Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum

What Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum does

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum (CCMM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1995 and incorporated in California in 2011, headquartered in Los Angeles. Its mission is to deliver cross-cultural educational experiences to K-8 students, with a primary focus on middle-school grades 6-8 in the Los Angeles area. CCMM operates a mobile museum model that transforms school libraries and other spaces into pop-up exhibitions featuring approximately 750 international art objects per themed presentation, drawn from a curated ethnographic collection of more than 3,500 artifacts spanning antiquity to modernity. Exhibitions are organized around three themes — Commercial Connections, Spiritual Connections, and Everyday Connections — and are delivered by trained docents aligned with California State Content and Common Core Standards.

The organization's product portfolio includes CCMM-in-Schools (the flagship in-person program), Connecting Cultures Online (a digital learning platform launched in 2020 with 3D artifact models, videos, and assessments, currently in pilot), Culture Kits (curated craft projects in development), and Collections Online (a searchable artifact database under construction). Technology infrastructure is minimal and outsourced: the website runs on WordPress with the BoldGrid web builder and DreamHost hosting. CCMM has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and no proprietary technology platform.

CCMM is funded entirely through donations, in-kind artifact contributions, and volunteer labor. Programs are offered to schools at no cost, with the only documented institutional funding being a $20,000 grant from the Nissan Foundation in July 2024. The organization operates with approximately 10 staff and volunteers, led by founder and Lead Docent Valerie Lezin and Executive Director Julia Goldman, and reaches more than 25,000 students annually. Growth is driven primarily by word-of-mouth referrals within the LA-area school community, supplemented by social media and email marketing.

Name

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum

Legal name

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum

Website

https://connectingcultures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers pop-up cross-cultural museum experiences and digital programming to K-8 students, primarily middle schools, in the LA area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive Multimedia Learning Content (Video, Audio, Interactive Lessons) (EDAFACAG), Project- & Inquiry-Based Digital Learning Modules (EDAFACAD), Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA)

Keywords

• Mobile museum programs
• Cross-cultural education
• School museum exhibits
• Ethnographic artifact collections
• Cultural competency training

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 2011, CCMM relies on tax-deductible donations from the community of supporters. Donations help reach more students with cross-cultural educational programs.
2. Artifact Donations: CCMM accepts artifact donations from individuals - treasures from travels or items from their own culture - to expand and diversify the collection.
3. Volunteer Contributions: CCMM relies on volunteer support for exhibition installation, collections work, and operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum (CCMM) operates a pop-up cross-cultural museum program that brings a curated collection of 3,500+ international ethnographic artifacts directly into Los Angeles-area schools. The organization offers themed exhibitions (Commercial Connections, Spiritual Connections, Everyday Connections) led by trained docents, supplemented by a digital learning platform (Connecting Cultures Online) with 3D artifact models, videos, activities, and assessments. The program is designed for middle school students (grades 6-8) and aligns with CA State Content and Common Core Standards.

Product overview

Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum operates as a unified cultural education program consisting of three interconnected offerings. The flagship CCMM-in-Schools program brings a pop-up museum directly into Los Angeles-area schools with a collection of more than 3,500 international artifacts. Connecting Cultures Online serves as a digital complement, offering thematic videos, 3D artifact models, and activities for schools unable to host the physical exhibit. Culture Kits, currently in development, will provide hands-on craft projects. The organization also maintains an online searchable collection database and accepts donations and volunteer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CCMM-in-Schools A pop-up cross-cultural museum program that transforms school spaces into immersive exhibitions featuring hundreds of international art objects and artifacts, serving Los Angeles-area schools with themed presentations including Commercial Connections, Spiritual Connections, and Everyday Connections.
• Connecting Cultures Online A digital online learning platform featuring themed modules with recorded presentations, 3-dimensional artifact models, built-in activities and assessments, and supplemental materials designed to enhance cross-cultural education for students and teachers who cannot host the physical exhibit.
• Culture Kits Specially curated projects and crafts designed to spark curiosity and appreciation for world cultures, with activities appropriate for both children and adults.
• Collections Online An online searchable database of 3,500+ ethnographic art objects and artifacts being developed to serve as a cross-cultural resource for students and the community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves more than 25,000 students annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Kidspace Children's Museum: Children's museum in Pasadena, CA serving Southern California families and school groups with hands-on cultural and educational exhibits — directly comparable to CCMM's audience (LA-area children), museum-based delivery model, and K-8 educational programming.
• Discovery Cube Los Angeles: Hands-on science and cultural learning center in LA with strong school-group programming and curriculum-aligned exhibits — comparable as a regional children's/cultural institution serving LA schools with mission-aligned educational experiences.
• Cayton Children's Museum: Children's museum serving Los Angeles-area families and schools with interactive cultural exhibits and DEI-themed programming — directly comparable audience, geography, and educational mission to CCMM.
• The Skirball Cultural Center: LA-based cultural institution with curriculum-aligned school programs focused on cross-cultural understanding and Jewish heritage — directly comparable as a nonprofit cultural institution serving LA schools with standards-aligned educational content.
• Bowers Museum: Southern California cultural museum with significant ethnographic collections and school-tour programming — comparable as a California-based cultural museum leveraging artifact collections for K-12 educational programming.

Direct peers

• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-based children's museum with hands-on exhibits and school-group programming emphasizing cultural awareness — comparable as a children's museum that uses interactive cultural artifacts to deliver curriculum-aligned K-8 learning.
• Mobile Ed Productions: National provider of mobile educational programs that travel to schools with hands-on exhibits and curriculum-aligned content — the closest direct comparable to CCMM's mobile museum delivery model serving K-12 schools.

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the world with extensive ethnographic collections and national school-program reach — comparable as a scaled children's/cultural museum with deep artifact holdings and curriculum-aligned educational programming.
• Asia Society: National nonprofit with museum-quality cultural collections, exhibitions, and K-12 educational programming on cross-cultural understanding — comparable as a scaled nonprofit combining cultural collections with school-targeted educational programming.

Emerging players

• Facing History and Ourselves: National nonprofit providing curriculum and professional development on cultural understanding, identity, and equity for K-12 schools — comparable as a nonprofit delivering standards-aligned cultural-competence programming to schools nationwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/connectingculturesmm
• Facebookfacebook.com/ccmmla
• Instagraminstagram.com/connectingculturesmm
• Xx.com/ccmmla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Connecting Cultures Mobile Museum