American Humanist Association
The American Humanist Association, founded in 1941 in Washington, DC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that advocates for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers through legal action, legislative advocacy, grassroots chapters, educational programs, and publications including The Humanist magazine.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1941
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What American Humanist Association does
The American Humanist Association (AHA), founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, DC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable educational organization that serves as the leading progressive voice in the United States for humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, and the non-religious. Its mission centers on defending civil liberties, promoting separation of church and state, advancing scientific integrity, and advocating for social justice — including LGBTQ rights — through a combination of legal action, legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing, and educational programming.
Its core offerings span publications, programs, and digital infrastructure. The Humanist magazine is the flagship publication; the Appignani Humanist Legal Center handles litigation including Supreme Court advocacy; the Kochhar Humanist Education Center delivers curricula through the Humanist Teacher Corps; the Humanist Celebrant program certifies individuals to officiate lifecycle ceremonies; Humanist Action Headquarters is an online advocacy platform with a federal legislation tracker; Humanist Charities runs humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts; and the Speakers Bureau provides media and event speakers. Annual programming includes AHACON, the National Day of Reason, and Darwin Day. Operationally, the organization runs a website-based platform supporting online membership enrollment, donation processing (including IRA rollovers and bequests), email and action-alert communications, event registration, and an e-commerce AHA Store for merchandise.
Revenue is generated through multiple streams: recurring membership dues, tax-deductible donations and bequests, magazine subscriptions, merchandise sales, annual conference registration, and fee-for-service educational courses (for example, a $100 four-part course on humanist grief care). Go-to-market is community-led, leveraging more than 100 local chapters and affiliates, grassroots action alerts, social media (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube/HumanistVision), email, press and earned media, and the annual conference. The organization holds Charity Navigator ratings and a Candid/Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency, and is an approved charity in the Combined Federal Campaign.
American Humanist Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Humanist Association
- Legal name
- American Humanist Association
- Website
- https://americanhumanist.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1941
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The American Humanist Association, founded in 1941 in Washington, DC, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that advocates for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers through legal action, legislative advocacy, grassroots chapters, educational programs, and publications including The Humanist magazine.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Humanist Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advocacy Nonprofit Organization
- NAICS
- Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)
Keywords
Where American Humanist Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Humanist Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to benefits including the Humanist magazine, chapter resources, and member communications. The organization offers online-only membership options.
- Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations supporting the organization's advocacy, legal, and educational programs. Includes IRA rollover gifts and bequests.
- Publications and Merchandise: Revenue from the Humanist magazine subscription, books, stickers, and branded merchandise through the AHA Store.
- Events and Conferences: Annual conference revenue including registration fees for events like AHACON.
- Educational Programs: Course fees for educational offerings such as the Compassion in Practice series.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | $100 for four-part educational course on humanist grief care |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
American Humanist Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The American Humanist Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for progressive values, civil liberties, separation of church and state, and scientific integrity on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers. It sells memberships, runs paid educational courses and an annual conference, publishes The Humanist magazine, and operates a national network of more than 100 local chapters and affiliates.
Product overview
The American Humanist Association operates as a membership-based advocacy organization offering programs and services rather than a traditional technology product company. Its core offerings include: The Humanist Magazine (official publication), Humanist Action Headquarters (online advocacy platform), Humanist Teacher Corps and Kochhar Humanist Education Center (educational programs), the Humanist Celebrant Program (lifecycle ceremony services), a Speakers Bureau, Local Chapters and Affiliates network, Humanist Charities (humanitarian programs), and the Appignani Humanist Legal Center (legal advocacy). The organization also runs annual events including AHACON conferences, National Day of Reason, and Darwin Day celebrations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Humanist Action Headquarters: Coalition for humanist activism and federal legislation tracking
- Humanist Charities
- Humanist of the Year Award
Products and services
- The Humanist Magazine Subscription-based official magazine of the AHA featuring articles on critical inquiry and social concern for humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers; available in print and digital formats.
- Humanist Celebrant Program Training and certification service that qualifies individuals to perform humanist lifecycle ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and naming ceremonies for non-religious clients.
- AHACON Annual Conference Annual national conference of the American Humanist Association with registration fees, featuring speakers and community sessions for humanists and freethinkers; the 85th edition is scheduled for September 19, 2026.
- Compassion in Practice Educational Course Paid four-part educational course on humanist care in times of grief, priced at $100 and delivered in scheduled sessions, offered through the AHA's educational programming.
- AHA Store Online retail store selling AHA-branded merchandise such as books, stickers, and branded items to members and supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully advocates for separation of church and state through legal challenges and legislative action
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use American Humanist Association
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
American Humanist Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
American Humanist Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
American Humanist Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Secular Student Alliance: Student-focused secular nonprofit building the next generation of atheist and humanist leaders on college campuses. Partial overlap with AHA's Kochhar Education Center and potential feeder pipeline for AHA membership.
Broad incumbents
- Human Rights Campaign: Largest U.S. LGBTQ civil-rights advocacy organization. Overlaps with AHA on LGBTQ rights and anti-discrimination advocacy, and competes for progressive donor mindshare and federal policy influence.
- NAACP: Established national civil-rights organization with legal, legislative, and grassroots infrastructure analogous to AHA's. Operates at substantially larger scale; comparable as a structural template for nonprofit civil-rights advocacy rather than direct competitor.
- American Civil Liberties Union: Much larger and broader civil-liberties organization with significant religious-liberty and church-state work. AHA's mission is a narrow subset of ACLU's, but they overlap heavily on legal cases and progressive donor dollars.
Direct peers
- American Atheists: National advocacy organization for atheist nontheists, with litigation, public education, and a national convention. Directly competes with AHA for member dues, media attention, and policy influence in the secular movement.
- Freedom From Religion Foundation: The most direct peer to AHA — a national 501(c)(3) advancing nontheist rights and church-state separation via litigation, advocacy, and grassroots chapters. Competes for the same donors, members, and public attention in the secular advocacy space.
- Secular Coalition for America: Advocacy coalition of secular, humanist, and atheist organizations operating at the federal legislative level. AHA is among the represented member groups; competes and collaborates with AHA on legislative priorities and lobbying access.
- Center for Inquiry: Nonprofit promoting reason, science, and secular values with programs in education, advocacy, and community organizing. Shares AHA's humanist/atheist audience and runs overlapping programs such as publications, conferences, and campus outreach.
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State: Long-standing national 501(c)(3) focused on church-state separation with parallel advocacy, litigation, and grassroots infrastructure. Overlaps closely with AHA's legal and legislative priorities and the same donor pool.
- Council for Secular Humanism: Affiliate of the Center for Inquiry focused specifically on secular humanism with similar publications, conferences, and advocacy programs. Addresses the same philosophical and demographic audience as AHA.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Humanist Association social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Humanist Association compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
American Humanist Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Humanist Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
American Humanist Association subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
American Humanist Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Humanist Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Humanist Association
What does American Humanist Association do?
The American Humanist Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for progressive values, civil liberties, separation of church and state, and scientific integrity on behalf of humanists, atheists, agnostics, and freethinkers. It sells memberships, runs paid educational courses and an annual conference, publishes The Humanist magazine, and operates a national network of more than 100 local chapters and affiliates.
Is American Humanist Association a public or private company?
American Humanist Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was American Humanist Association founded?
American Humanist Association was founded in 1941. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is American Humanist Association based?
American Humanist Association is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Humanist Association make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and Contributions, publications and Merchandise, events and Conferences and educational Programs.
Who are American Humanist Association's main competitors?
Secular Student Alliance is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Human Rights Campaign, NAACP and American Civil Liberties Union. Direct peers are American Atheists, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Secular Coalition for America, Center for Inquiry, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Council for Secular Humanism.
Does American Humanist Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Humanist Association.
What industry is American Humanist Association in?
American Humanist Association's product category is Advocacy Nonprofit Organization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAB, Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations, with a secondary code of BPAGAFAE, LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations. Its NAICS code is 813311 and its SIC code is 8600.