CATHEDRAL OF THE PINES FOUNDATION

What CATHEDRAL OF THE PINES FOUNDATION does

Cathedral of the Pines Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 236-acre historical and natural memorial site in Rindge, New Hampshire, founded in 1945 in memory of Sanderson Sloane, a B-17 bomber pilot killed in action over Germany during World War II. The organization preserves an open-air, non-denominational sanctuary overlooking Grand Monadnock Mountain and operates a portfolio of memorial assets including the Altar of the Nation (Congressional recognition 1957), the Women's Memorial Belltower (with Norman Rockwell and Peter Rockwell bronze plaques), the Peter J. Booras Museum, hiking trails, and the Hilltop House event venue.

The foundation generates revenue through a diversified nonprofit model: individual donations (tax-deductible), planned giving instruments including stock transfers, real estate donations, and RMD gifts (minimum $1,000), wedding ceremony rentals, and cemetery plot sales for cremated remains (with veteran discounts). The site offers free admission to all visitors seven days a week, funded entirely by donations, fundraising events, and fee-based services. Wedding fees and cemetery plot prices are not publicly disclosed and require direct inquiry.

The organization is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes founding-family descendants (Lucia Sloane, Bill Sloane Trustee Emeritus) alongside professionals with military, corporate, and civic backgrounds. Operationally, it runs with a lean staff of approximately six employees led by Executive Director Michelle Lowe. Distribution occurs through the physical site, a website (cathedralofthepines.org), email newsletter via Mailchimp, and community partnerships with the Rindge Chamber of Commerce, Rindge Veterans Association, Conant High School, and Veterans Yoga Project. No proprietary technology systems or AI/ML capabilities exist; the entire operation is human- and venue-driven.

Name

CATHEDRAL OF THE PINES FOUNDATION

Legal name

Cathedral of the Pines Foundation

Website

https://cathedralofthepines.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cathedral of the Pines Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 236-acre WWII memorial site in Rindge, NH, serving veterans, general visitors, wedding couples, and families through museum admissions, ceremonies, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Memorial and Nonprofit Community Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)

Keywords

• Historical memorial site
• Veteran memorial services
• Outdoor wedding venue
• Cremation cemetery services
• Community nonprofit programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rindge

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization relies heavily on individual gifts and donations from visitors and supporters. These are tax-deductible contributions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
2. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Bequests through wills, trusts, retirement plan assets, and estate planning. Minimum planned gift starts from $1,000.
3. Stock and Securities Donations: Donations of stocks, securities, and mutual funds held longer than one year; full value is tax-deductible with no capital gains tax obligation.
4. Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions: Fees for outdoor wedding ceremonies (2 hours exclusive use), use of bridal suite, and access to Hilltop House indoor venue (accommodates up to 100 guests). Prices not publicly disclosed; contact required.
5. Cemetery and Cremation Plots: Sale of cemetery plots for cremated remains burial. Military discount offered to veterans. Prices not publicly disclosed; contact required.
6. Real Estate Donations: Donations of real estate property; donors can claim fair market value charitable deduction and potentially eliminate capital gains tax.
7. RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) Gifts: Donations from traditional IRAs for donors over 72 years old; contribution is excluded from taxable income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cathedral of the Pines Foundation operates a 236-acre historical and natural memorial site in Rindge, NH, offering free public access to memorial grounds, hiking trails, and the Peter J. Booras Museum. The organization also generates fee-based revenue through wedding ceremony and reception venue rentals at Hilltop House, cemetery plot sales for cremated remains, and planned giving and donation programs supporting its 501(c)(3) mission to honor veterans and their families.

Product overview

Cathedral of the Pines Foundation operates a 236-acre historical and natural memorial site in Rindge, NH. The organization offers a unified portfolio of services centered on honoring veterans and military sacrifice: memorial venues (Altar of the Nation, Women's Memorial Belltower), educational programming (Peter J. Booras Museum), ceremonial services (weddings, cemetery, memorial services), recreational facilities (Hilltop House venue, hiking trails), and ongoing public events. The site is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded at the end of World War II in memory of Sanderson Sloane.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peter J. Booras Museum

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission to all visitors, museum, and grounds (value: estimated thousands in admission fees foregone annually)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 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 minor and core.

• Rindge Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShares on-campus administrative offices with Cathedral of the Pines, supporting regional economic development and visitor services.
• Rindge Veterans AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShares on-campus administrative offices with Cathedral of the Pines. Both organizations serve the veteran community in Rindge, NH area.
• Conant High School (Jaffrey, NH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe high school's cross-country team uses Cathedral of the Pines trails for practice, providing students with access to natural athletic facilities while building community connection.
• Veterans Yoga ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free weekly yoga classes (Wednesday and Friday at noon) for veterans and the community at Cathedral of the Pines. No charge to participants; donations accepted. Sessions held year-round at Hilltop House.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Tower Hill Botanic Garden: A New England nonprofit botanical garden with trails, weddings, and educational programming. Comparable as a regional nonprofit venue combining outdoor recreation, weddings, and educational programming, with similar reliance on donations and events.

Broad incumbents

• Arlington National Cemetery: A nationally recognized military cemetery and memorial complex with visitor center, ceremonies, and educational programs. Comparable in its cemetery-for-veterans offering combined with memorial landscape and visitation programming.
• Flight 93 National Memorial: A Congressionally authorized memorial site honoring a specific event, with visitor center, plaza, and educational programming. Comparable in mission focus (remembrance of sacrifice) and in combining memorial landscape with interpretive museum and educational outreach.
• Waves of Honor (Sands Resorts wedding venues): A wedding venue program offering complimentary ceremonies to military couples. Comparable in the niche of combining veteran/military focus with wedding ceremony venue services, though at commercial scale rather than as a memorial nonprofit.
• The National WWII Museum: A nonprofit museum and educational institution in New Orleans dedicated to WWII, featuring extensive exhibits, artifacts, and educational programming. Comparable as a WWII-themed nonprofit museum with planned giving, donations, and event programming.
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial: A federally operated national memorial site with museum, visitor center, and large-scale visitor traffic. Comparable as a major destination memorial landscape with commemorative and educational programming, though operated by the National Park Service rather than as a nonprofit foundation.

Direct peers

• Heritage Museums & Gardens: A Massachusetts nonprofit museum and garden complex with collections, trails, and educational programming. Comparable as a New England nonprofit heritage site combining museum exhibits, gardens, and outdoor recreation with reliance on donations and events.
• Shelburne Farms: A 1,400-acre nonprofit education organization on a historic Vermont estate offering trails, gardens, education programs, and events. Comparable as a regional nonprofit landscape site combining trails, natural beauty, museum-quality historical structures, and educational programming.
• Boscobel House and Gardens: A New York nonprofit historic site with restored period home, gardens, and event programming including weddings. Comparable as a regional nonprofit historic site combining museum, gardens, and event/revenue programming with a strong donor model.
• The National Memorial Arboretum: A UK-based 150-acre memorial arboretum honoring military service and sacrifice, with a museum, visitor center, and event programming. It is the closest direct peer — a national memorial landscape combining remembrance, education, and visitor experiences in a rural setting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cathedral-of-the-pines-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

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 CATHEDRAL OF THE PINES FOUNDATION