Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC)

What Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC) does

The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC) is a Ukrainian charitable organization founded in 2016 in Kyiv to preserve and disseminate knowledge of the Babyn Yar tragedy, in which Nazi forces killed between 70,000 and 100,000 people between 1941 and 1943. Its product portfolio is built around three core digital assets: an Online Archive of approximately 8.7–9 million digitized documents from 20 Ukrainian state archives, described as the largest online archive in Eastern Europe; a Names database containing 29,732+ identified victims with biographical detail; and a Library/photo collection of 32,000+ photographs and 1,000+ artifacts. Complementary programs include the Closed Eyes online martyrology documenting civilian victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2014, the Witnesses war crimes investigation project with Yahad-in-Unum, the Path educational initiative, and the peer-reviewed journal Eastern European Holocaust Studies co-published with De Gruyter since 2022. The Center's business model is non-commercial: revenue consists of charitable donations, book publishing through Yakaboo and Knigarnya Ye retail networks, and corporate/foundation sponsorships, with no disclosed pricing model. Following Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Center suspended construction of a planned unified museum complex and pivoted to online projects, where it has continued to scale digitization output and international partnerships.

Name

Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC)

Legal name

Благодійна організація «Благодійний фонд «Меморіал Голокосту «Бабин Яр» (Charitable Organization 'Charitable Fund Memorial of the Holocaust Babyn Yar')

Website

https://babynyar.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center is a Kyiv-based non-profit that operates Eastern Europe's largest online historical archive (8.7M+ documents), a database of 29,732+ Babyn Yar victims, and educational and war crimes documentation programs serving researchers, families, and international institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

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. Charitable donations: International charitable funding and individual donations to support memorial center operations, digitization projects, and educational programs
2. Book publishing: Publishing books about Holocaust history in partnership with De Gruyter and Ukrainian publishers, sold through Yakaboo and Knigarnya Ye retail networks
3. Corporate partnerships and sponsorships: Partnerships with international foundations and organizations for specific projects and initiatives

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BYHMC is a non-profit memorial institution that preserves the memory of the Babyn Yar Holocaust through a portfolio of digital products and physical memorial offerings. Its core offerings include the Online Archive (8.7M+ digitized documents from 20 Ukrainian state archives), the Names Database (29,732+ identified victims), the Closed Eyes online martyrology of Russian-Ukrainian war casualties, the Eastern European Holocaust Studies journal, and physical memorial installations (Crystal Wailing Wall, Symbolic Synagogue, 'Looking into the Past' series).

Product overview

The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center operates as a multi-platform memory institution combining a physical memorial complex with digital platforms. The core product portfolio includes: the Online Archive (8.7M+ digitized documents, the largest in Eastern Europe), the Names Database (29,732+ victim names), the Closed Eyes Martyrology (Russian-Ukrainian war casualties), the Library (1,000+ artifacts and 32,000 photos), and the 3D Model. The Center also maintains memorial installations including the Crystal Wailing Wall by Marina Abramovich, the Symbolic Synagogue 'Place for Reflection', and the 'Looking into the Past' installation series. Scholarly output includes the Eastern European Holocaust Studies journal (with De Gruyter). Planned developments include a unified museum complex. All offline projects were suspended after the 2022 Russian invasion, with activity focused on online initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Names project (Проєкт 'Імена'): Project to compile the most complete and accurate list of those killed in Babyn Yar, finding unknown names of victims, and reconstructing their biographies
• Closed Eyes (Закриті очі)
• Online Archive (Онлайн-архів)
• Witnesses (Свідки)
• Eastern European Holocaust Studies journal

Products and services

• Online Archive (Онлайн-архів) The largest online archive in Eastern Europe, containing 8,717,965 digital copies of 20th-century documents about Ukrainian and Jewish history, digitized in partnership with 20 Ukrainian state archives. It is freely accessible globally to researchers, historians, and the public.
• Names Database (Проєкт «Імена») Comprehensive database of victims of the Babyn Yar tragedy, containing 29,732+ identified names with biographical details including age, residence, profession, family connections, and circumstances of death. Accessible to families and researchers searching for victims.
• Closed Eyes Martyrology (Закриті очі) Online martyrology documenting civilian victims of the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2014, developed with partner agency The First The Last. Provides a public record of victims of the ongoing conflict.
• Eastern European Holocaust Studies Journal Scientific journal published jointly with De Gruyter since 2022, dedicated to research on Holocaust history in Eastern Europe. Serves the academic community studying the Holocaust in Eastern Europe.
• Library (Бібліотека) Collection of 1,000+ artifacts including Jewish ritual items, wartime objects, and artwork, along with 32,000+ photographs documenting key moments of Jewish history. The library has supported publication of 20+ books since 2016 in collaboration with three publishing houses.
• 3D Model of Babyn Yar (Моделі) 3D model of the Babyn Yar space with multimedia research capabilities, supporting detailed investigation of the territory, its history, and contemporary context.
• Witnesses Project (Свідки) Investigation project gathering evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian civilians, conducted in cooperation with Yahad-in-Unum and Father Patrick Desbois. Evidence is presented to the International Criminal Court and prosecutors of leading European countries.
• Path Educational Initiative (Шлях) Educational initiative reconstructing the historical, social, and emotional context of genocide tragedies for preservation of living memory about Babyn Yar and the Holocaust. Targets schools, universities, and the broader public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 new victims identified and shared with Yad Vashem in 2025, bringing total database to 29,732 names
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• March of the LivingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint memorial event at the National Library in Jerusalem to mark the anniversary of Babyn Yar tragedy, including exhibition of materials from Ukrainian Jewish communities.
• National Library of IsraelcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership involves joint work on research and publication of archival documents regarding the history of the Jewish population in Ukraine.
• International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Supported the Names project in identifying over 200 new victims and enhancing biographical data for over 1,000 individuals.
• Yahad-in-UnumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Initiated project with Father Patrick Desbois to investigate war crimes committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine. Evidence will be presented to the International Criminal Court and prosecutors of leading European countries.
• De GruytercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Since 2022, jointly publishes the scientific journal Eastern European Holocaust Studies dedicated to studying Holocaust history in Eastern Europe.
• Yad VashemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cooperation agreement includes exchange of information regarding names of Babyn Yar tragedy victims, archival documents, and creation of educational programs. The center shares newly identified victims with Yad Vashem.
• Federal Archives of Germany (Bundesarchiv)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020The memorial center became the first Ukrainian institution to sign a cooperation agreement with Bundesarchiv. Main goal is facilitating work on identification and use of archival materials in scientific research.
• Central Archive of the History of the Jewish People in JerusalemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Memorandum provides for document exchange and joint work on studying and publishing important archival documents regarding the history of the Jewish population in Ukraine.
• State Archives Service of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership memorandum includes joint work on developing the digitization direction of archives, cooperation, and conducting educational, scientific and cultural events.
• Ministry of Education and Science of UkraineminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Memorandum defines opportunities for information exchange, preparation of joint specialized educational materials, and conducting annual National Memory Lesson.
• Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Memorandum of understanding and principles of cooperation for the establishment of the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial, signed September 29, 2020, in the presence of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
• CentropaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cooperation agreement involves searching for current methods and approaches to forming memorial culture and historical memory in Europe.
• National Library of Ukraine named after V.I. VernadskycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership for archival research and document digitization, where unique collections of Jewish literature, manuscripts, and music are preserved.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust: New York-based Holocaust memorial museum. Comparable as a Holocaust memorial and education institution with artifact collections, educational programming, and survivor testimony.
• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and one of BYHMC's core partners. Directly comparable as a Holocaust research, documentation, and memorial institution with a global victim names database and educational mandate.
• Jewish Museum Berlin: Major Jewish history and Holocaust memorial museum in Berlin. Comparable as a Holocaust-focused museum and educational institution with significant digital archive and exhibit programming.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum: Memorial and museum at the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp site. Comparable as an Eastern European Holocaust memorial site combining physical installations, archival collections, and educational programming.
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: US federal Holocaust memorial museum in Washington, D.C. Comparable as a Holocaust memorial, research, and education institution with extensive archival holdings and a victim names database.
• Mémorial de la Shoah: Paris-based Holocaust memorial, museum, research, and documentation center. Comparable as a Western Holocaust memorial institution combining a museum, library, archive, and victim identification work.
• Yahad-in-Unum: Paris-based organization led by Father Patrick Desbois documenting Nazi-era and contemporary war crimes. Comparable as a war-crimes documentation partner and as an investigative/research NGO in the Holocaust and atrocity-crimes space.

Broad incumbents

• Simon Wiesenthal Center / Museum of Tolerance: Global Jewish human rights organization operating the Museum of Tolerance. Comparable as a broader Holocaust education, remembrance, and human rights institution; overlaps in mission but is not focused on Eastern European archival work.
• Imperial War Museums: UK national museum organization covering conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth from WWI onward, including the Holocaust. Comparable as a major war and genocide memorial/museum operator with archival collections and educational programming.

Others

• Holocaust Memorial Day Trust: UK charity that organizes Holocaust Memorial Day and supports Holocaust educational initiatives. Comparable thematically as a Holocaust education and remembrance organization, though smaller in archival scope than BYHMC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/babynyar.memorial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/byhmc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center (BYHMC)