Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

What Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation does

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1996 in Cody, Wyoming, that operates the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center on the site of a former WWII Japanese American incarceration camp designated as a National Historic Landmark. The Foundation opened the Interpretive Center in August 2011 and expanded in 2022 with the 7,341-square-foot Mineta-Simpson Institute, a civic engagement and democracy education facility named after former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson. Programming spans on-site exhibits, traveling exhibitions, virtual field trips, an augmented reality mobile application, a published podcast, and a museum store branded Kokoro Kara.

The Foundation's business model is a hybrid museum revenue stack combining modest gate admissions (adults $14, seniors/students $12, children 10-17 $10), annual memberships, retail sales, private donations, and multi-year federal grants including awards from the National Park Service and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It serves a diversified audience of tourists, K-12 schools, educators, civic leadership cohorts, descendants of incarcerees, and the broader Japanese American community, and is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors and supported by roughly a dozen staff.

The Foundation holds Smithsonian Affiliate status, is an IMLS National Medal finalist (2024), and stewards a collection of authentic barracks, artifacts, and oral histories that anchor its programming. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability is disclosed; the AR app and digital exhibits are distribution extensions rather than core technology products.

Name

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Legal name

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Website

https://heartmountain.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation operates the National Historic Landmark Interpretive Center at a former WWII Japanese American incarceration site, offering exhibits, civic education programs, and an AR app. It serves tourists, schools, descendants, and civic leadership cohorts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum & Cultural Heritage Education

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (712120)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Historical preservation
• Museum education
• Civic education
• Cultural heritage
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Powell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales from visitors to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center with tiered pricing for adults, seniors/students, children, and groups.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions providing benefits including free admission, the Kokoro Kara magazine, and ROAM network access.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and government grants including National Park Service and National Endowment for the Humanities grants.
4. Retail Store: Sale of merchandise through the Heart Mountain store including books, apparel, and commemorative items.
5. Facility Rentals and Private Retreats: The Mineta-Simpson Institute is available for rent to corporations, nonprofits, and organizations for meetings with trained Heart Mountain staff programming.
6. Educator Workshops: Fee-based educator workshops including the NEH-sponsored and JACE educator workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation operates the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, a museum at the National Historic Landmark site of a former WWII Japanese American incarceration camp in Powell, Wyoming. It preserves and interprets artifacts, oral histories, and exhibits about the incarceration of more than 14,000 Japanese Americans, and delivers educational programs, leadership workshops, virtual field trips, an annual Pilgrimage, and a research archive.

Product overview

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation operates primarily as a physical museum and historical site (Heart Mountain Interpretive Center), expanded by the Mineta-Simpson Institute for leadership programming. The foundation offers digital products including the Heart Mountain AR augmented reality app, the Look Toward the Mountain podcast, and digital exhibits. Educational offerings include educator workshops, virtual field trips, and the annual Pilgrimage event. The Kokoro Kara magazine serves as the foundation's publication. The organization also provides research services through the LaDonna Zall Research Center and operates traveling exhibits to extend reach beyond the physical site.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mineta-Simpson Institute at Heart Mountain: A 7,341 square foot expansion to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, dedicated as a retreat space for workshops and programming designed to foster empathy, courage, and cooperation in the next generation of leaders.
• Kokoro Kara Magazine
• Heart Mountain AR

Products and services

• Heart Mountain Interpretive Center The main museum at the National Historic Landmark site featuring photographs, artifacts, oral histories, and interactive exhibits that tell the story of Japanese American incarceration at Heart Mountain during WWII. Open to walk-in visitors with tiered admission pricing for adults, seniors/students, children, and groups.
• Mineta-Simpson Institute A dedicated retreat and meeting space for corporations, nonprofits, and professional groups hosting leadership workshops, professional training seminars, and private retreats. Programming is delivered by trained Heart Mountain staff to foster empathy, courage, and cooperation in future leaders.
• Educator Workshops K-12 educator workshops funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities covering civic responsibility, civil rights, and social justice. Includes the JACE (Norman Y. Mineta Japanese American Confinement Education) program workshops and pen pal program connecting students with former incarcerees.
• Virtual Field Trips Online educational programming connecting teachers and students nationwide with Heart Mountain's history and the Japanese American incarceration story, enabling remote classroom participation.
• Heart Mountain Pilgrimage An annual event bringing together former incarcerees, descendants, and the public to honor those who were imprisoned at Heart Mountain, featuring performances, films, panels, awards, and commemorations.
• Kokoro Kara Magazine An award-winning magazine (meaning 'From Our Heart') published by the foundation featuring original articles on Heart Mountain history, contributions by former incarcerees and descendants, and updates on the foundation's work. Available digitally and in print, included with membership.
• Heart Mountain AR App An augmented reality experience app that allows visitors to step inside history through their mobile device, providing immersive digital overlays of the historic Heart Mountain incarceration site.
• Digital Exhibits Online access to exhibits including the Redress Exhibit, Panic & Politics Exhibit, Draft Resisters Exhibit, and Issei Exhibit, accessible through the website and video content.
• Traveling Exhibits Exhibits that travel to other museums and institutions, extending the reach of Heart Mountain's story beyond the physical site in Wyoming.
• Look Toward the Mountain Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,025 people unjustly incarcerated documented and stories preserved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Smithsonian InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation became a Smithsonian Affiliate, connecting to the world's largest museum, education, and research complex. This affiliation enhances the foundation's visibility and provides access to Smithsonian resources and programming.
• Japanese American Confinement Sites Consortium (JACSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with other Japanese American confinement sites including Amache, Gila River, Manzanar, Minidoka, Poston, Rohwer, Topaz, and Tule Lake to preserve and share this shared history.
• Other Japanese American Museums and OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork includes Japanese American National Museum, Densho, Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages, Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, and other organizations dedicated to preserving this history.
• Japan Outreach Initiative (JOI) ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram that places a Japanese coordinator (Haruka Takaku) at Heart Mountain to introduce Japanese culture to the local community through cultural workshops and activities.
• ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFoundation members at Friend level and above receive reciprocal benefits at participating ROAM museums.
• Blue Star MuseumsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with National Endowment for the Arts providing free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families from May through September annually.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Japanese American National Museum: The preeminent Japanese American museum in Los Angeles, focused on preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans, including WWII incarceration. JANM's board leadership (Ann Burroughs, who also serves on Heart Mountain's board) and overlapping mission of education, exhibits, and civil rights programming make it the closest direct peer in scope and audience.
• Densho: A digital archive and education organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII. A named partner of Heart Mountain, Densho is a direct peer in mission (oral histories, educator resources, digital exhibits) though differentiated by being primarily digital rather than site-based.
• Manzanar National Historic Site: One of the ten WWII Japanese American confinement sites, operated by the National Park Service in California. Shares the exact same historical mission (interpreting WWII incarceration), is a member of the JACSC consortium with Heart Mountain, and operates a similar visitor center, exhibits, and pilgrimage programming.
• Tule Lake Unit (WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument): A National Park Service-managed WWII Japanese American incarceration site in California and JACSC partner. Operates interpretation, preservation, and educational programming for the Tule Lake Segregation Center, with a substantially overlapping visitor and donor audience to Heart Mountain.
• Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial: An NPS unit in Washington state commemorating the first community of Japanese Americans forcibly removed during WWII. A listed Heart Mountain partner and JACSC consortium member operating interpretive programming on the same historical subject.
• Minidoka National Historic Site: A National Park Service-managed WWII Japanese American incarceration site in Idaho. Another JACSC consortium partner operating museum/interpretive programming on the same subject, with similar grant dependencies and educational programming model.
• Amache (Granada War Relocation Center National Historic Site): A National Park Service-managed WWII Japanese American incarceration site in Colorado. Sister site in the JACSC consortium with Heart Mountain, operating an interpretive center and visitor programming around the same historical subject matter.
• Topaz Museum: A private museum in Utah that interprets the Topaz War Relocation Center, one of the ten WWII Japanese American incarceration sites. Comparable in scale, governance (nonprofit), and programming to Heart Mountain, with similar reliance on donations, memberships, and traveling exhibits.
• Poston (Colorado River Indian Tribes) War Relocation Center: An Arizona WWII Japanese American incarceration site managed jointly with the Colorado River Indian Tribes. Sister site in the JACSC consortium with Heart Mountain, focused on the same historical subject with shared interpretive and educational programming.

Broad incumbents

• National WWII Museum: A major New Orleans-based museum covering all aspects of WWII, much larger in scale and resources than Heart Mountain. Overlaps in subject matter (WWII history, including incarceration-related content) and museum programming model, but operates as a comprehensive war museum rather than a confinement-site specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/heartmountainwy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/heartmountainwyomingfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/heartmountainwy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-mountain-wyoming-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/heartmountainwy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation