What Densho does

Densho is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 by Tom Ikeda, Scott Oki, Penny Fukui, and Bobbie Stern. Its mission is to preserve and share the history of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans in order to promote equity and justice. The organization's work centers on a free, digitally native archive and educational platform that captures and contextualizes firsthand testimonies, government records, photographs, and community contributions related to the wartime forced removal and incarceration of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans.

The product architecture is built around the Densho Digital Repository (DDR), a public-facing digital archive housing more than 100,000 digitized items and over 900 fully transcribed and segmented video oral histories. Surrounding this core repository are several integrated components: a searchable Names Registry covering 120,000+ individuals; the Densho Encyclopedia (thousands of articles on people, places, and events); the Sites of Shame interactive map and Manzanar CloseUp GIS visualization; the Family History Program and genealogical tools; the Campu podcast; Densho Catalyst (essays and opinion); educational curricula distributed through partnerships with Ted-Ed, BrainPOP, and Learning for Justice; and the recently launched Public Index of Japanese American Collections (2026) and Digital Library of Incarceration Films (2025). Underlying technology includes digital video oral history recording, archival digitization pipelines, a content management system, and geographic information system mapping tools.

Densho's business model is donation-driven and free-to-user. Revenue is generated from individual donations (the primary source), government and foundation grants (including from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, California Civil Liberties program, ArtsFund, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, United States-Japan Foundation, and the Takahashi Charitable Foundation), annual fundraising events (e.g., "Remembering Resistance," "Unearthing History"), planned giving via the Legacy Circle, and limited service and handling fees for commercial licensing of archival materials. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on grassroots donor cultivation, educator networks, cultural partnerships (JANM, Go for Broke, Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, Smithsonian APAC, JACL chapters, Tsuru for Solidarity), and recurring programming such as Community Scanning Days and Day of Remembrance events. Customer/audience segments span K-12 and higher education educators, academic researchers, documentary filmmakers, journalists, Japanese American families and descendants, and the general public.

Name

Densho

Legal name

Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project

Website

https://densho.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Densho is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that preserves and shares Japanese American WWII incarceration history through a free digital archive of 900+ oral histories, 100,000+ items, and educational resources serving educators, researchers, families, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Grassroots individual donor support forms the primary revenue source. Densho actively campaigns for one-time and monthly donations through its website, with giving options including tribute gifts, stock donations, and in-kind contributions.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: Contributed income from government and foundation grants. The organization receives funding from entities including National Historical Publications and Records Commission, California Civil Liberties program, and others.
3. Annual Fundraising Events: Annual virtual fundraiser events (e.g., 'Remembering Resistance' 2025, 'Unearthing History' 2024) serve as major annual revenue cultivation moments, featuring dialogues, community reflection, and calls to give.
4. Planned Giving / Legacy Circle: Legacy Circle planned giving program邀请 donors to include Densho in estate or financial plans, providing long-term sustainability.
5. Service and Handling Fees: For commercial or large-scale use of archival materials, Densho may charge service, handling, and usage fees. Non-commercial educational use is free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Densho is a nonprofit organization that preserves and shares the history of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans through a comprehensive digital archive platform. Its core offering is the Densho Digital Repository (DDR), which houses over 100,000 digitized items including 900+ oral history video interviews, photographs, documents, newspapers, and films, supplemented by the Encyclopedia, Names Registry database of 120,000+ individuals, Sites of Shame and Manzanar CloseUp mapping tools, educational curriculum/lesson plans, and the Campu podcast. All core resources are provided free of charge to the general public, educators, students, researchers, and Japanese American families.

Product overview

Densho is a nonprofit digital archives and educational organization that preserves and shares Japanese American WWII incarceration history. The core offering is a platform-plus-portfolio architecture centered on the Densho Digital Repository (DDR), which serves as the primary archive housing over 100,000 items including oral histories, photographs, documents, and films. Surrounding this core platform are complementary products including the Encyclopedia, Names Registry, Sites of Shame mapping tool, and Manzanar CloseUp visualization platform. Educational access is provided through curriculum materials, lesson plans, and the Campu podcast series. The Family History Program extends genealogical research tools to community members, while the Artist-in-Residence Program and Community Partner Program support external interpretation and collaboration. All content is provided free-of-charge, with the Public Index enabling discovery across external repositories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campu: A Podcast: A podcast produced by brother-sister duo Hana and Noah Maruyama that tells the story of Japanese American WWII incarceration through themes like rocks, paper, fences, cameras, latrines, and food.
• Densho Catalyst
• Densho Family History Program
• Densho Digital Repository
• Names Registry

Products and services

• Densho Digital Repository (DDR) A digital archive containing thousands of historic photographs, documents, newspapers, letters, oral histories, and other primary source materials from immigration through WWII incarceration and its aftermath. Houses over 100,000 items and more than 900 oral histories, freely accessible with full-text search, topic browsing, and segmented oral history playback.
• Oral History Collection A vast library of filmed interviews featuring survivors of WWII incarceration, participants in the redress movement, activists, artists, and others. Includes more than 900 oral histories that are fully transcribed and segmented for ease of viewing.
• Encyclopedia An ever-expanding collection of thousands of essays about key people, places, and events related to WWII forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans.
• Sites of Shame An interactive map, timeline, and site locator allowing users to explore the national network of WWII-era detention facilities, including barracks locations, mess halls, and other camp details.
• Names Registry
• Manzanar CloseUp A digital platform providing close-up geographical and population views of Manzanar concentration camp with unprecedented detail including individual family and barrack-level information.
• Digital Library of Incarceration Films A collection of over 100 films and videos spanning 80 years of footage about the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII.
• Public Index of Japanese American Collections The first comprehensive, publicly accessible index of archival materials documenting wartime incarceration and Japanese American history, enabling discovery across multiple repositories.
• Family History Program Educational resources, training, genealogical tools, and preservation services helping Japanese American families connect with their history and research WWII incarceration experiences.
• Campu Podcast A six-episode podcast series hosted by Hana and Noah Maruyama that weaves together voices of survivors to tell the story of Japanese American WWII incarceration through themes like rocks, paper, fences, cameras, latrines, and food.
• Densho Catalyst: Essays and Opinion A platform for essays, opinion pieces, and hidden histories exploring why Japanese American WWII incarceration stories matter today.
• Educational Curriculum and Lesson Plans Curriculum, short films, and resources for teaching WWII incarceration history to secondary and undergraduate classrooms, including lesson plans, self-guided learning materials, and Campu Education Hub.
• Artist-in-Residence Program A program supporting emerging artists to create artwork about WWII Japanese American incarceration history, connecting this history to current racial justice issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 900 oral history interviews preserved and made freely accessible
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core, foundational, major and minor.

• King County Library System (KCLS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2026Densho partners with King County Library System's Memory Lab Librarian to host Community Scanning Days, bringing mobile digitization kits to library locations to scan historical photos, documents, and conduct community reflection interviews. The partnership enables broader community access to archival digitization services.
• Washington State Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho partnered with the Washington State Historical Society to create 'Digitization 101,' four videos covering basics of handling, scanning, and processing historical materials. Part of WSHS's Common Concerns program helping small heritage organizations throughout Washington State.
• Shoah FoundationfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding inspiration for Densho. A group of founders traveled to the Shoah Foundation (founded by Steven Spielberg) in Los Angeles to observe their video oral history recording and digitization process for Holocaust survivors. Densho's model was directly inspired by Shoah Foundation's approach.
• BelRed Arts DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho is partnering with the BelRed Arts District to relaunch its Artist-in-Residence program in 2026, seeking applicants to create work highlighting the Bellevue Japanese American community.
• UCLA Asian American Studies CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presented a professional development workshop for educators titled 'Teaching Difficult Histories: Japanese American Incarceration During World War II' using the Foundations & Futures multimedia textbook. Partnership extends Densho's reach into higher education and educator networks.
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho partnered with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative for a Wiki-APA Edit-a-thon to improve Wikipedia representation of Japanese American women, drawing on Densho's encyclopedia and archives.
• Tsuru for SolidaritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho co-hosts community events with Tsuru for Solidarity, a nonviolent abolitionist project of Japanese American social justice advocates. Joint events include the Seattle Japanese American Town Hall focused on demanding government action to protect vulnerable communities.
• National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho joined the NPCA Day of Action advocating for protection of national parks, with special emphasis on the five NPS sites where Japanese Americans were incarcerated: Manzanar, Minidoka, Tule Lake, Amache, and Honouliuli.
• Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho collaborates with the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee on events and programming, including co-hosting the Seattle Japanese American Town Hall and supporting pilgrimage activities to the Minidoka concentration camp site.
• Japanese American National Museum (JANM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho has partnered with JANM on multiple initiatives including Facing the Mountain book launch sponsorship and ongoing community programming. JANM awarded Densho the JANM Founders' Award.
• Go for Broke National Education CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho and Go for Broke National Education Center co-sponsored the Facing the Mountain book launch event, with both organizations dedicated to preserving Japanese American WWII history and educating the public.
• Heart Mountain Wyoming FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered as community co-sponsor for the Facing the Mountain virtual book launch event. Joint advocacy for preserving Japanese American WWII incarceration history at the Heart Mountain site.
• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple JACL chapters (Seattle, Berkeley, Puyallup Valley) served as community co-sponsors for Densho events. Densho's founder Tom Ikeda received the JACL Japanese American of the Biennium Award. Ongoing partnership on advocacy and education.
• The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at UCIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the panel 'The Alien Enemies Act of 1798: Understanding 1941 and 2025' addressing historical parallels between WWII incarceration and contemporary policy challenges.
• Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho Content Director Brian Niiya joined AIISF for a webinar on 'Enemy Aliens' at Angel Island, exploring connections between Angel Island's WWII detention history and Japanese American incarceration.
• Community Documentary NightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho collaborated with Community Documentary Night to host a virtual discussion of the documentary 'Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066,' exploring false information leading to WWII incarceration.
• Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted a Community Scanning Day at Bainbridge Island's Day of Remembrance event, with Densho staff digitizing family collections on-site.
• Forced Assembly CentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the event 'Temporary Detention: A Guide to the Forced Assembly Centers' with Densho Content Director Brian Niiya as a featured speaker.
• Local History Dialog / Pennsylvania State ArchivesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho Archives Director Caitlin Oiye Coon presented at the Pennsylvania State Archives' Community History Dialog series, funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
• Learning for JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation and Public Programs Manager Courtney Wai previously worked with Learning for Justice (a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center). Densho co-hosted a webinar on teaching digital literacy with Densho resources featuring panelists from both organizations.
• The Asian American Education ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation and Public Programs Manager Courtney Wai previously served as Consulting Instructor and Southern Regional Manager for The Asian American Education Project.
• Seattle Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted events including the One Book One Coast Zine-Making Workshop and hosted author events. Active partnership on community programming in the Seattle area.
• Linda Harms OkazakicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with noted Japanese American genealogy expert Linda Harms Okazaki to present a 10-part webinar series on finding Nikkei roots in the U.S. and Japan, helping families research and preserve their history.
• U.S. Japan CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Naomi Ostwald Kawamura represented Densho as part of the U.S. Japan Council's 2024 Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD) trip to Japan, strengthening bilateral cultural ties.
• TadaimaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDensho partnered with Tadaima for the 'Writing What Haunts Us' event featuring Yonsei authors Brynn Saito, Brandon Shimoda, and Jami Nakamura Lin.
• Elliott Bay Book CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Elliott Bay Book Company for multiple author events including Julie Otsuka conversations and the Writing What Haunts Us Yonsei authors event.
• The Shoah Foundation (Inspiration/Foundational)foundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhile not a formal partnership, the Shoah Foundation served as the foundational inspiration for Densho's approach. Founders observed the Foundation's oral history digitization work and adapted its model for Japanese American communities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USC Shoah Foundation: USC Shoah Foundation preserves testimonies of Holocaust survivors and other genocide witnesses using video oral history. It is the closest direct peer to Densho: both are nonprofit video oral history archives documenting mass-incarceration/mass-violence narratives with global educational reach; Densho was explicitly modeled on Shoah Foundation's approach after the founders visited in 1996.
• Japanese American National Museum: JANM is the largest national museum dedicated to sharing the Japanese American experience, with deep collections on WWII incarceration. It is a direct peer in mission and audience (educators, families, researchers, community), and is one of Densho's closest institutional partners including the JANM Founders' Award recognition.
• Wing Luke Museum: Wing Luke Museum is a Smithsonian-affiliated Asian Pacific American history museum in Seattle focused on the culture, art, and history of Asian Americans. Comparable as an AAPI museum/archive peer based in the Pacific Northwest, working with overlapping Nikkei communities, schools, and educator audiences.
• Go for Broke National Education Center: Go for Broke National Education Center preserves the legacy of Japanese American WWII veterans and educates the public about their service. It is a direct peer focusing on a related but distinct WWII Nikkei story, serving overlapping educator and community audiences and co-sponsoring Densho events such as the Facing the Mountain book launch.
• Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation: Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation preserves the Heart Mountain WWII incarceration site in Wyoming, with programming on education, interpretation, and redress-era history. It is a direct peer in subject matter (Japanese American WWII incarceration), educational mission, and community-driven funding model.
• Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation: AIISF preserves and shares the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station, including WWII-era detention. It is a direct peer in Asian American immigration/detention archiving and educational programming, and Densho's Content Director has presented in joint AIISF webinars.
• Oregon Nikkei Endowment / Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center: Oregon Nikkei Endowment operates the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, a museum and archive focused on Japanese Americans in Oregon including WWII incarceration. It is a direct peer focused on regional Nikkei history and has collaborated with Densho (e.g., shared Digitization Specialist experience).
• StoryCorps: StoryCorps is a national nonprofit oral history project recording and sharing personal conversations via audio, with an archive housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. It is comparable to Densho in mission (community-based oral history preservation), distribution model (free public access), and go-to-market (events, community-led outreach).

Broad incumbents

• National WWII Museum: The National WWII Museum is a much larger, federally-chartered institution covering all aspects of WWII in the Pacific and European theaters. It overlaps with Densho on WWII incarceration history as part of a broader WWII mission, but with a substantially larger endowment, attendance, and B2B educational distribution.
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is a pan-institutional Smithsonian unit amplifying AAPI history, art, and culture. It is a broader incumbent peer; Densho has co-programmed (e.g., Wiki-APA Edit-a-thon) with APAC, and both serve overlapping educator and community audiences, though APAC operates at much larger institutional scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DenshoProject
• Instagraminstagram.com/denshoproject
• Facebookfacebook.com/denshoproject
• Xx.com/DenshoProject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/densho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Densho