American Rabbit Breeders Association

What American Rabbit Breeders Association does

The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) is a private, non-profit membership association founded in 1921 (with organizational roots tracing to the 1910 National Pet Stock Association) and headquartered in Knox, Pennsylvania. Its mission is to promote, develop, and improve domestic rabbits and cavies through standardized breed definitions, an animal registration system, sanctioned shows, licensed judges and registrars, and youth education programs. The organization serves approximately 20,000 members across the United States, Canada, and international regions, organized through nine geographic districts, and recognizes 52 rabbit breeds (recently expanded to 53 with the Mini Californian) and 13 cavy breeds.

ARBA's core products are tightly interconnected and gated on membership. The Standard of Perfection is the copyrighted definitive guide for breed standards (current 2026-2030 edition); the ARBA Registration System allows members to register individual rabbits and cavies at $6 per animal and submit qualifying animals for Grand Champion certification; Domestic Rabbits is a bi-monthly full-color periodical provided to all members; and the Official Guide Book is offered free in digital form. Add-on services include show sanctioning ($20-$40 per show), club charters ($20-$50), judges and registrars licensing programs, and the ARBA Store for merchandise and publications. The organization also maintains the world's largest single collection of rabbit and cavy publications at the Hall of Fame Library in Bloomington, IL (over 9,000 items), now extended through the ARBA Digital Library at arbalibrary.org.

ARBA's revenue model is a hybrid of recurring membership dues (annual subscriptions at $12 youth, $20 single adult, $30 family/two-adult tiers), per-animal registration fees, per-show sanction fees, club charter and renewal fees, and one-time merchandise sales through the ARBA Store. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via arba.net and mail-in applications, reinforced by an annual national convention and a network of regional sanctioned shows and chartered clubs. The organization is member-governed through an elected Board of Directors and operates with 11-50 staff.

Name

American Rabbit Breeders Association

Legal name

American Rabbit Breeders Association, Inc.

Website

https://arba.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The American Rabbit Breeders Association is a non-profit membership association founded in 1921 that promotes domestic rabbit and cavy breeding through standardized breed definitions, an animal registration system, sanctioned shows, and educational programs for approximately 20,000 members across North America and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knox

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual and multi-year membership fees from individual members, youth members, families, and combination memberships. Single adult membership is $20/year, youth is $12/year, family memberships are $30 for adults plus $5 per child.
2. ARBA Store Sales: Sale of merchandise including clothing, show supplies, custom embroidered items, publications, memberships, charters, sanctions, and registrar supplies through the online ARBA Store.
3. Registration System: Fees for registering individual rabbits and cavies. Only ARBA members can register animals. Registration fee is $6 per animal.
4. Show Sanctions and Charters: Fees for ARBA-sanctioned shows and club charters. Show sanction fees range from $20-$40 depending on type. Club charter fees are $30 with $20 annual renewal.
5. Domestic Rabbits Magazine: Bi-monthly professional quality full-color periodical provided to all members as part of membership, with hard copy mailed plus digital access. International members pay additional fees for magazine delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ARBA is a non-profit membership association founded in 1910 (incorporated 1921) that maintains official breed standards for rabbits and cavies, registers individual animals and pedigrees, sanctions competitive shows, and publishes educational materials for breeders and hobbyists. It operates as the national body governing rabbit and cavy breeding in the United States, with approximately 20,000 members, a headquarters in Knox, Pennsylvania, and a network of chartered local clubs.

Product overview

The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) operates as a non-profit membership organization offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services centered on rabbit and cavy promotion, breeding standards, and exhibition. The core offerings include membership with access to the ARBA Registration System, the bi-monthly Domestic Rabbits magazine, and the official Standard of Perfection publication. Additional services include show sanctioning, club charters, judges/registrar licensing, youth programs with scholarships, and the ARBA Digital Library. The ARBA Store provides merchandise, publications, and supplies. These products work together to support the organization's mission of promoting responsible breeding and ethical practices across nearly 20,000 members in the United States, Canada, and abroad.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ARBA Membership Annual membership program granting access to breed registration, show sanctioning, the members-only magazine, and eligibility to participate in sanctioned events and licensing programs.
• Domestic Rabbits Magazine Official bimonthly association publication distributed to members, covering rabbit and cavy husbandry, show results, breed features, and association news.
• Standard of Perfection Definitive breed-standards reference publication defining the official conformation, weight, and color standards for every ARBA-recognized rabbit and cavy breed.
• Official Guide Book: Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies Foundational educational handbook covering care, breeding, nutrition, housing, and management of rabbits and cavies for new and experienced breeders.
• ARBA Animal Registration Service Per-animal registration and pedigree-tracking service that officially documents the lineage and breed identification of individual rabbits and cavies.
• ARBA Show Sanctioning Formal sanctioning service for local and national rabbit and cavy shows, conferring official ARBA recognition, sweepstakes point eligibility, and licensed-judge assignment.
• Club Chartering Charter service that officially affiliates local rabbit and cavy specialty clubs with the national association, extending ARBA recognition to the local level.
• ARBA Store Direct online storefront selling ARBA-branded publications, merchandise, logowear, and breeder supplies to members and the public.
• Royalty Youth Program Youth development and recognition program engaging young rabbit and cavy enthusiasts in showing, judging contests, scholarship opportunities, and breed promotion.
• Judges Licensing Program Formal licensing track certifying individuals to officiate ARBA-sanctioned rabbit and cavy shows, including provisional advancement to full judge status.
• Registrar Licensing Program Certification track authorizing individuals to officially register rabbits and cavies and document pedigrees on behalf of the association.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Morgan Horse Association: AMHA is a non-profit breed association maintaining the official Morgan horse registry, sanctioning shows, and providing member services. Comparable to ARBA in being a single-breed-focused registry association with shows, publications, and member-driven governance.
• American Boer Goat Association: ABGA is a non-profit breed association for Boer goats that maintains a registration system, sanctions shows, licenses judges, and operates on membership dues — a smaller-scale but structurally identical model to ARBA's rabbit and cavy registry.
• American Kennel Club: The American Kennel Club is the premier US dog breed registry and non-profit association, operating the same model ARBA uses: recognized breed standards, licensed judges, sanctioned shows, animal registration, and a membership-based governance structure. It is the closest analogue in scale, governance, and revenue mix within the animal-breed association category.
• American Dairy Goat Association: ADGA operates a non-profit dairy goat registry with breed standards, sanctioned shows, a registration system, and member dues — closely mirroring ARBA's mix of membership, registration, and sanctioned show revenue in another small-livestock hobby category.
• National Pygmy Goat Association: NPGA is a small non-profit registry for Pygmy goats with breed standards, sanctioned shows, registrations, and a member association — a small-scale parallel to ARBA in another small-livestock hobby niche, useful as a size-comparable peer.
• American Poultry Association: The APA is the oldest livestock association in North America and maintains the Standard of Perfection for poultry breeds — directly paralleling ARBA's rabbit and cavy Standard of Perfection. It sanctions poultry shows, licenses judges, and registers birds using a near-identical association model.
• American Quarter Horse Association: AQHA is the world's largest breed registry and equine non-profit association, maintaining official breed standards, a registration system, sanctioned shows, and a member-driven governance model. Highly analogous to ARBA in operating model, although at much greater scale.
• United Kennel Club: UKC is an alternative dog registry competing with AKC using the same core model — breed standards, licensed judges, sanctioned events, individual dog registration, and a member association. It is a useful comparability benchmark for ARBA's structure within the animal-breed association space.
• The International Cat Association: TICA is a global cat registry competing with CFA using breed standards, sanctioned shows, licensed judges, and individual animal registration. Operates internationally, providing a useful analogue for ARBA's cross-border membership structure across nine districts.
• Cat Fanciers' Association: CFA is the world's largest pedigree cat registry and a non-profit association that maintains breed standards, licenses judges, sanctions shows, and registers individual animals — directly comparable to ARBA's structure for rabbits and cavies. Operates on the same membership, registration, and show-sanction revenue model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCo82FT8uExOthLlmymdQHiQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanRabbitBreedersAssociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-rabbit-breeders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Rabbit Breeders Association