National WWI Museum and Memorial

What National WWI Museum and Memorial does

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution headquartered at 2 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, Missouri. It originated as the Liberty Memorial, dedicated in 1921 by Kansas City residents to honor those who served in World War I, and opened its current main museum building in 2006. In 2014, the United States Congress designated it as the official World War I museum of the United States, the only institution in the country to hold that statutory distinction. The museum holds what it describes as the world's most comprehensive WWI collection, anchored by the Edward Jones Research Center, the Online Collections Database, an Interactive Global WWI Map, and an Interactive Timeline.

The institution serves general public visitors, students and educators, researchers and genealogists, corporate partners and event planners, and national commemorative partners. Core offerings include a permanent Main Gallery exhibition, rotating featured exhibitions (such as Paris at War and The Beautiful Game), educational programs, symposia, teacher professional development, lecture series, hands-on history programs, and an artist-in-residence program. Digital products include the Online Collections Database, Interactive Timeline, Interactive Global WWI Map, Virtual Events, and an active YouTube channel. Visitor amenities include the Museum Store (on-site and online), Over There Cafe (operated by AFV USA), and venue rentals for private and corporate functions.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit funding stack: admissions and ticket sales (general public), individual and family membership subscriptions, four corporate membership tiers ($2,500-$10,000 annually), individual donations and planned giving, capital campaigns, the annual Night at the Tower fundraising gala with presenting, premier, and patron sponsorship tiers, museum store retail, café operations, venue rentals, and education program fees. Distribution is anchored to the single Kansas City campus, with the museum attracting more than 1 million visitors annually, approximately 80% of whom travel from outside the region. The institution is governed by its own Board of Trustees, operates without parent company ownership, and is led by an executive team under President and CEO Matthew Naylor, who announced his departure in March 2026 after a 14-year tenure.

Name

National WWI Museum and Memorial

Legal name

National WWI Museum and Memorial

Website

https://theworldwar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is a Congress-designated nonprofit museum in Kansas City that preserves the world's most comprehensive WWI collection, serving more than one million annual visitors through exhibitions, research, education programs, and commemorative events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum and Memorial

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• WWI historical exhibits
• Museum education programs
• Memorial cultural tourism
• Historical research services
• Corporate event venues

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admissions / Ticket Sales: General admission tickets are sold at the door and online, with various pricing tiers including discounts for seniors, students, and military.
2. Membership Program: Individual and family memberships provide recurring revenue through annual subscription fees, offering benefits such as free admission, store discounts, and exclusive member events.
3. Corporate Memberships and Sponsorships: Corporate membership tiers from $2,500 to $10,000 per year, plus brand recognition and premier event sponsorships. Night at the Tower is a flagship annual fundraising gala with presenting sponsors and patron sponsors.
4. Donations and Capital Campaigns: Individual donations, planned giving, commemorative giving, and major capital campaigns. During the 14-year tenure of CEO Matthew Naylor, capital campaigns raised more than $100 million.
5. Museum Store and Over There Cafe: The museum operates a retail store and a food and beverage cafe, generating revenue from merchandise sales and food service.
6. Venue Rentals: The museum's facilities are available for private event rentals and corporate functions, offering unique venue options in Kansas City.
7. Education Programs and Symposia: Fees from school field trips, educational programs, internships, symposia, and teaching resources generate revenue from educational institutions and lifelong learners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The National WWI Museum and Memorial operates a nonprofit museum and memorial campus in Kansas City, Missouri, delivering visitor experiences through permanent and rotating exhibitions (including the Main Gallery, Paris at War, The Beautiful Game, Encounters, and Iron Harvest), educational programs for K-12 and educators, the Edward Jones Research Center, group and school field trips, and cultural events. It also operates a museum store, Over There Cafe, venue rentals for private events, and a tiered membership program including corporate memberships ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 annually.

Product overview

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is a single unified institution offering visitor experiences through multiple exhibitions (both permanent and rotating), educational programs, research resources, and public events. The core offering centers on the Main Gallery permanent exhibition supplemented by featured exhibitions like Paris at War, The Beautiful Game, Encounters, Iron Harvest, and artist residencies. Digital products include the Online Collections Database, Interactive Timeline, Interactive Global WWI Map, Virtual Events, and a YouTube Channel. Educational services encompass teaching resources, student research opportunities, symposia, and professional development for teachers. Visitor amenities include the Museum Store, Over There Cafe, and venue rental options. The institution also offers Corporate Membership programs at multiple giving tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission / Museum Visit Experience Walk-in and online ticketed access to the museum's Main Gallery permanent exhibition (The World War, 1914-1919), Bergman Family Gallery, Encounters, and rotating special exhibitions at the Kansas City campus. Includes discounted tiers for seniors, students, and military, plus free entry for members.
• Individual and Family Membership Recurring annual membership program providing free general admission, store and cafe discounts, and exclusive member events for individual visitors and families.
• Corporate Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Attracts more than 1 million visitors annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• America 250 and Freedom 250coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026The museum serves as the first stop on the 'Freedom Plane' national tour coordinated by America 250 and Freedom 250, commemorating America's 250th anniversary. The Boeing 737 carries historically significant American founding documents including the 1783 Treaty of Paris, 1774 Articles of Association, Oaths of Allegiance signed by George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, and a rare draft copy of the U.S. Constitution with handwritten notes. Over 5,000 schoolchildren have already booked visits for the Kansas City exhibit.
• Kansas City Zoo and AquariumminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 February 2026A new Spark by Hilton hotel launched a partnership with both the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium and the National WWI Museum and Memorial, offering a 10% commission on bookings originating from these attractions instead of third-party travel sites. The partnership aims to keep tourism revenue within the local community.
• Over There Cafe (AFV USA)minorOthersThe Over There Cafe is operated by AFV USA and is an on-site food and beverage amenity for museum visitors. Contact: [email protected] / 816.888.8130.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• National Constitution Center: A Philadelphia-based nonprofit history museum chartered by Congress to educate about the U.S. Constitution, directly comparable in its Congressional designation, nonprofit governance, and reliance on admissions, membership, and donor support, though it focuses on constitutional history rather than a specific war.
• Pritzker Military Museum & Library: A Chicago-based nonprofit military history museum and research library with overlapping mission on military service and education, smaller scale, and similar reliance on donations, memberships, and educational programming, though its scope is broader across U.S. military history.

Direct peers

• The National WWII Museum: Located in New Orleans, the National WWII Museum is the direct counterpart for WWII: it holds a Congressional designation, attracts over a million visitors annually, and operates an integrated campus of permanent and rotating exhibitions, research center, and education programs. Its revenue model (admissions, memberships, capital campaigns, corporate sponsorships) closely mirrors the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
• Imperial War Museums: A UK national museum group covering conflicts from WWI onward, operating five branches with the most comprehensive collection of 20th-century conflict artifacts outside the US. Directly comparable in mission, collection scope, and education/research focus, though it is a regional peer operating in the UK market.
• National Museum of the United States Army: The U.S. Army's official museum at Fort Belvoir, focusing on the history of the American soldier. Comparable as a military-history-focused institution with a similar mix of permanent galleries, educational programming, and research resources, though it operates under the U.S. Army rather than as an independent nonprofit.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: A federally chartered museum in Washington, D.C. dedicated to a 20th-century atrocity, sharing the same Congressional designation model, mission-driven nonprofit governance, and reliance on visitor admissions, education programs, and major donor campaigns as the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Broad incumbents

• The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation: A large-scale American history and innovation museum in Dearborn, Michigan, with a comparable mix of permanent exhibitions, educational programming, and venue rentals, and similar attendance scale, though its scope is significantly broader than the WWI focus.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: The Smithsonian's flagship history museum on the National Mall is the broadest incumbent in US historical museums, with comparable curatorial scale, educational programming, and research offerings, though it operates under a federally funded Smithsonian umbrella rather than as an independent nonprofit reliant on admissions and donations.

Regional players

• National WWI Memorial (DC): The World War I Centennial Commission's outdoor memorial in Washington, D.C. While it is the federal commemorative counterpart to the National WWI Museum and Memorial's Liberty Memorial, it does not operate exhibitions, admissions, or research programs and thus complements rather than competes with the Kansas City museum.
• Canadian War Museum: Canada's national museum of military history in Ottawa, covering conflicts including WWI with comparable permanent galleries, educational programming, and research center offerings, though it operates in a different geography under a federal government mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thewwimuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/nationalwwimuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/theworldwar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-wwi-museum
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalwwimuseum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National WWI Museum and Memorial