The Alcove

What The Alcove does

The Alcove is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural center headquartered at 189 Broadway in Providence, Rhode Island, serving women and gender expansive people in Rhode Island and visiting members of the public. Founded in 2023 (originally as Gather RI) and rebranded in December 2025 ahead of its January 10, 2026 grand opening, the organization operates a two-story renovated facility that combines a publicly accessible Portrait Gallery — one of the world's only permanent galleries dedicated to portraiture of women and gender expansive people — with a Biographical Library documenting over 2,000 lives via an online catalog (LibraryCat at lib.alcoveri.org). The second-floor Haven is a members-only space featuring a plant-filled conservatory, rooftop terrace, meeting rooms (board room, book club room, nook), and a self-serve beverage bar, with furniture ergonomically scaled for women.

The organization monetizes through four primary streams: recurring membership dues (sliding scale, monthly or annual, with all tiers receiving identical benefits); hourly room rentals (members receive a 50% discount) processed via JotForm; ticketed public events with suggested $5–$10 donations, supplemented by premium events such as The Alcove After Dark fundraiser priced from $95 to $2,500; and tax-deductible charitable donations supporting operations and programming. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Programming includes the Beyond the Bio speaker series, a bi-monthly book club led by a historian with a Ph.D., the Peer Circle coaching series, and the Alcove Artisan Marketplace.

The technology stack is deliberately lightweight and built on commodity platforms: Squarespace powers the website at alcoveri.org, Stripe and Worldpay-via-Qgiv handle payments and event ticketing, JotForm captures room reservation requests, and Google Analytics measures site traffic. The library uses a dedicated LibraryCat catalog. Customer acquisition is community-led, relying on earned media (The New York Times 36 Hours in Providence feature, Providence Business News, Rhode Island Monthly), an organic Instagram presence, an email newsletter, and word-of-mouth referrals from members and board partners. The Alcove's go-to-market footprint is entirely local to Providence and the broader Rhode Island market, with no e-commerce or digital product distribution.

Name

The Alcove

Legal name

The Alcove

Website

https://alcoveri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Alcove is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit feminist cultural center in Providence, Rhode Island, serving women and gender expansive people through a publicly accessible Portrait Gallery, a Biographical Library of 2,000+ documented lives, members-only Haven space, and community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Recurring monthly or annual membership fees providing access to the Haven space, library borrowing privileges, room rental discounts, event priority booking, and merchandise discounts. All members receive the same benefits regardless of payment level.
2. Room Rentals: Hourly rental of event spaces including board room, book club room, patio, and terrace. Members receive 50% discount. Reservations require 48-hour advance booking.
3. Event Tickets and Donations: Ticketed events with suggested donations of $5-10 per ticket supporting free public programs. Special events like The Alcove After Dark range from $95 to $2,500 for sponsorship tiers.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions supporting the nonprofit's mission. Accepts one-time and recurring gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Alcove is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates a feminist cultural center featuring a permanent Portrait Gallery of women and gender expansive people, a Biographical Library documenting over 2,000 lives, and a members-only Haven space. The organization sells recurring memberships, rents event spaces to members and the public, and runs ticketed public programs including speaker series, book clubs, peer circles, and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Recurring monthly or annual membership providing access to The Haven, library book checkout, room rental discounts, opt-in member directory, priority event booking, shop discounts, and self-serve beverage bar. Available on a sliding scale with scholarships and underwritten slots for those facing financial barriers.
• Portrait Gallery One of the world's only permanent galleries dedicated entirely to portraiture of women and gender expansive people, featuring rotating thematic exhibitions with newly commissioned portraits and archival facsimiles. Always free and open to the public.
• Biographical Library Living library documenting over 2,000 lives of women and gender expansive individuals from activists to zoologists, with members enjoying borrowing privileges including 14-day loans up to 3 items per person.
• The Haven (Members-Only Space) Members-only second floor space featuring a plant-filled atrium, rooftop terrace, and welcoming meeting rooms with cozy seating areas and artwork designed for renewal, connection, and respite. Includes self-serve beverage bar with coffee and artisanal teas.
• Room Rentals Hourly rental of unique event spaces including the patio, board room, book club room, and rooftop terrace. Members receive 50% off standard hourly rates. Public can reserve with at least 48 hours advance request.
• Beyond the Bio Speaker Series Free ticketed speaker series featuring women and gender expansive people from Rhode Island and beyond, offering space for deep listening, powerful storytelling, audience Q&A, and meaningful conversation.
• Peer Circle Program Three-part coaching series designed for women and gender expansive people navigating personal and professional transitions. Uses evidence-based frameworks including A-Flow methodology and Energy Leadership Index concepts. Members $100/session or $250 for all three; Public $150/session or $300 for all three.
• Alcove Book Club Bi-monthly book club led by historian Amy Schneidhorst, Ph.D., featuring informal discussion of books centering the lives of women and gender expansive people.
• Founders and Inventors Who Shaped Our World Exhibition Inaugural Portrait Gallery exhibition featuring 40-plus women and gender expansive individuals across centuries and geographies, including 32 newly commissioned paintings by Rhode Island artists plus curated reproductions.
• The Alcove Artisan Marketplace Event showcasing Rhode Island-based artists, makers, and small businesses sharing their crafts with the community, featuring handmade goods, original artwork, and locally crafted products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ community members welcomed at grand opening
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Better Business Bureau RIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 May 2026Sponsored the 2nd Annual Women in Philanthropy Awards Cocktails & Conversations event. BBB RI sponsored the event recognizing outstanding women leaders in Rhode Island.
• Latino Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Presented Our Bodies, Our Truths: Creating a Community Health Story program in partnership with the Latino Policy Institute for Women's Health Month. A tertulia-style conversation exploring healthcare experiences of women and gender expansive people.
• Ballet RIminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Presented From Page to Stage: Inside Ballet RI's Machinal event featuring intimate artist conversation about the creative process behind the production. Registered attendees received discount codes for performances.
• Sojourner HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2026Collaborated on The Healing Stage open mic event to foster community healing and shatter silence around sexual violence. Sojourner House brought survivor-focused programming while The Alcove provided the venue.
• Rhode Island Women's Bar AssociationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 19 March 2026Co-sponsored Beyond the Bio speaker event featuring Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg. Association partnered on event recognizing her retirement from Rhode Island Supreme Court.
• Girl Scouts of Southeastern New EnglandminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 28 February 2026Hosted cookie pop-up events featuring Girl Scouts selling cookies on-site. Supported next generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs while engaging The Alcove community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Five College Women's Studies Research Center: Academic research center focused on women, gender, and sexuality studies in western Massachusetts. Shares The Alcove's mission of advancing knowledge and visibility of women's lives, though primarily scholarly rather than public-facing.
• Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA): Community-anchored cultural museum preserving and presenting the history of a specific community. MOCA parallels The Alcove's model of using portraiture, biographical research, and public programs to surface under-told histories, though MOCA is far larger and more established.

Broad incumbents

• Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art: Dedicated feminist art center housed within the Brooklyn Museum. Shares The Alcove's focus on feminist art and programming but operates as a specialized wing inside a much larger established museum, giving it far broader reach and resources.

Direct peers

• Sarah Doyle Center for Women & Gender: Brown University's center for women and gender, directed by The Alcove's board secretary Felicia Salinas Moniz. Operates adjacent feminist programming in Providence, serving a similar mission audience and representing both potential partner and overlapping programmatic space.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts: The world's only major museum dedicated to women artists. NMWA directly parallels The Alcove's mission of centering women and gender-expansive people through visual art, with both operating as nonprofit cultural institutions showcasing portraits and biographical interpretation.
• Schlesinger Library at Harvard Radcliffe Institute: Research library on the history of women in America. The Alcove's founding Executive Director spent a decade at the Schlesinger Library, and both institutions preserve and interpret the lives of women and gender-expansive people through curated collections and programming.
• National Women's Hall of Fame: Honors and documents the contributions of distinguished American women. Closely comparable to The Alcove's Portrait Gallery and Biographical Library concept of preserving women's achievements, though operating primarily through induction events rather than a permanent physical space.
• Smithsonian American Women's History Museum: Smithsonian institution dedicated to telling the story of women's contributions to America. Comparable to The Alcove in mission — recovering erased histories of women and gender-expansive people through exhibits, programs, and curated collections — though operating at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thealcoveri
• Facebookfacebook.com/thealcoveri
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thealcoveri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 The Alcove