American Association for State and Local History

What American Association for State and Local History does

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1940 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. AASLH serves as the foremost national membership body for the U.S. state and local history field, representing a community of more than 21,000 history museums, historical societies, historic sites, and individual practitioners across the country. Its mission centers on providing leadership, professional standards, advocacy, and resources to help members preserve and interpret state and local history. The association offers four membership tiers (individual, institutional, corporate, academic) and operates a portfolio of programs including the annual Leadership in History Awards (running since 1945), the STEPS accreditation and excellence program, the History Leadership Institute, online courses and webinars, the quarterly History News magazine, and the National Census of History Organizations research initiative.

AASLH's core technology is conventional association infrastructure rather than proprietary software: a website (aaslh.org), a MemberSuite-based membership portal, an online learning platform (learn.aaslh.org), an events calendar, and a Bonfire-powered merchandise store. The organization generates revenue across five streams — membership dues (subscription/recurring), annual and joint conference registration, publications and merchandise sales, grants (notably a $150,000 NEH grant for 250th anniversary programming), and donations to its Annual Fund and Endowment. New membership pricing took effect July 1, and conference registration uses tiered early-bird pricing.

The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: AASLH acquires and retains members through its annual conference (Cincinnati in 2025; a joint 2026 conference with the National Council on Public History in Providence), affinity communities, the Ambassador program, webinars, and advocacy campaigns such as Museums Advocacy Day in coordination with the American Alliance of Museums. Distribution is fully direct — no resellers — via the website, conference registration, the online learning platform, and the AASLH Store. In 2026 the organization also stepped into active legal advocacy, joining a coalition lawsuit (with the National Parks Conservation Association, Association of National Park Rangers, Democracy Forward, and others) against the U.S. Department of the Interior over the removal of historical exhibits from National Park Service sites, securing a preliminary injunction halting the removals.

Name

American Association for State and Local History

Legal name

American Association for State and Local History

Website

https://aaslh.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AASLH is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1940 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, serving over 21,000 U.S. history museums, historical societies, and practitioners with membership, training, advocacy, publications, awards, and conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from individual, institutional, corporate, and academic members provide recurring revenue. New membership dues took effect July 1.
2. Annual Conference Revenue: Registration fees for the annual conference and joint conferences generate significant revenue. Conference features early bird pricing and various registration tiers.
3. Publications and Store Sales: Revenue from selling books, technical publications, and merchandise including t-shirts and hats through the AASLH Store on Bonfire.
4. Grants: AASLH receives grants from organizations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support initiatives like the 250th anniversary preparation and field guide distribution.
5. Donations: Donations to the Annual Fund, Making History Matter Campaign, Endowment, or named funds support AASLH's advocacy and programmatic work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AASLH is a national nonprofit professional membership association that provides leadership, training, publications, awards, advocacy, and community-building services to the nation's state and local history organizations and the professionals who staff them. Its core offerings are structured around individual, institutional, corporate, and academic memberships; conferences and online learning; the Leadership in History Awards; and federal advocacy protecting NEH, IMLS, and NPS funding.

Product overview

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is a not-for-profit professional membership organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of membership services, professional development programs, research publications, awards programs, advocacy initiatives, and annual conferences. The core products include the AASLH website platform for member services, the National Census of History Organizations research initiative, the Leadership in History Awards program, STEPS accreditation program, History Leadership Institute seminars, online courses on demand, publications including books and History News magazine, the US 250th Anniversary Semiquincentennial program with its Making History at 250 field guide, the History & Democracy Initiative, annual conferences, and the recently launched AASLH merchandise store. These offerings work together to serve the organization's mission of providing leadership and support for members who preserve and interpret state and local history.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• History & Democracy Initiative: An initiative focused on the essential role of history in democratic societies, aiming to make history relevant and meaningful to all people.
• Leadership in History Awards
• History Leadership Institute
• National Census of History Organizations
• US 250th Anniversary Programs

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual membership for individual practitioners in the history field, providing access to publications, professional development, conferences, and community resources.
• Institutional Membership Annual membership for history organizations, historical societies, and museums, providing organization-wide access to programs, publications, awards, and advocacy.
• Corporate Membership Annual membership for businesses seeking access and visibility within the national history community.
• Academic Membership Annual membership for academic historians and educators in higher education, providing access to research collaboration, teaching resources, and public history engagement.
• STEPS (Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations) Self-paced standards and excellence program helping small history organizations develop policies, procedures, and best practices.
• History Leadership Institute Annual cohort-based seminar program developing leadership skills for emerging and current history professionals through learning and mentorship.
• Courses on Demand and Online Learning Webinars, online courses, and workshops for professional development delivered via the Resource Center learning platform at learn.aaslh.org.
• Annual Conference Annual national meeting bringing together history professionals for sessions, networking, and professional development, including joint conferences with partner organizations such as NCPH.
• Leadership in History Awards Program National awards program including the Award of Excellence, Albert B. Corey Award, History in Progress Awards, and Award of Distinction recognizing excellence in state and local history.
• National Census of History Organizations A research initiative identifying and documenting over 21,000 history organizations in the United States, providing data on the field's size, characteristics, and public impact.
• Publications (Books, Technical Leaflets, History News) Books, technical publications, the quarterly History News magazine, and reports covering standards, best practices, and trends in the history field.
• US 250th Anniversary (Semiquincentennial) Program Resources and planning support for history organizations preparing for America's 250th anniversary in 2026, including the Making History at 250 field guide.
• History & Democracy Initiative Program exploring the relationship between history and democracy, supporting inclusive historical narratives and civic engagement.
• Reframing History Initiative providing resources and guidance for history organizations on inclusive storytelling and reframing historical narratives.
• AASLH Store Online merchandise store selling t-shirts, hats, and other branded items to support the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• The history community is the largest sector of the museum field, with more history organizations than public libraries, Starbucks, McDonald's, and Walmarts
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Democracy ForwardcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 February 2026Democracy Forward serves as legal counsel representing the coalition of AASLH and other plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior challenging Secretary's Order 3431, 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.' The organization provides legal representation and advocacy services.
• National Parks Conservation AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Department of the Interior. Both organizations are working together to challenge the removal of historical exhibits from national parks and protect the integrity of park interpretation.
• Association of National Park RangerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, joining the coalition to protect historical interpretation at National Park Service sites.
• Coalition to Protect America's National ParkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, working to protect National Park Service sites from censorship of historical exhibits.
• Society for Experiential Graphic DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit, bringing expertise in interpretive signage and exhibition design to the coalition challenging censorship at NPS sites.
• Union of Concerned ScientistscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Department of the Interior, joining to protect scientific and historical information at national parks.
• National Humanities AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAASLH has signed onto statements and partnered with the National Humanities Alliance to advocate for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), including contacting Congress and using their resources to highlight NEH's positive impact.
• American Alliance of MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAASLH is a supporter of the American Alliance of Museums' Museums Advocacy Day, participating annually in advocacy efforts to support federal funding for museums and history organizations.
• American Alliance of MuseumsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAASLH supports AAM's Advocacy Day and uses their template letter for contacting Congressional delegations about the importance of federal funding to museums and history organizations.
• State Humanities CouncilsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAASLH works with state humanities councils to distribute the 250th Field Guide, with requests from 33 states and territories including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, and others.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Organization of American Historians: Membership association for American historians. Comparable professional society structure, with overlapping membership base and conference/convention programming.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: Nonprofit focused on historic preservation. Comparable in mission (preserving American historical places) and structure (membership + advocacy), and is a co-plaintiff alongside AASLH in the NPS censorship lawsuit.
• National Council on Public History: Professional association for public historians, and AASLH's joint conference partner for 2026. Closest direct peer because it also serves the applied/state-and-local history field with conferences, networking, and advocacy.
• National Association for Interpretation: Professional association for interpreters at parks, museums, and historic sites. Comparable niche nonprofit serving interpretive staff in the heritage field.
• American Alliance of Museums: National membership association for museums. Directly comparable as a nonprofit professional association serving the cultural/heritage field with advocacy, annual conference, and accreditation programs. AASLH explicitly supports AAM's Museums Advocacy Day.
• American Historical Association: The largest academic history professional association. Comparable membership/advocacy/publications model, with overlapping academic historian member segment.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: National museum and research complex. Operates broadly across the same heritage/history field but as a much larger federally-chartered institution; relevant as an adjacent authority rather than direct competitor.
• American Library Association: Large established membership association for librarians. Comparable organizational model (membership, conferences, advocacy, publications) but broader scope and significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• American Association for Museum Professionals / Association of Academic Museums and Galleries: Specialty association for academic museums and galleries. Comparable nonprofit professional association serving a heritage subfield with overlapping membership audiences.

Emerging players

• Council of State Archivists: Membership association for state government archivists. Comparable nonprofit membership/advocacy model serving a smaller, adjacent heritage profession with similar funding dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfq5Wy7TNOocIEEp0uEHCsg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AASLH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aaslh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 American Association for State and Local History