What Illinois Holocaust Museum does

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (legally the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, Inc., EIN 36-3156154) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1978 by Holocaust Survivors in response to an attempted neo-Nazi march in Skokie, Illinois. The organization operates a dual-location museum — the Skokie headquarters (65,000+ sq ft) currently closed for renovation with a planned Fall 2026 reopening, and the Experience360 satellite at 360 N. State Street in downtown Chicago, opened August 26, 2025 — dedicated to Holocaust and genocide education, preservation of Survivor testimony, and contemporary social justice programming. Its core products combine immersive technology with educational content: the Lillian & Larry Goodman Foundations Holography Theater uses the Dimensions in Testimony platform (developed with USC Shoah Foundation) to enable real-time voice-interactive conversations with high-definition Survivor holograms; the Northern Trust Virtual Reality Theater runs first-in-the-world 360-degree VR films such as The Journey Back; and the Mobile VR Teaching Trunks deploy Meta Quest 2 headsets to schools and libraries nationwide.

The museum also offers the Stories of Survival exhibition (60+ personal artifacts from Survivors of multiple genocides), the Karkomi Family Foundation Gallery, the Brill Family Resource Center library (13,000+ resources in 12+ languages), Teaching Trunks, virtual and on-site field trips, professional development for educators, Student Leadership Days, the Survivor Speaker Program, and the LEAD (Law Enforcement Action in Democracy) training program for Chicago Police and Cook County Sheriff. Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model combining earned income — tiered admissions ($6-$12), group/personal tours ($8-$150), field trip fees ($5-$8/student), Mobile VR trunk rentals ($500), memberships ($50-$1,600), and the Legacy Gift Shop — with contributed income from individual donors, planned giving, tribute dedications (up to $25,000 per auditorium seat), and major fundraising events including the 2,000+ attendee Humanitarian Awards Dinner, the Women's Board Soirée (400+ guests), and the Young Professional Board's YPB Presents events.

Name

Illinois Holocaust Museum

Legal name

Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, Inc.

Website

https://ilholocaustmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating two Illinois museum locations (Skokie and downtown Chicago Experience360), serving K-12 schools, educators, law enforcement, and the public with immersive holographic and VR survivor testimony, educational programs, and genocide-awareness exhibitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Museum and Holocaust Education

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Holocaust education
• Immersive exhibitions
• Museum programs
• Genocide awareness
• Survivor testimonies

Headquarters

HQ city

Skokie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: General admission fees for non-members visiting the museum and its exhibitions, with tiered pricing by age group.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions providing unlimited admission to both Skokie and downtown locations, with benefits including free admission, discounts on programs, and 10% shop discounts. Tiers range from free (Survivor/Veteran) to $1,600 (Patron, 2-year).
3. Legacy Gift Shop: Retail operation selling books, jewelry, Judaica, museum memorabilia, children's books, and fair trade items. All proceeds support the museum's educational initiatives and ongoing operations.
4. Fundraising Events: Major annual events including the Humanitarian Awards Dinner (2,000+ attendees), Women's Board Soirée (400+ guests), and YPB Presents fundraising events.
5. Educational Programs and Field Trips: Revenue from school field trips ($5-$8 per student), professional development workshops, teaching trunk rentals ($500), and virtual education offerings.
6. Group Tours: Docent-led group tours at $8 per person and personal tours (up to 11 guests) at $150 flat rate.
7. Tribute Gifts and Planned Giving: Tribute Pathway bricks ($250-$10,000), Tree of Life dedications ($1,000-$10,000), and auditorium seat dedications ($1,800-$25,000). Legacy Society planned giving through wills, IRAs, and life insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Illinois Holocaust Museum operates as a dual-location educational institution offering immersive museum experiences through exhibitions combining holographic and VR technology with Holocaust Survivor testimonies. The museum sells general admissions, annual memberships, educational field trips, professional development for educators, mobile VR teaching trunk rentals, group tours, and operates a retail gift shop, supported by major fundraising events and donor contributions.

Product overview

Illinois Holocaust Museum operates a dual-location museum (Skokie headquarters under renovation, and Experience360 downtown Chicago) offering immersive exhibitions combining cutting-edge technology with survivor testimonies. The core products include Experience360 with Holography Theater (using voice recognition and interactive holograms of Survivors) and Northern Trust Virtual Reality Theater (featuring 360-degree VR films like The Journey Back). The museum also offers educational programs including Teaching Trunks (physical and virtual), Museum Field Trips, Professional Development, Student Leadership Days, and Survivor Speaker Program. The product portfolio includes the Stories of Survival exhibition, Karkomi Family Foundation Gallery, and extensive online/virtual offerings including the Virtual Museum and Holocaust in The Soviet Union online exhibition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experience360 A panoramic immersive museum experience combining cutting-edge holographic and VR technology with survivor testimony storytelling. Open to general public visitors at the downtown Chicago location.
• Lillian & Larry Goodman Foundations Holography Theater Immersive exhibition featuring high-definition holographic recordings of Holocaust and genocide survivors with voice recognition, allowing visitors to ask questions and receive responses in conversation.
• Northern Trust Virtual Reality Theater Immersive VR experience featuring the first-in-the-world 'The Journey Back' exhibition using 360-degree video, 3D environments, stylized animation, motion capture, and spatial soundtrack with Holocaust Survivors.
• Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory Exhibition showcasing over 60 personal artifacts from Survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides, paired with photographs and handwritten responses by Survivors.
• Karkomi Family Foundation Gallery Permanent exhibition exploring pivotal events of 1933-1945 through historical images, photographs, reflections, and survivor testimony.
• The Holocaust in The Soviet Union (Online Exhibition) First-of-its-kind online exhibition sharing the history of the Holocaust in the Soviet Union through local Survivor stories, photography, and object collections.
• Virtual Museum Online portal offering virtual access to exhibitions, events, and student/educator resources for remote visitors globally.
• The Journey Back: Mobile Virtual Reality Trunks Mobile VR lending program featuring Meta Quest 2 headsets with five VR films for 7th-12th grade classrooms and organizations across the continental US, available for $500 per trunk or $1,000 for two trunks.
• Teaching Trunks Literature-based educational resource trunks for K-12 educators containing books, DVDs, teaching posters, replica artifacts, and learning activities on Holocaust and genocide topics.
• Museum Field Trips On-site and virtual field trips for grades 3-12 engaging students with Holocaust history through immersive experiences and docent-led tours, priced $5-$8 per student.
• Professional Development for Educators Full-day and evening training sessions for K-12 and college educators on Holocaust, genocide, civics, and social justice topics.
• Student Leadership Days Full-day leadership programs for grades 5-11 featuring guest speakers, activities, and discussions to build leadership skills and understanding of Holocaust and human rights.
• Survivor Speaker Program Booking service for Holocaust Survivors or their descendants to speak at events, schools, and organizations.
• Group and Personal Tours Docent-led group tours at $8 per person and personal tours (up to 11 guests) at $150 flat rate, booked in advance through the museum's tour booking system.
• Experience360 Membership Annual membership program offering unlimited admission to both Skokie and downtown locations, discounts on programs, reciprocal NARM benefits, and special exhibition previews. Tiers range from free (Survivor/Veteran) to $1,600 (Patron, 2-year).
• Legacy Gift Shop Retail store and online shop selling books, jewelry, Judaica, museum memorabilia, children's books, and fair trade items, with all proceeds supporting the museum's educational initiatives.
• Brill Family Resource Center Library service offering access to over 13,000 fiction, non-fiction, and reference resources on Holocaust and genocide topics in 12+ languages for research and education.
• Tribute Gift Program Commemorative dedication opportunities including Tribute Pathway bricks ($250-$10,000), Tree of Life dedications ($1,000-$10,000), and auditorium seat dedications ($1,800-$25,000).
• Humanitarian Awards Dinner Annual signature fundraising event with 2,000+ attendees featuring keynote speakers and survivor tributes, one of the largest fundraising events in Chicago.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission on last Wednesday of each month increases accessibility
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Jewish Heritage TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Jewish Heritage Travel, a travel agency offering educational journeys to significant European sites once home to Holocaust Survivors. The museum promotes these tours as part of its international programming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Holocaust Museum LA: Los Angeles Holocaust museum with similar mid-sized scale, survivor testimony programming, and K-12 educational focus. Operates as a comparable nonprofit Holocaust education institution.
• Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust: New York-based Holocaust museum offering exhibitions, educational programs, and survivor testimony. Comparable in mission, programming mix (admissions, memberships, school programs), and mid-sized nonprofit operating model.
• Skirball Cultural Center: LA-based Jewish cultural center with Holocaust-adjacent programming, educational programs for schools, and immersive exhibitions. Comparable as a Jewish heritage museum combining cultural and educational missions.
• Simon Wiesenthal Center / Museum of Tolerance: Los Angeles-based museum combining Holocaust history with broader tolerance education; uses immersive technology and has similar school field trip and educator training programs. Comparable in mission expansion beyond strictly Holocaust content.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: National Holocaust museum in Washington DC; the largest and most prominent Holocaust museum in the US, with similar educational mandate, survivor testimony programming, and artifact collection. The primary direct comparable for Illinois Holocaust Museum.

Regional players

• National WWI Museum and Memorial: Kansas City-based mid-sized history museum with immersive exhibits and educational programming. Comparable in scale and nonprofit operating model, though focused on a different historical period.

Broad incumbents

• The National WWII Museum: New Orleans-based major history museum with immersive exhibits, VR experiences, and large-scale fundraising events. Comparable in immersive technology deployment and multi-revenue-stream nonprofit operating model.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture: Smithsonian history museum combining immersive technology, large artifact collections, and educational programming. Comparable in its technology-enabled storytelling approach and educational mandate for difficult historical content.
• Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and the global gold standard for Holocaust museums with extensive collections, research, and educational programming. A broader incumbent whose scale dwarfs US peers.

Others

• USC Shoah Foundation: Creator of the Dimensions in Testimony holographic technology used in Illinois Holocaust Museum's Holography Theater. Technology partner and content source for survivor testimony, making it a critical ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ihmec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HolocaustMuseumIL
• Facebookfacebook.com/IHMEC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illinois-holocaust-museum-%26-education-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/ihmec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Illinois Holocaust Museum