Preservation Hall Foundation

What Preservation Hall Foundation does

Preservation Hall Foundation is a 501(c)-style nonprofit organization, founded in 2011 and headquartered at 726 Saint Peter Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, that exists to protect, preserve, and perpetuate New Orleans music and culture. Its core work spans three integrated program areas: music education (Preservation Hall Lessons for K-12 educators, Kids in the Hall, Brass Bandbook), archival preservation (photographs, instruments, documents, and artifacts tied to Preservation Hall's history), and direct support for elder members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band musician collective. The foundation operates with 14 employees and a single primary venue, while the affiliated Preservation Hall Jazz Band tours nationally.

Its portfolio of products and programs includes the annual Midnight Preserves benefit concert series staged in conjunction with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Hall Pass membership/donor program priced at $1,000/year (or $100/month), the "For Fat Man" benefit album, the Salon726 digital editorial platform, and the Pass It On $25 million capital campaign funding development of The Allan and Sandra Jaffe Center for New Orleans Music, Art and Culture at the adjacent 730 Saint Peter Street property.

The revenue model combines episodic and recurring streams: Hall Pass recurring membership fees, ticketed event revenue from Midnight Preserves, transaction-based merchandise sales, and major-gift/pledge donations to the Pass It On capital campaign, with contributions accepted as cash, stock, or IRA disbursements. Customer segments are K-12 music educators and students, jazz enthusiasts and patrons, and philanthropic donors/members. The foundation does not operate proprietary technology or AI systems; its competitive position rests on brand recognition, an iconic venue, decades of archival content, and an embedded community of culture-bearer musicians.

Name

Preservation Hall Foundation

Legal name

Preservation Hall Foundation

Website

https://preshallfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Preservation Hall Foundation is a New Orleans-based nonprofit that protects, preserves, and perpetuates New Orleans jazz through K-12 music education, archival preservation, and direct support for the elder Preservation Hall Jazz Band musicians, funded via memberships, benefit concerts, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Preservation & Music Education Services

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Cultural preservation services
• Music education programs
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Live music events
• Membership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

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 Revenue (Hall Pass): Annual membership program at $1000/year (or $100/month) providing free event tickets, exclusive access to Midnight Preserves, merchandise discounts, and backstage access at performances. Hall Pass membership revenues support educational programming and musician support.
2. Event Ticket Sales: Ticket sales from Midnight Preserves annual benefit series during Jazz Fest. Proceeds support the foundation's mission to protect, preserve, and perpetuate New Orleans musical traditions.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: Major gifts and donations through the 'Pass It On' $25 million campaign supporting the Allan and Sandra Jaffe Center for New Orleans Music, Art and Culture development. Accepts lump sum or 3-5 year installment pledges.
4. Merchandise Sales: Preservation Hall merchandise sales, with 20% discount offered to Hall Pass members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Preservation Hall Foundation is a nonprofit cultural organization that protects, preserves, and perpetuates New Orleans music and culture through educational programming (Preservation Hall Lessons for K-12 educators), archival preservation of historic photos, instruments, and documents, and direct support of elder musicians in its collective. The foundation generates revenue through the Hall Pass membership program ($1,000/year), the Midnight Preserves annual benefit concert series during Jazz Fest, merchandise sales, and major-gift donations to its $25 million Pass It On capital campaign.

Product overview

Preservation Hall Foundation operates a portfolio of cultural programs centered on protecting, preserving, and perpetuating New Orleans music and culture. The core offerings include Preservation Hall Lessons (educational content for K-12 music educators), Midnight Preserves (annual benefit concert series during Jazz Fest), the Hall Pass membership program (donor benefits including event access), and the Pass It On Campaign (a $25M initiative to build The Allan and Sandra Jaffe Center). The Foundation also produces the For Fat Man album and maintains Salon726 as a digital content platform featuring musician profiles and archival content. These programs work together to deliver music education, community engagement, and cultural preservation through both in-person events and digital content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hall Pass: Annual membership program at $1000/year supporting the foundation's music preservation efforts
• Midnight Preserves
• Preservation Hall Lessons
• Kids in the Hall
• Brass Bandbook
• Oral Histories
• For Fat Man
• The Allan and Sandra Jaffe Center for New Orleans Music, Art and Culture

Products and services

• Preservation Hall Lessons

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

One partnership is on record.

• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMidnight Preserves is held annually in conjunction with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, with evening concerts at Preservation Hall following the festival days. This partnership positions the foundation's programming at the center of one of the world's premier jazz festivals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jazz at Lincoln Center: National jazz presenting and education organization based in New York; operates performance, education, and archival programs that directly parallel the Preservation Hall Foundation's jazz education, performance, and preservation mission at larger scale.
• Smithsonian Folkways Recordings: Nonprofit record label that documents and disseminates American folk and traditional music; directly comparable to the foundation's For Fat Man album and oral history work in monetizing archival recordings for cultural preservation.
• New Orleans Jazz Museum: Louisiana State Museum site in the French Quarter dedicated to preserving and presenting New Orleans jazz history through exhibits and live programming; overlaps directly with the foundation's archival, educational, and performance mission in the same city.
• Tipitina's Foundation: New Orleans-based nonprofit supporting the city's musical traditions through musician support, instruments for youth, and live music programming; shares the same geographic focus and intergenerational musician-support model as the Preservation Hall Foundation.

Others

• Folk Alliance International: Membership-based organization supporting folk, roots, and traditional music through advocacy, programming, and an annual conference; overlaps with the foundation's mission to perpetuate traditional American music forms and support working musicians.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit dedicated to preserving historic places; comparable to the foundation's work on the Jaffe Center and Preservation Hall as a historic site steward, though at a much larger scale and broader scope.
• Smithsonian Jazz (NMAH): Jazz program within the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, combining archival preservation, exhibitions, and educational programming; a much larger institutional incumbent operating in the same preservation-and-education niche.

Regional players

• The Historic New Orleans Collection: Royal Street museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving New Orleans history including its musical heritage; comparable as a cultural-heritage nonprofit operating archival and educational programs in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/preshalljazz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/salon726
• Facebookfacebook.com/preservationhall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/preservation-hall-foundation-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/preservationhall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Preservation Hall Foundation