What The Ukrainian Museum does

The Ukrainian Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) cultural institution founded on October 3, 1976 by the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (UNWLA) and based at 222 East 6th Street in Manhattan's East Village, the historic heart of New York's Little Ukraine. It preserves and exhibits one of the largest collections of Ukrainian cultural heritage outside Ukraine—more than 8,000 folk art objects, 3,000 fine art works, and 30,000 archival items—and serves Ukrainian Americans, students and scholars, families, post-2022 Ukrainian refugees, general visitors, and cultural tourists. The collection's origins trace to 1933, when UNWLA acquired 600 folk art items for the Ukrainian pavilion at the Chicago World's Fair, with the museum itself formally established after World War II to house and interpret that corpus.

The museum's product portfolio includes rotating exhibitions of fine and folk art, a signature educational program called SHKOLA (more than 50 public programs annually, including workshops, lectures, film screenings, and walking tours), a KOLO networking series for young professionals, guided group tours, a museum shop, and digital access through the Bloomberg Connects app. Since 2022, the museum has operated SAFE, a global initiative supporting Ukrainian museums and cultural workers through emergency assistance, institutional stabilization, legal advocacy, and long-term recovery strategies, with partnerships spanning the Association of Ukrainian Museums (Kyiv), the Ukrainian Institute, the Dovzhenko Centre, and the City of Zaporizhzhia.

Revenue is generated through eight membership tiers ($15 Student to $7,500+ Lifetime), admission fees, museum shop sales, event and program ticketing, individual donations and planned gifts, and grants from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Booth Ferris Foundation, the Leon Levy Foundation, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Leadership transitioned in late 2025–early 2026, with Peter Doroshenko departing after nearly four years as Director and Elena Siyanko appointed Transitional Executive Director effective January 2, 2026 to lead the museum's 50th-anniversary fundraising and programming cycle in 2026–2027.

Name

The Ukrainian Museum

Legal name

The Ukrainian Museum

Website

https://ukrainianmuseum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ukrainian Museum is a 501(c)(3) cultural institution in Manhattan's East Village, founded in 1976 by the UNWLA, that preserves one of the largest collections of Ukrainian cultural heritage outside Ukraine and serves the Ukrainian diaspora, students, families, refugees, and the general public through exhibitions, educational programs, and the global SAFE initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Museum / Cultural Heritage Institution

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

Keywords

• Ukrainian cultural heritage
• Folk art preservation
• Fine art exhibitions
• Museum education programs
• Community cultural events

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with multiple tiers (Individual $50, Sustaining $100, Family $125-$150, Student $15, Senior $20, Institutional $250, Lifetime $7,500+). Membership provides free admission, discounts on programs, and voting rights at Annual Meetings.
2. Admission Fees: Museum admission fees for visitors
3. Donations and Fundraising: Relies on contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Accepts planned gifts, property donations, IRA/insurance beneficiary designations.
4. Museum Shop Sales: Retail shop selling Ukrainian crafts, books, and merchandise with 10% member discount
5. Event and Program Revenue: Ticket sales for special events, workshops, lectures, walking tours, and family programs
6. Foundation Grants: Support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, Booth Ferris Foundation, Leon Levy Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Ukrainian Museum is a non-profit cultural institution that preserves, exhibits, and interprets Ukrainian folk art, fine art, textiles, and archival materials through rotating gallery exhibitions. It offers tiered annual memberships, an educational program (SHKOLA) with 50+ annual public events, KOLO networking for young professionals, guided group tours, the global SAFE initiative supporting Ukrainian cultural workers, and a museum shop selling Ukrainian crafts and books.

Product overview

The Ukrainian Museum is a cultural institution offering a unified portfolio of products and services centered on preserving and presenting Ukrainian art and cultural heritage. Core offerings include rotating exhibitions of Ukrainian fine art, folk art, textiles, and archival materials; membership programs with various tiers; the SAFE initiative supporting Ukrainian cultural workers; SHKOLA educational programming with over 50 annual events; KOLO networking series for young professionals; guided tours; a digital guide via Bloomberg Connects; and a museum shop. The museum serves as both a cultural repository and community hub, with a collection encompassing over 8,000 folk art objects, 3,000 fine art works, and 30,000 archival items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAFE: Global initiative supporting museums and cultural workers in Ukraine through emergency assistance, institutional stabilization, legal advocacy, and long-term recovery strategies for cultural heritage at risk.
• SHKOLA
• KOLO

Products and services

• Museum Exhibitions Rotating exhibitions of Ukrainian fine art, folk art, textiles, and cultural artifacts presented in the museum galleries for visitors, students, scholars, and the general public.
• Membership Programs Tiered annual membership (Individual $50, Sustaining $100, Family $125–$150, Student $15, Senior $20, Institutional $250, Lifetime $7,500+) providing free admission, discounts on programs and shop, and voting rights at Annual Meetings.
• SHKOLA Educational Program

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Cooper UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Cooper Union is designing the exhibition in partnership with the museum. Developing a formal long-term relationship with the School of Art and School of Architecture where faculty and students engage directly with exhibition design work.
• Razom for UkraineminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-presenting cultural events including 'Tryzub: Day of Resilience' commemoration and 'Light on the Waves' video art screening as part of Ukrainian Culture Festival 2025.
• ArtwineryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Lead sponsor of the inaugural Black Square Fête, providing Artwine sparkling wines rescued from Bakhmut cellars. Ukrainian winery embodying culture and spirit of the country.
• SAFE Initiative PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Global initiative supporting museums and cultural workers in Ukraine through emergency assistance, institutional stabilization, legal advocacy, and long-term recovery strategies for cultural heritage at risk.
• Association of Ukrainian Museums (Kyiv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with the museum to organize the SAFE Virtual Symposium featuring museum directors from Ukraine's frontline cities. Inaugural program of the SAFE initiative.
• Ukrainian Institute (Kyiv)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create 'Postcards from Ukraine' installation documenting damage to Ukrainian cultural heritage through 'before and after' images of cultural sites.
• The Dovzhenko Centre (Kyiv)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Dovzhenko Centre film archive in Kyiv for Zhanna Kadyrova's 'The Forest' video installation documenting the aftermath of the Kakhovka Dam destruction.
• City of ZaporizhzhiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated for 'The Forest' installation, involving local participants from the Zaporizhzhia region in documenting the aftermath of the Kakhovka Dam destruction.
• Khortytsia MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated for 'The Forest' installation documenting the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and the unexpected regrowth in the region.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Asia Society: NYC-based nonprofit cultural institution focused on Asian art, culture, and policy, with museum exhibitions, performances, and educational programming. Comparable as a diaspora-focused cultural institution combining museum, educational programming, and community engagement under a single umbrella.
• Ukrainian Museum-Archives (Cleveland): Cleveland-based Ukrainian heritage institution housing one of the largest Ukrainian archives in the Western Hemisphere. Comparable as a Ukrainian-specific cultural heritage institution with overlapping archival mission and diaspora community engagement.
• The Tenement Museum: Lower East Side NYC museum that preserves and interprets immigrant heritage through guided tours of preserved tenement apartments. Comparable as a NYC-based cultural heritage institution focused on immigrant identity, with similar education-driven mission and walking tour programming.
• The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA): Minneapolis-based museum dedicated to Russian art and culture, offering exhibitions, educational programming, and cultural events for the broader Eastern European diaspora. Comparable as a peer ethnic-heritage museum with similar collection-curation, education, and fundraising model.
• Ukrainian Institute of America: NYC-based Ukrainian cultural institution operating a mansion on 2nd Avenue that hosts art exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and community programs for the Ukrainian diaspora. Most direct peer given shared Ukrainian heritage mission, NYC footprint, and overlapping programming for the same diaspora audience.
• Neue Galerie New York: Manhattan museum dedicated to German and Austrian fine and decorative art, located on Museum Mile. Comparable as a small NYC niche ethnic/cultural art museum with similar revenue mix (admissions, membership, shop, donations), fundraising approach, and diaspora-targeted programming.
• Polish Museum of America: Chicago-based ethnic heritage museum founded in 1935 to preserve Polish art, culture, and history for the Polish-American community. Comparable as an Eastern European diaspora heritage museum with a similar collection of folk art, fine art, and archival materials.
• Ukrainian Museum and Library of New York: NYC-based Ukrainian heritage library and museum operating since 1948, holding books, periodicals, and archival materials for the Ukrainian-American community. Comparable as a niche Ukrainian cultural institution serving the same primary diaspora segment with overlapping educational and archival missions.
• Museum of Arts and Design (MAD): Midtown Manhattan museum focused on material culture, craft, and design with exhibitions, educational programming, and retail. Comparable as a small-to-mid-size NYC specialized museum with similar revenue mix (admissions, membership, museum shop, programs) and curatorial focus on craft and design objects.

Broad incumbents

• Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: Upper Manhattan Smithsonian museum focused on design and decorative arts with deep educational programming. Comparable as a NYC cultural institution partner through the museum's Cooper Union relationship and similar mix of exhibitions, education, and public programming for design-adjacent audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UkrainianMuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/ukrainianmuseum/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-ukrainian-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Ukrainian Museum