through annual membership dues ($30 individual/family, $20 student), Wild Mushroom Show admissions ($10 adult, $5 student), class registration fees (~$60 per series), book and merchandise sales (10% member discount), and donations. The society channels funds back into the mycological community through the Ben Woo Scholarship (up to $3,000 for Pacific Northwest fungi research), K-12 Mycology Grants (up to $250 per Washington State classroom), and a close association with the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation, which has distributed over $68,000 in student research grants over seven years. Distribution is primarily in-person across the Pacific Northwest, supplemented by an online membership portal (MemberLeap), newsletter, and social channels. Partnerships include the University of Washington, US Forest Service, and Washington Poison Center, with citizen science projects contributing specimens to the UW Herbarium (WTU).

Name

Puget Sound Mycological Society

Legal name

Puget Sound Mycological Society

Website

https://psms.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Puget Sound Mycological Society is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1964 that provides mycological education, identification services, field trips, and research support to Pacific Northwest mushroom enthusiasts and students through a volunteer-run membership organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues providing access to meetings, field trips, classes, library, newsletter, and other member benefits. Individual/family membership $30, student membership $20.
2. Bookstore and Merchandise Sales: Sales of books and merchandise at meetings. Members receive 10% discount on field guides, cookbooks, and other materials.
3. Wild Mushroom Show Admissions: Admission fees from the annual Wild Mushroom Show. Members who volunteer receive free entry; non-volunteering members and general public pay admission.
4. Class Registration Fees: Low-cost classes offered in spring/fall for identification, cultivation, mycophagy (cooking), and natural dyeing.
5. Donations and Fundraising: The society accepts donations and conducts fundraising activities. Ben Woo Scholarship and K-12 grants are funded through individual donations and fundraising proceeds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PSMS is a nonprofit educational and scientific society that delivers mycological education through monthly expert-speaker meetings, seasonal guided field trips, mushroom identification clinics, classes and workshops, and an annual Wild Mushroom Show. It sustains these programs through individual and family memberships, class fees, event admissions, book and merchandise sales, and donations, while operating a 750-volume lending library and supporting grant programs for researchers, students, and K-12 classrooms.

Product overview

The Puget Sound Mycological Society operates as a membership-based nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of mycological education and community services. The core offerings include the annual Wild Mushroom Show (featuring up to 400 mushroom varieties), the monthly Spore Prints Newsletter (in PDF since 2001), and the PSMS Cookbook (originally published in 1969 with editions through 2021). Educational programs feature Hildegard Hendrickson ID Clinics for mushroom identification, Classes & Workshops covering topics from basic identification to microscopy and natural dyes, and a Library of approximately 750 books available for member borrowing. Financial support programs include the Ben Woo Scholarship (up to $3,000 for fungal research), K-12 Mycology Grants for Washington State classrooms (up to $250), and the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation supporting advanced degree students. The society organizes seasonal field trips to Pacific Northwest forests, membership meetings with expert speakers, and social events including the Survivors' Social and Holiday Social. Research initiatives include citizen science projects such as the Bridle Trails Survey Project, Bolete Study, and historical Morel Study. Poisoning information resources provide guidance on toxic species and emergency protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PSMS Membership (Individual/Family and Student)
• Wild Mushroom Show
• Classes & Workshops
• Hildegard Hendrickson ID Clinic
• PSMS Cookbook
• Spore Prints Newsletter
• PSMS Library
• Field Trips & Forays
• Monthly Membership Meetings
• Ben Woo Scholarship
• K-12 Mycology Grants
• Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation
• Citizen Science Research Projects
• Poisoning Information Resources
• Survivors' Social Event

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 400 varieties of wild mushrooms displayed at annual Wild Mushroom Show
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1985Close association with the Daniel E. Stuntz Memorial Foundation, established in 1985 to honor Dr. Stuntz, Professor of Mycology at the University of Washington. The foundation aids students in pursuit of advanced mycological degrees and supports amateur and professional mycological programs in the Pacific Northwest. During the last 7 years, the Foundation has distributed over $68,000 in grants while keeping expenses below 6%.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSMS holds meetings at the Center for Urban Horticulture and has volunteer projects with the University of Washington and the Department of Natural Resources. Dr. Daniel E. Stuntz helped establish the Herbarium at UW. Dried specimens from research projects are deposited at the UW Herbarium (WTU).
• US Forest ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSMS members participate in various Forest Service research projects, including the Bridle Trails Survey Project documenting fungal species diversity in urban parks.
• Washington Poison CenterminorOthersWashington Poison Center (1-800-222-1222) serves as the emergency poison control resource recommended by PSMS for suspected mushroom poisoning cases.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Fungi Perfecti: Fungi Perfecti is a mycology-focused company founded by Paul Stamets that sells mushroom growing kits, supplements, and educational products. It overlaps with PSMS in amateur mycology education but operates commercially rather than as a nonprofit membership society.

Broad incumbents

• North American Mycological Association (NAMA): NAMA is the national umbrella for amateur mycological societies across North America, providing publications, forays, and awards. PSMS directly participates in NAMA programs, and NAMA awarded its highest honor to PSMS founder Ben Woo, making it the closest comparable organization at the national level.
• Mycological Society of America: Mycological Society of America is the principal scientific/professional society for academic and applied mycology in North America, publishing Mycologia and running annual meetings. It sits at a more scientific level than PSMS but shares the same broader category of organized mycology activity.

Regional players

• Colorado Mycological Society: Colorado Mycological Society is a long-running amateur mycology society offering forays, ID help, and an annual fair. It is a programmatic peer to PSMS in a different western US region.
• Mycological Society of Toronto: Mycological Society of Toronto is a Canadian regional amateur mycology society with forays, ID assistance, and annual fairs. It is comparable in mission and programming format but operates outside PSMS's geographic market.
• Cascade Mycological Society: Cascade Mycological Society is an Oregon-based regional amateur mycology society offering forays and educational events. It competes with PSMS for Pacific Northwest hobbyists in southern Oregon/Cascades territory.

Direct peers

• Oregon Mycological Society: Oregon Mycological Society is a Pacific Northwest regional mushroom society offering meetings, forays, classes, and an annual mushroom fair. It serves the same hobbyist audience and operates an essentially identical programming model in a neighboring state, making it the most directly comparable peer to PSMS.
• Boston Mycological Club: Boston Mycological Club is a long-established amateur mycology society on the East Coast running walks, ID sessions, and an annual fair. It is a direct peer in mission, member structure, and event format, though it serves a different geography.
• New York Mycological Society: New York Mycological Society is an active regional amateur mycology society offering walks, classes, and educational programming for the New York metro area. It is structurally and programmatically equivalent to PSMS at regional scale.
• Mycological Society of San Francisco: San Francisco Mycological Society is one of the largest and oldest amateur mycology societies in the US, offering forays, classes, dinners, and a fungal fair. Its scope, programming calendar, and urban-Pacific-coast positioning closely mirror PSMS's structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/psmsmushrooms
• Facebookfacebook.com/PSMS.mushrooms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/puget-sound-mycological-s

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Puget Sound Mycological Society