World War II Foundation

What World War II Foundation does

The World War II Foundation is a 501(c)-class nonprofit organization founded in 2011 by former television journalist Tim Gray and headquartered at 344 Main Street, South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The Foundation operates the International Museum of World War II, which houses more than 6,000 artifacts and has been ranked among the top 10 WWII museums globally by National Geographic Travel. Its primary output is a library of 47 award-winning documentary films narrated by celebrity figures including Tom Brokaw, Jeff Daniels, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Sinise, covering subjects from D-Day operations to the Holocaust to Pacific theater campaigns. Films are shot on location across more than 19 countries and distributed nationally through American Public Television (ranking in the top 5 most requested PBS programs) and across streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV, YouTube, Vimeo, and PBS Passport.

The Foundation generates revenue through a hybrid of earned and contributed streams: $10 adult museum admissions, free admission for veterans and children under 12, donations accepted via PayPal/Venmo/Zelle/Zeffy/check, and educational program sponsorships that underwrite free school visits (including bus rental subsidies for public schools). It has expanded into technology-enabled educational products including Virtual Reality films designed for K-12 classroom use, an interactive Google Earth educational tool, and stated use of AI storytelling for student engagement. Distribution is augmented by a podcast ('From the Front to the Films'), a college International Documentary Film and History Program with University of Georgia, Syracuse University, and Davidson College (sending 30 students per international trip), and the Senator Bob Dole World War II Leadership Award program recognizing veteran leadership.

The Foundation has received 7 Regional Emmy Awards and 3 Telly Awards (2025), is GuideStar Platinum certified, and holds Charity Navigator's Four Star rating. Founder Tim Gray was inducted into the Rhode Island Hall of Fame in 2021. The Foundation operates with 1-10 employees and does not disclose financial figures publicly. Revenue derives entirely from donations, sponsorships, and earned admissions/streaming rather than equity investment, reflecting its nonprofit status and founder-controlled governance with no identified parent company or institutional investors.

Name

World War II Foundation

Legal name

World War II Foundation

Website

https://wwiifoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The World War II Foundation is a nonprofit that operates the National Geographic top-10-ranked International Museum of World War II and produces 47 award-winning WWII documentaries distributed via PBS and major streaming platforms, serving educators, students, veterans, and history enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum & Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Museums (712110), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Wwii documentary films
• Historical museum exhibits
• Educational vr programs
• Wwii educational resources
• Nonprofit film production

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Revenue from adult museum admissions at $10 per person. Children 12 and under free with adult. Veterans admitted free of charge.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Nonprofit organization relies on donations from supporters. Accepts PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Zeffy, and check donations. Donations fund films, museum, education initiatives, and mission goals.
3. Educational Program Sponsorship: School groups visit museum free of charge; Foundation pays school bus rental for public schools. Funded through donations and sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The World War II Foundation is a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes award-winning documentary films about World War II, operates the International Museum of World War II (featuring over 6,000 artifacts) in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and delivers educational programs including VR classroom tours, a Google Earth-based learning tool, and an International Documentary Film and History Program with college partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Museum of World War II A physical museum featuring over 6,000 World War II artifacts including items from Hitler, Mussolini, and D-Day operations, with a theatre and Virtual Reality Center, ranked among the top 10 WWII museums in the world by National Geographic Travel. Adult admission is $10; children 12 and under free with adult; veterans and school groups free.
• WWII Documentary Films Collection A library of 44+ award-winning World War II documentary films (with 8 additional films in production/post-production) available on public television via American Public Television and on major streaming platforms, covering diverse WWII stories. Each film is narrated by a well-known celebrity.
• VR Tour for Classrooms Virtual Reality films designed specifically for classroom educational use, bringing WWII history to life for K-12 and college students through immersive technology.
• International Documentary Film and History Program A college partnership program with the University of Georgia, Syracuse University, and Davidson College in which selected film and history students help shoot documentary films internationally and participate in annual European film and history tours (approximately 30 students per trip).

Quantifiable outcome

• 47 documentary films produced and distributed globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for the International Documentary Film and History Program. Students help Tim and his film team shoot international documentary films.
• Syracuse UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for the International Documentary Film and History Program. Best film and history students help shoot documentaries.
• Davidson CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for the International Documentary Film and History Program. Students partner with film crew to produce documentaries.
• American Public TelevisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for documentary films. Films rank in top 5 most requested programs nationally.
• PBS StationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic television stations across the nation broadcasting WWII Foundation documentaries.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National WWII Memorial (Washington, D.C.): National memorial on the National Mall commemorating WWII service; comparable as a WWII heritage/recognition entity that competes for veteran engagement, public attention, and educational partnerships.
• The National WWII Museum: The flagship U.S. WWII museum located in New Orleans, operating immersive exhibits, educational programs, and research on the same World War II subject matter that anchors the WW2 Foundation's content and collections.
• National Museum of the Pacific War: Fredericksburg, Texas-based museum focused specifically on the Pacific theater of WWII — directly comparable to the WW2 Foundation's Pacific-focused documentaries (Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Pearl Harbor, Peleliu) and museum collection.
• Florentine Films: Ken Burns's documentary production company, the leading independent producer of historical American documentaries including 'The War' on WWII; comparable in scale of historical documentary output, PBS distribution, and long-form production cadence.
• Pearl Harbor National Memorial: National Park Service site at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — one of the most-visited WWII memorials in the U.S. and a frequent subject of WW2 Foundation films (Tim Gray's 16 filming trips to Pearl Harbor).
• National D-Day Memorial: Bedford, Virginia memorial site dedicated to the D-Day invasion — directly comparable to the WW2 Foundation's Normandy filming trips, monuments, and D-Day-related documentary portfolio.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Federal institution in Washington, D.C. covering a major sub-theme of WWII (the Holocaust) with extensive collections, exhibits, and educational programming that overlap with the WW2 Foundation's survivor oral-history content.

Regional players

• Airborne Museum Sainte-Mère-Église: Normandy-based museum dedicated to U.S. airborne operations on D-Day; comparable in scope but geographically focused on France and tied to the same historical events the WW2 Foundation has filmed across 19 Normandy trips.

Broad incumbents

• A&E Networks (History Channel): Major commercial producer and broadcaster of historical documentaries, including extensive WWII programming; overlapping audience with WW2 Foundation PBS content but at significantly larger scale and with commercial monetization.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Large Smithsonian flagship with historical military artifacts and exhibits; a broader institution but overlapping on WWII artifact preservation, educational programming, and visitor experience in the historical-museum category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wwiifoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldwariifoundation
• Xx.com/wwiieducenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-war-ii-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World War II Foundation