NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER INC

What NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER INC does

The United Native American Cultural Center, Inc. (UNACC) is a Massachusetts 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation (Federal ID #04-3229153), incorporated in 1993 and operated as a community volunteer organization from a permanent facility at 29 Antietam Street in Devens, MA (PO Box 711, Ayer, MA 01432), with a mailing contact of [email protected] and phone 248-222-0242. It was founded by Edward J. Guillemette 'Onkwe Tase' — earlier the original Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Massachusetts (sworn in October 1974) and a co-founder of GLICA — to preserve Native American heritage, advance Native American rights, and secure community space following the closure of Fort Devens. UNACC is described as the first completely volunteer multi-tribal organization to successfully obtain and retain a historical building from the U.S. Government, having secured its permanent home via a lease with MassDevelopment in Fall 2003 after an initial 1994 occupancy and a 1,000+ signature grassroots campaign.

UNACC's offerings are in-person cultural programs rather than technology products: powwows (Unity Days Powwow, Winter Gatherings, Fall Feasts), Bear Feast ceremonies, traditional drumming through the Nugumij Drum (Grandmother Drum) and the Morning Star Singers women's hand drum group, Saturday-evening cultural classes (bead loom, drum instruction) for a small fee, educational outreach to schools and community organizations, and recurring Wednesday and Saturday evening meetings at 6:30 PM (with a concurrent Zoom meeting on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM). Revenue is generated almost entirely through annual memberships at $30 per person or household, tax-deductible donations and fundraising (including PayPal), and minor class fees. The organization has no proprietary technology platforms, no apps, no APIs, and no disclosed AI/ML capability; digital presence is limited to a WordPress website and a Facebook page.

UNACC maintains strategic cultural partnerships with Harvard's Peabody Museum, the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology at Phillips Academy, Parker Charter School of Devens, and the Fruitlands Museum of Harvard, MA (yearly events since 1993), and serves communities across north-central Massachusetts (Ayer, Pepperell, Shirley, Leominster, Fitchburg, Groton, Harvard, Billerica, Westford, Maynard) and the broader New England powwow circuit. The organization is entirely volunteer-run with a five-member Board of Directors (CEO Sharon Jerome Ripley, Chief/President and Treasurer Lorena M. Novak, Vice Chief/Vice President Matthew Novak, Secretary Jennifer Senneville Beal, and Board Member Shauna Manning) and no paid employees, institutional investors, subsidiaries, or parent entity. Operations have absorbed the 2020 death of Chief Roland Jerome, the September 2022 death of founder Onkwe Tase at age 97, and the passing of community member Claire McLaughlin (2021), and the Board publicly fundraises for discrete capital needs such as an approximately $13,000 boiler replacement.

Name

NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER INC

Legal name

United Native American Cultural Center, Inc.

Website

https://unacc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The United Native American Cultural Center (UNACC) is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-run nonprofit in Devens, MA, offering Native American powwows, traditional drumming, cultural classes, and educational outreach to community members and schools across north-central Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Heritage Community Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Cultural education programs
• Nonprofit community center
• Native American heritage
• Cultural preservation events
• Educational outreach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Devens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership at $30 per person or household, used to fund building upkeep and events
2. Donations and Fundraising: Organization is solely run by public and private donations; accepts PayPal donations and conducts fundraisers for building maintenance needs
3. Saturday Evening Classes: Classes offered on Saturday evenings for a small fee, providing cultural education while generating supplementary revenue

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UNACC is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural center that provides cultural enrichment, education, and community gathering opportunities focused on Native American heritage. It hosts recurring ceremonies and events (Unity Days Powwow, Winter Gathering, Bear Feast, Fall Feast), offers Saturday-evening cultural classes for a small fee, runs educational outreach programs at schools and community organizations, and operates an annual membership program. Membership and donations fund the upkeep of its permanent facility at 29 Antietam Street in Devens, MA.

Product overview

The United Native American Cultural Center (UNACC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that operates as a single cultural center facility rather than a technology product company. The center offers a portfolio of cultural programs and services including powwow events (Unity Days Powwow, Winter Gatherings, Fall Feasts, Bear Feast ceremonies), cultural education outreach, traditional drumming through the Nugumij Drum (Grandmother Drum) and Morning Star Singers hand drum group, and cultural classes such as bead loom and drum instruction. The center maintains an annual membership program and serves as a community gathering space for peoples of all cultures to learn and share Native American traditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Membership Program
• Cultural Programs and Events
• Educational Outreach Programs
• Saturday Evening Cultural Classes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Peabody Museum at Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on cultural programs and installations. UNACC members have worked on programs with the Peabody Museum, contributing to Native American cultural education and preservation efforts.
• Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology in Andover at Phillips AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative programs with the museum focusing on archaeology and cultural education. UNACC has worked with the museum on various educational initiatives.
• Parker Charter School of DevensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership involving program collaborations with the charter school located in Devens.
• Fruitlands Museum of Harvard, MAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual collaboration on installations and events at the Fruitlands Museum since UNACC's incorporation in 1993. Long-standing partner in cultural programming and events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Heard Museum: Phoenix-based private nonprofit museum dedicated to American Indian art, history, and culture, with education programs, festivals, and exhibitions. Comparable to UNACC in mission of Native American cultural preservation and educational outreach, though at significantly larger scale.
• Woodland Cultural Centre: Ontario-based First Nations cultural center and museum operated by the Woodland Cultural Centre, preserving Haudenosaunee language, art, and history. Comparable to UNACC as an Indigenous-led cultural center combining museum, education, and community events.
• Native American Heritage Association: Nonprofit organization supporting Native American communities through cultural preservation, education, and humanitarian programs. Comparable to UNACC as a similarly-sized nonprofit focused on Native American cultural heritage and community support.
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: Albuquerque-based nonprofit cultural center operating a museum, Native arts market, and cultural events to preserve and present Indigenous heritage. Directly comparable to UNACC as a Native-led cultural-heritage nonprofit combining exhibits, events, education, and community programs.
• Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Museum: Tribal museum operated by the Mashpee Wampanoag in Massachusetts to preserve Wampanoag history, culture, and language. Directly comparable to UNACC as a smaller, community-based Indigenous cultural-heritage institution in the same New England region.

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian): Smithsonian-operated national museum with locations in Washington, D.C., New York, and Maryland, dedicated to Native American life and culture. Comparable to UNACC in mission but operates at incomparably larger scale as a federally funded institution.

Regional players

• Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Massachusetts-based living-history museum complex presenting Native American (Wampanoag) and colonial heritage through exhibits and programs. Comparable to UNACC as a New England cultural-heritage institution focused on Indigenous education, though much larger and more commercially operated.

Emerging players

• First Peoples Fund: Native-led nonprofit supporting Indigenous artists, culture bearers, and community change-makers through grants and programs. Comparable to UNACC in its community-driven cultural-preservation mission, though focused on artist support rather than a physical center.

Others

• National Native American Hall of Fame: Nonprofit honoring Native American achievement and preserving Indigenous heritage through exhibits and educational programming. Comparable to UNACC in its mission of cultural preservation and education, though focused on recognition rather than community gatherings.
• American Indian College Fund: National nonprofit providing scholarships and support for Native American students and tribal colleges. Tangentially comparable to UNACC in its Native American cultural-preservation mission, though focused on higher education rather than direct cultural programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/top
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/native-american-cultural-center-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 →

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