Museum of Chinese in America

What Museum of Chinese in America does

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is a New York City-based nonprofit cultural institution founded in 1980 by historian John Kuo Wei Tchen and community activist Charles Lai. It is the only U.S. museum dedicated exclusively to the history, culture, and contributions of Chinese Americans, operating from a Maya Lin-designed facility at 215 Centre Street in Manhattan's Chinatown (with a Collections and Research Center at 3 Howard Street). MOCA houses what it describes as the world's largest Chinese American collection — over 85,000 artifacts, photographs, printed materials, textiles, and oral histories — most of which were saved following a five-alarm fire at the original Mulberry Street storage site in January 2020. The institution serves a diverse audience including the general public, K-12 schools, families, researchers, corporate event clients, and donors, with programming spanning exhibitions, education (reaching 13,000+ students annually), public programs, family workshops, cinema, performance, and lectures.

MOCA's underlying technology stack is modest and content-focused rather than technology-centric: a digital collections platform, the OHMS (Oral History Metadata Synchronizer) system for oral history archiving, the proprietary MOJO online journal, a custom Maya Lin "Journey Wall" digital experience, and a Google Arts & Culture partnership launched in 2021 that provides virtual access to digitized artifacts. The museum does not build software products; its technology serves archival, exhibit, and outreach functions. There is no API, mobile app, or commercial product line.

MOCA's revenue model is diversified across nonprofit revenue streams typical of mid-sized cultural institutions: admissions ($15 adults / $10 seniors and students, with pay-what-you-wish for NYC residents and broad free-admission categories covering children under 12, SNAP/EBT holders, military, healthcare workers, and library pass holders), annual MyMOCA memberships, venue rental income from corporate and private events in the Bloomberg Gallery, East West Lobby, and Shum Wai Yau Courtyard, a three-tier commemorative Journey Wall tile sponsorship program ($10,000–$25,000), special events such as the annual Legacy Awards Gala, and a significant base of foundation, corporate, and government grants — notably $35 million in cumulative city funding under the de Blasio administration and a $3 million post-fire recovery grant in 2020. The museum is governed by a board co-chaired by Eric T. Lee (Soros Fund Management) and Stephen Limpe (CompassCare LLC), with Nina Curley currently serving as Interim Executive Director.

Name

Museum of Chinese in America

Legal name

Museum of Chinese in America

Website

https://mocanyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is a 1980-founded nonprofit museum in NYC's Chinatown that preserves and exhibits Chinese American history through the world's largest collection of 85,000+ artifacts, serving the public, K-12 schools, families, researchers, corporate event clients, and donors via exhibitions, education programs, and digital platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Museum

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Chinese American history
• Cultural heritage museum
• Permanent collection exhibits
• Educational public programs
• Community cultural preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Museum admission charges including general admission ($15 adults, $10 seniors/students/visitors with disabilities), pay-what-you-wish for NYC residents, and free admission for children under 12, SNAP/EBT cardholders, and other eligible groups
2. Membership Program (MyMOCA): Annual membership offering free admission, exclusive member events, special discounts, and 'First to Know' announcements about exhibitions and programs
3. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and government funding supporting museum operations and capital campaign
4. Venue Rental and Event Services: Private event rentals of museum spaces including East West Lobby, Bloomberg Gallery, and Shum Wai Yau Courtyard for corporate events, weddings, and social gatherings
5. Special Events and Galas: Annual Legacy Awards Gala, Community Heroes Celebration, and other fundraising events generating revenue and donor engagement
6. Journey Wall Tile Sponsorship: Commemorative tile sponsorship program at three tiers ($10,000, $15,000, $25,000) with oral history recording and ceremony

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MOCA is a nonprofit cultural institution that preserves and presents the history, heritage, and experiences of Chinese Americans through permanent and rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection of more than 85,000 artifacts, public programming including film screenings, talks, and performances, family workshops, educational programs reaching school audiences, community events including an annual Legacy Awards Gala, and venue rental for private and corporate use.

Product overview

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is a cultural institution offering exhibitions, public programs, educational services, and collections focused on Chinese American history and culture. The museum operates as a unified institution with its core being the permanent exhibition 'With a Single Step' and a collection of over 85,000 artifacts. It offers diverse programming including MOCACREATE family workshops, MOCA CINEMA film series, MOCA TALKS lectures, MOCA PERFORMS performances, and MOCA Queer StoryJAM events. The museum also maintains MOJO, an online journal, and manages special initiatives like MOCA Luminaries for America250 and MOCA Spike 150. Additional services include event venue rentals, the Journey Wall art installation, and the annual Legacy Awards Gala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MOJO: MOCA's online journal featuring stories, news, and multimedia content about Chinese American history and culture.
• MOCACREATE

Products and services

• MOCA Museum Admission and Exhibitions Ticketed entry for individual visitors and groups to view MOCA's permanent and rotating exhibitions in the Manhattan facility.
• Permanent Exhibition: With a Single Step Long-running permanent exhibition that traces key moments in the Chinese American story and is included with museum admission.
• Permanent Exhibition: Journey Wall Permanent installation combining artifacts with a digital interactive experience to immerse visitors in Chinese American narratives.
• The MOCA Collection A curated permanent collection of 85,000+ artifacts documenting Chinese American history, accessible via museum visits and supported by a digital collections platform.
• MOCACREATE Family Workshops Hands-on family art and cultural workshops designed for children and caregivers, offered as paid program registrations.
• MOCA CINEMA Ticketed film screening series curated for audiences interested in Chinese and Chinese American cinema and related conversations.
• MOCA PERFORMS Ticketed live performance program featuring music, dance, and spoken word by Chinese American and affiliated artists.
• MOCA TALKS Public lectures and panel discussions with historians, authors, and community leaders, offered as paid public programs.
• MOCA Legacy Awards Gala Annual ticketed gala awards dinner honoring contributions to the Chinese American community, supported by corporate sponsorship packages.
• MOCA Education Programs School group visits, docent-led tours, and outreach educational programs aligned with history and Asian American studies curricula.
• MOCA Venue Rentals Private and corporate venue rental of the museum's architecturally distinctive Manhattan spaces for receptions, film shoots, and cultural events.
• MyMOCA Membership Tiered annual membership program providing admission, program discounts, and exclusive benefits to individual supporters.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• GooglecoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2021Google partnered with MOCA to launch a digital platform with Google Arts & Culture, making MOCA's historical treasures accessible virtually after the 2020 fire that damaged the physical collection.
• Maya Lin StudioflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist and architect Maya Lin is designing the new national Museum of Chinese in America, representing a visionary collaboration to create an iconic cultural institution spanning past, present, and future aspirations of the Chinese American journey.
• Ralph Applebaum AssociatesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading museum exhibition design firm partnered with Maya Lin to revolutionize the museum integrating historical narrative with cutting-edge innovation for the new national MOCA.
• 180+ Community OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOCA partners with over 180 community organizations including artist groups, schools, advocacy organizations, and other collection institutions to expand reach and programming.
• 28 Chinese American Cultural InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Chinese American cultural institutions collaborating with MOCA, strengthening the ecosystem of heritage preservation across the United States.
• Corporate Partners (various)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partners support MOCA through sponsorships, employee matching programs, volunteerism, and employee resource group partnerships, receiving visibility benefits and custom programming.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Tenement Museum: NYC immigrant-heritage museum (lower Manhattan) using guided tours, oral histories, and education programs to interpret immigrant experience — directly comparable to MOCA's neighborhood-anchored immigration heritage model, walking-tour format, and education-pipeline structure.
• Japanese American National Museum: Los Angeles-based national museum dedicated to the history and culture of Japanese Americans — the closest comparable ethnic-heritage museum peer in scale, mission shape (collection, exhibitions, public programs, education, advocacy), and identity-driven community roots.
• Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience: Seattle-based Asian Pacific American museum operating as an official Smithsonian Affiliate with strong community storytelling, education programs, and exhibitions — directly comparable niche (Asian American pan-ethnic heritage) and similar operating model blending permanent exhibitions with community-curated storytelling.
• Chinese American Museum: Los Angeles-based museum dedicated to Chinese American history and culture housed within the El Pueblo de Los Angeles historic monument — a tightly comparable Chinese-American-focused peer sharing the same ethnic-heritage mandate and similar scale.
• Chinese Historical Society of America Museum: San Francisco-based Chinese American history museum and archives with collection focus, exhibitions, and educational programming — a closely comparable Chinese-American peer in a different regional market, sharing the heritage-archive-plus-public-program dual mandate.
• National Museum of the American Indian: Smithsonian museum of indigenous American history with permanent exhibitions, education programs, and community engagement — directly comparable as a national-scale ethnic/heritage museum model with similar emphasis on cultural continuity, community representation, and federally and philanthropically funded operations.
• Museum at Eldridge Street: Lower Manhattan landmark museum housed in a restored National Historic Landmark synagogue — directly comparable as a community-rooted NYC heritage museum combining architecture, education programs, walking tours, and donor-supported operations at a small institutional scale.

Broad incumbents

• Asia Society Museum: NYC-based pan-Asian arts and culture institution operating exhibitions, public programs, and education at a broader geographic and thematic scope than MOCA's Chinese-American focus — overlapping in audience and programming but covering all of Asia rather than a single diaspora.
• Museum of the City of New York: NYC-based city-museum focused on New York history and culture with permanent exhibitions, education programming, and venue rentals — overlapping in audience (NYC visitors, schools), venue rental revenue model, and education-pipeline approach, though at a broader city-level scope.
• Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center: Smithsonian national initiative connecting Asian Pacific American history through exhibits, programming, and digital content — a broader-incumbent peer operating at national scale with an explicit Asian American narrative mission that overlaps with MOCA's national-museum ambitions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mocanyc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MOCANYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/53638185431
• Instagraminstagram.com/mocanyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museum-of-chinese-in-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Museum of Chinese in America