International Quilt Museum

What International Quilt Museum does

The International Quilt Museum (IQM) is a nonprofit museum affiliated with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, located on the university's East Campus in Lincoln, Nebraska. Founded in 1997 with a founding donation of nearly 1,000 quilts from collectors Ardis and Robert James, IQM holds the largest publicly held quilt collection in the world. The museum operates a single physical site with galleries open Tuesday through Saturday, complemented by a digital presence that includes virtual programs, the World Quilts online clearinghouse for global quiltmaking traditions, a free Guild Portal for quilt guild members, and an online marketplace operated in partnership with the University of Nebraska. The collection spans centuries and global traditions, supporting rotating exhibitions, traveling shows, and a monthly Quilt of the Month feature, while the museum conducts education and outreach for learners of all ages.

IQM's business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding structure combining earned revenue (museum admissions, event fees such as the $16-$20 My Doll and I program, museum store merchandise sales, and membership subscriptions) with philanthropic support (donations, Friends of IQM membership, and grants from federal, state, and private foundations). Key institutional funders include the Robert and Ardis James Foundation, Nebraska Arts Council, National Endowment for the Humanities, Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and several family foundations. Customer segments span the general public and families, quilt guilds and the broader quilting community, and academic researchers. The museum markets through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, email newsletters, in-person events including First Friday programs, and virtual programs, with distribution channels covering both the physical Lincoln location and global digital touchpoints.

The technology stack is conventional: a Drupal-based content management system built by web development partner UNANIMOUS, with Cloudinary providing cloud-based image hosting and delivery for the museum's extensive quilt photography. The organization is small at 11 employees and operates under DBA names IQM and International Quilt Study Center & Museum, with sub-brands including World Quilts and Friends of IQM. No AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, APIs, or proprietary technology products are evident in the disclosed material; the institution's competitive position rests on its irreplaceable physical collection, scholarly ecosystem, and accumulated digital content assets rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

International Quilt Museum

Legal name

International Quilt Museum

Website

https://internationalquiltmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Quilt Museum is a nonprofit museum in Lincoln, Nebraska affiliated with the University of Nebraska–Lincoln that holds the world's largest publicly held quilt collection, serving general visitors, quilt guilds, and academic researchers through exhibitions, education programs, and the World Quilts digital initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Fashion & Textile Arts (Sewing, Patternmaking, Knitting, Crochet) (EDAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Quilt exhibitions
• Textile art museum
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Educational museum programs
• Quilt collection research

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales for museum entry and exhibitions
2. Donations: Voluntary contributions from visitors and supporters
3. Membership Program: Guild membership program with free website access and pre-recorded programs
4. Museum Store: Online marketplace selling quilts and quilt-related merchandise
5. Event Revenue: Fees from educational programs, workshops, and special events like the My Doll and I Celebrate America250 program (IQM Members $16, Non-members $20)

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The International Quilt Museum operates as a public museum and educational institution, housing the world's largest publicly held quilt collection. It offers museum admissions, guided tours, rotating exhibitions, virtual programs, educational outreach, an online publication (World Quilts), a guild portal for quilting communities, and a museum store, serving visitors, scholars, students, and textile art enthusiasts.

Product overview

The International Quilt Museum operates as a single-site physical museum combined with a digital presence, offering in-person admission and tours, virtual programs, a free Guild Portal membership website, education and outreach initiatives, and online collection access. The museum's core offerings center on quilt exhibitions (rotating current shows, traveling exhibitions, and past retrospectives), the World Quilts online resource for global quiltmaking traditions, and the Quilt of the Month collection feature. Supporting services include museum store merchandise and collection search capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• World Quilts: A digital initiative that draws from the museum's collection and scholarly resources to serve as a clearinghouse of information on global quilts and quiltmaking traditions.
• Friends of IQM

Products and services

• Museum Admission & Tours Ticketed public admission to the museum galleries on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus and guided tours of the quilt collection, available to walk-in visitors, groups, and tour operators.
• Exhibitions Rotating curated exhibitions drawn from the world's largest publicly held quilt collection, displayed in the museum's galleries for the public and visiting scholars.
• Virtual Programs Online virtual programs providing remote audiences with lectures, tours, and exhibition content for distance learning and engagement.
• Guild Portal Online member portal serving quilting guilds with dedicated resources, communications, and access to museum programming.
• Education & Outreach Structured educational programming and outreach for K–12 schools, homeschool groups, and community organizations, including on-site visits and curriculum-aligned materials.
• World Quilts Online publication by the museum featuring quilt-related stories, educational content, and research accessible to a global audience.
• Quilt of the Month Monthly online feature highlighting a single quilt from the collection with interpretive content, made available through the museum's website.
• Collection Access & Search Online search portal allowing researchers, students, and the public to browse and study items from the museum's quilt collection.
• Museum Store On-site retail store at the museum selling quilt-related merchandise, books, textiles, gifts, and museum-branded items to visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Largest publicly held quilt collection in the world

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of International Quilt MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDedicated support organization that provides ongoing financial support and advocacy for museum exhibitions and programs including Studio Champloo.
• Nebraska Public MediaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for community events such as the America 250 Community Celebration, providing co-branded programming.
• Lincoln Quilters GuildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal guild contributing to exhibitions such as the Bicentennial Quilt for commemoration events.
• World Quilts InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal clearinghouse initiative drawing from the museum collection and scholarly resources to serve as a comprehensive resource on global quilts and quiltmaking traditions.
• Lincoln NAACP Youth ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for the Celebrating Black Quiltmakers pop-up exhibit collaboration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum: Located in Golden, Colorado, this museum focuses on preserving and celebrating quilting heritage in the Rocky Mountain region, with exhibits, educational programming, and a quilt study center analogous to IQM's structure.
• New England Quilt Museum: Based in Lowell, Massachusetts, this museum is dedicated exclusively to the art and history of quilting in New England, with rotating exhibitions and educational programs that closely parallel IQM's offerings.
• Quilters Hall of Fame: A nonprofit dedicated to honoring outstanding quiltmakers and preserving quilt history through a museum and induction ceremonies, sharing IQM's mission of celebrating the cultural significance of quilting.
• National Quilt Museum: Located in Paducah, Kentucky, the National Quilt Museum is a leading quilt-focused museum in the U.S. with a comparable mission of celebrating quiltmaking artistry, making it the closest direct peer to the International Quilt Museum.

Broad incumbents

• Museum of International Folk Art: Part of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, this Santa Fe museum holds one of the world's largest folk art collections including significant textiles. It overlaps with IQM's international quilt traditions focus but covers a much broader folk art scope.
• Shelburne Museum: A major Vermont museum with a substantial textile and decorative arts collection including historic quilts. While broader in scope than IQM, it competes for textile arts and folk art audiences and donors.
• American Folk Art Museum: A New York–based museum dedicated to folk and self-taught art including textile traditions. It shares IQM's cultural-preservation mission and quilting-related exhibitions but operates at a larger urban scale with a broader artistic mandate.

Emerging players

• Textile Arts Center: A Brooklyn-based nonprofit with studios, classes, and exhibitions focused on contemporary textile arts. It overlaps with IQM's educational and community-engagement functions, but emphasizes hands-on contemporary making rather than historical preservation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/internationalquiltmuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/internationalquiltmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/internationalquiltmuseum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-quilt-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 International Quilt Museum