North American Mycological Association

What North American Mycological Association does

The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1960 by Harry S. Knighton, headquartered in the United States with operations spanning the US, Canada, and Mexico. The organization functions as a federation of 90+ affiliated mycological societies and serves amateur mycologists, professional researchers, and local mushroom clubs through educational programming, publications, and event hosting. NAMA operates with a small core team of approximately five staff and is led by Chief Operating Officer Bruch Reed.

NAMA's core offerings include two publications—The Mycophile Quarterly (continuous since 1960) and McIlvainea: Journal of American Amateur Mycology (annual peer-reviewed)—alongside a portfolio of event programs anchored by the Annual Foray (66th edition scheduled for 2026) and supplemented by regional forays, international expeditions (NAMA MX series in Mexico, Similkameen Valley Foray in British Columbia), webinars, and a virtual book club. Specialized committees cover culinary arts, cultivation, medicinal mushrooms, toxicology (including a mushroom poisoning reporting system), conservation, DNA sequencing, education, and vouchering, supported by a Speakers Bureau of expert mycologists and a scholarship program. The technical platform consists of the namyco.org website, Glueup-based event registration, the NAMA Store (shop.namyco.org) for merchandise, and social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

NAMA generates revenue through membership dues (individual, family, club tiers), event registration fees (ranging from $10 local workshops to $2,525 international expeditions), merchandise sales via the NAMA Store, and tax-deductible donations under its 501(c)(3) status (EIN 31-6066799). Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with the 90+ affiliated clubs serving as distribution channels for membership, local events, and word-of-mouth promotion. The organization pursues no paid advertising and has no disclosed venture or institutional funding.

Name

North American Mycological Association

Legal name

North American Mycological Association

Website

https://namyco.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NAMA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association founded in 1960 that federates 90+ affiliated mycological societies across the US, Canada, and Mexico, serving amateur and professional mycologists through publications, annual forays, regional events, webinars, and educational committees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

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. Membership Dues: NAMA generates revenue through individual, family, and club memberships. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with EIN 31-6066799, and membership connects members with the network of affiliated clubs and NAMA programs.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from annual forays, regional forays, and specialized events like NAMA MX expeditions. For example, NAMA MX25 cost $2,525 per person (with early bird discount), and the Similkameen Foray & Feast at Manning Park Resort includes registration fees.
3. NAMA Store / Merchandise: The NAMA Store (shop.namyco.org) sells branded merchandise, books, and other mycological supplies to members and the public.
4. Donations: As a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, NAMA accepts donations to support its mission of promoting scientific and educational activities related to fungi and protecting natural areas.
5. Club Event Participation Fees: Affiliated clubs like Alberta Mycological Society charge participation fees for workshops and forays. The AMS Summer Solstice Camp charged $35 for 1 night or $60 for 2 nights, including camping and food.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes, sponsors, and supports scientific and educational activities relating to fungi. It serves as a federation connecting 90+ affiliated mycological societies across North America, offering membership, educational events (forays and conferences), publications, volunteer committees, and toxicology information resources to amateur and professional mycologists.

Product overview

The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization operating a multi-faceted educational platform centered on mycology. The core offerings include two publications—The Mycophile Quarterly (a quarterly newsletter dating to 1960) and McIlvainea (an annual peer-reviewed journal)—alongside event programming such as the Annual Foray, Regional Forays across North America, Webinars, and a Virtual Book Club. NAMA supports specialized interest committees covering culinary arts, visual arts, cultivation, medicinal mushrooms, toxicology, conservation, DNA sequencing, education, and vouchering. Additional services include scholarships, a Speakers Bureau, a Visual Arts Contest, mushroom poisoning reporting, and vouchering programs for scientific specimen documentation. The organization connects over 90 affiliated mycological societies across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Annual membership program for individuals and mycological societies that provides access to the NAMA newsletter (The Mycophile), member-only events, and inclusion in a network of 90+ affiliated clubs across North America.
• The Mycophile Newsletter Quarterly print and digital publication providing news, research summaries, identification tips, and event information to NAMA members and the broader mycological community.
• Annual Forays and Educational Events

Quantifiable outcome

• Network of 90+ affiliated clubs connecting thousands of members across North America
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The FungivorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fungivore is a key strategic partner for NAMA's international foray programs. Together they organize NAMA MX expeditions to Mexico (Oaxaca region), including NAMA MX25 and NAMA MX26. The Fungivore brings expertise in Mexican mycology and has been operating in Oaxaca since 2019, providing local knowledge and indigenous community connections that enable unique cultural and educational experiences.
• Vancouver Mycological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVancouver Mycological Society is NAMA's partner for the Similkameen Valley Foray & Feast, a regional foray scheduled for June 2026 at Manning Park Resort, British Columbia. This is NAMA's first Canadian foray since 2006, produced in partnership to explore post-burn landscapes and fire morel season in collaboration with the MycoMap BC Network.
• 90+ Affiliated Mycological SocietiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNAMA's network of over 90 affiliated clubs across the United States, Canada, and Mexico forms the organizational backbone of the association. These clubs include organizations such as Alberta Mycological Society, Manitoba Mushroom Society, Connecticut-Westchester Mycological Association (COMA), and many others that host local events, provide education, and serve as membership channels.
• Northern Michigan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorthern Michigan University provides the venue for NAMA's 66th Annual Foray (NAMA Yoop) at the Northern Michigan University Event Center in Marquette, Michigan. The university's facilities host the main event activities including ballroom, classrooms, and parking.
• University of WinnipegminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Manitoba Mushroom Society cooperates with the University of Winnipeg to host educational workshops, such as the Wool Felting Mushroom workshop led by member Heather Sadler. The partnership provides venue access and potential for academic collaboration.
• Potash HillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPotash Hill (Marlboro, Vermont) served as the venue for NAMA's 2025 Annual Foray (NAMA New England). This repurposed former college campus provided housing, community spaces, and access to 560 acres of woodland for the event.
• MycoMap BC NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MycoMap BC Network collaborates with NAMA on voucher and DNA-sequencing work during forays, contributing to citizen science and fungal biodiversity documentation efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• British Mycological Society: The British Mycological Society is a UK-based membership organization promoting mycology through publications, field events, and education. It is a direct functional peer: a national-scale learned society combining amateur outreach, scientific publication, and foray programming, but operating in a different geography.
• Mycological Society of America: The Mycological Society of America is the principal academic counterpart to NAMA, serving professional mycologists with publications (Mycologia), annual meetings, and research grants. It is the most directly comparable organization in the North American mycological community, with overlapping scope but a more research-oriented membership profile.
• North American Native Plant Society: NANPS is a comparable citizen-science nonprofit with a network of regional chapters, educational events, publications, and conservation advocacy. The membership model, regional-chapter distribution, and educational mission closely mirror NAMA's structure but in the botanic rather than mycological domain.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Audubon is a much larger nonprofit membership organization in citizen-science-driven natural history, with a national chapter network, publications, conservation advocacy, and educational programming. It represents a scaled analog of NAMA's operating model in the birding domain.
• International Mycological Association: The International Mycological Association coordinates mycological activity globally and organizes the International Mycological Congress. It overlaps with NAMA's scientific and educational mission but operates at a global rather than North American scale and with a more academic orientation.

Emerging players

• Fungal Diversity Survey (FunDiS): FunDiS is a citizen-science nonprofit focused on fungal biodiversity, voucher collection, and DNA sequencing, with overlapping programming in forays and vouchering. It is an emerging peer in the research-oriented subset of NAMA's activities.
• The Fungivore: The Fungivore is a strategic partner of NAMA for the NAMA MX Mexico expeditions, providing local expertise in Oaxacan mycology and indigenous community access. It is a smaller, for-profit-adjacent operator in mycotourism with partial functional overlap to NAMA's foray programming.

Regional players

• Mycelium Underground: An emerging community organization in mushroom cultivation and education, overlapping with NAMA's cultivation committee and amateur engagement programming. Comparable in mission but smaller in scale and more focused on cultivation rather than taxonomy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northamericanmyco
• Instagraminstagram.com/northamericanmyco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-american-mycological-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about North American Mycological Association