The Jefferson Avenue Center

What The Jefferson Avenue Center does

The Jefferson Avenue Center is a Columbus, Ohio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit chartered in 1975 that owns and operates 15+ historic buildings providing affordable office and meeting space to more than 140 nonprofit organizations. Its portfolio is anchored in the German Village neighborhood and extends to the Brewery District (The Good Haus) and Parsons Avenue, with the Thurber Center and Thurber House operating as recognized sub-brands within the campus.

The Center's core offering is recurring office-space rentals priced below market for qualifying nonprofit tenants, supplemented by conference and meeting-room usage. A secondary product line — branded publications on nonprofit leadership and governance, priced at $15-$20 per copy — monetizes the Center's institutional knowledge and is sold directly to the nonprofit community. The operating footprint is lean (1-10 employees), and the Center collaborates with the German Village Society and Columbus Landmarks Foundation on historic preservation.

The business model combines subscription-like rental income (recurring, mission-aligned tenants) with one-time publication sales and donations channeled through Zeffy. Revenue and donor figures are not publicly disclosed; the Center's growth has historically been acquisition-driven, accepting donated historic buildings (notably The Good Haus in 2019) and incorporating adjacent properties such as 100 Jefferson Avenue to expand the campus.

Name

The Jefferson Avenue Center

Legal name

The Jefferson Avenue Center

Website

https://jeffersonavenuecenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Jefferson Avenue Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that owns 15+ historic buildings in Columbus, Ohio, providing affordable office space to 140+ nonprofit organizations and selling nonprofit-leadership publications as a secondary revenue stream.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Office Space Rentals: Provides affordable office space to nonprofit organizations at submarket rates, generating revenue through rental income from their portfolio of historic buildings.
2. Publications Sales: Sells educational publications for nonprofit board members and executives, including guides on board leadership, executive evaluation, and organizational management.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Jefferson Avenue Center owns and operates a portfolio of historic buildings in Columbus, Ohio, leasing affordable office space to nonprofit organizations at submarket rates and providing shared conference facilities. The organization also publishes and sells educational books for nonprofit board members and executives covering board leadership, executive evaluation, financial oversight, and leadership transitions.

Product overview

The Jefferson Avenue Center operates as a shared campus for nonprofits, offering two core service lines: physical workspace solutions and nonprofit leadership publications. The workspace offerings include affordable office rentals across multiple historic buildings in Columbus, Ohio, plus conference room facilities for tenants and community members. Their publication arm produces educational books for nonprofit board members and executives, covering topics such as board leadership, executive transitions, financial management, and diversity in leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Good Haus: Conference and event space facility located at 966 S. High Street in the Brewery District of Columbus, Ohio, operated as an extension of the Jefferson Avenue Center campus
• Thurber Center
• Thurber House

Products and services

• Nonprofit Office Space Rental Affordable office workspace provided to nonprofit organizations at submarket rates across multiple historic buildings on the Jefferson Avenue campus and at the Good Haus extension in Columbus, Ohio.
• Conference Room Booking Shared conference rooms available to tenants and community members for meetings, seminars, workshops, and events, including high-speed Wi-Fi and AV-equipped spaces at the Good Haus and Thurber Center.
• The Good Haus Historic building at 966 S. High Street in the Brewery District serving as a contemporary, flexible workspace for nonprofits with modular furniture, high-speed Wi-Fi, and AV, seating up to 35.
• The President's Book: Experiencing the Essentials with Six Board Presidents Book written by seasoned board presidents for presidents-elect and new board presidents, addressing core issues of board leadership.
• Following the Leader: A Guide for Planning Founding Director Transition Guide based on field research in five agencies, directed at boards and executives where the founding director is retiring.
• The Board Member's Guide: Making a Difference on Your Board and in Your Community Assists nonprofit boards with responsibilities including recruiting, by-laws, mission statements, executive evaluation, and designing board meetings.
• Finance for Nonprofit Board Members: Linking Mission to Money Provides financial tools and strategies including budget-building, monitoring, audits, and endowments for nonprofit board members.
• Women Leading the Way: Reflections on Life and Leadership Gathers insights of exemplary women executives to assist younger women professionals in nonprofit leadership careers.
• Evaluating Your Executive: New Approaches, New Purposes Provides evaluation tools for nonprofit board members to proceed through the executive evaluation process with their executive director.
• The Search Book: A Guide to Executive Evaluation Guides board members through executive search challenges with organizational tools, resources, and firsthand knowledge.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 moderate.

• German Village SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Campaigned to preserve the historic Good Haus building when demolition was proposed in 2018, working alongside Columbus Landmarks Foundation to halt plans to turn the lot into a condominium project. Critical advocacy partner in building preservation efforts.
• Columbus Landmarks FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnered with German Village Society to preserve the historic Good Haus building in 2018, successfully halting demolition plans. Key partner in historic preservation advocacy.
• Brewery District CommissionmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collective decision-making body that helped halt the demolition plans for the Good Haus building, working with preservation advocates to protect the historic structure.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused shared workspaces for social entrepreneurs and mission-driven organizations. Closely mirrors JAC's model of co-locating purpose-driven tenants and offering shared programming and amenities.
• Centre for Social Innovation: Toronto-based operator of multiple shared workspace locations serving nonprofits, social enterprises, and artists. Directly comparable to JAC's multi-building nonprofit-focused shared campus model.
• CANOPY: East Palo Alto nonprofit operating shared workspace for social-impact organizations in the Bay Area. Directly comparable affordable-workspace-for-nonprofits model.
• Nonprofit Village: Pacific Northwest nonprofit shared-office campus serving mission-driven organizations. Closely matches JAC's campus-of-nonprofits structure and tenant base.
• Propeller: New Orleans-based shared workspace and accelerator for social entrepreneurs and nonprofits. Closely comparable mission and tenant-serving shared-space model.

Emerging players

• BoardSource: National organization supporting nonprofit boards with resources, training, and publications. Closely parallels JAC's publications arm and nonprofit-governance thought leadership, though BoardSource does not operate shared workspace.

Others

• Candid: Information-services organization supporting nonprofits with data, research, and learning. Thematically adjacent as a nonprofit-sector infrastructure provider, but does not compete in workspace or publishing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-jefferson-avenue-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Jefferson Avenue Center