Louis Zamperini Foundation

What Louis Zamperini Foundation does

The Louis Zamperini Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1952 and headquartered in Tarzana, California, with a six-person staff. It preserves and propagates the life story of Louis Zamperini — an Olympic-distance runner, World War II airman, and Japanese prisoner of war whose experiences were popularized by Laura Hillenbrand's bestselling book "Unbroken" and the 2014 Angelina Jolie film of the same name. The foundation's core offering is the Unbroken Curriculum, a free, character-building and resilience education program for K-12 educators, correctional facilities, youth academies, and law enforcement training programs.

The curriculum is built around Zamperini's narrative arc and is delivered through lesson plans and 35 educational videos, including the Unbroken Curriculum Master Series launched in February 2021. Distribution is structured around partnerships with Penguin Random House Education and Resilient Educator (formalized in July 2020), which provide institutional channels into schools and educator networks. The foundation also conducts public-speaking engagements featuring the Zamperini family, particularly Luke Zamperini, who serves as President and CEO.

The foundation's revenue model is donation-driven, supplemented by fees from speaking engagements. The curriculum itself is provided at no cost to adopting institutions, positioning the foundation as a content-and-IP nonprofit rather than a fee-for-service education company. Reached scale as of 2021 included 280-plus schools across 42 states and 8 countries, with stated intent to extend to all 50 states; verticals extend beyond K-12 into corrections, at-risk youth academies, and public-sector training.

Name

Louis Zamperini Foundation

Legal name

Victory Boys' Camps, Inc.

Website

https://zamperini.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Louis Zamperini Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops and distributes the free Unbroken Curriculum — a character-education program built on Louis Zamperini's life story — to K-12 schools, correctional facilities, youth academies, and law enforcement training programs, funded by donations and speaking engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Character Education and Social-Emotional Learning

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

English Language Learner (ELL/ESL) Academic Catch-Up & Bridge Programs (EDANAJAL)

Keywords

• Character education curriculum
• Social-emotional learning
• Resilience education programs
• Youth character building
• Free educator curriculum

Headquarters

HQ city

Tarzana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: As a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the foundation operates entirely on charitable donations. The Unbroken Curriculum is provided free to educators nationwide. Donations are accepted online via PayPal or by mail.
2. Public Speaking Engagements: Luke Zamperini is available for private speaking engagements at schools, camps, correctional facilities, churches, and businesses, sharing his father's story of survival, resilience, and forgiveness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Louis Zamperini Foundation delivers The Unbroken Curriculum, a free character-building educational program for K-12 educators built around Louis Zamperini's life story as an Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, and POW survivor. It uses a structured Round Table discussion model, immersive classroom exercises (e.g., Life Raft Activity), and reflective writing (Letters to Louie) to teach resilience, forgiveness, courage, empathy, and purpose. The foundation also offers the Unbroken Curriculum Master Series (35 instructional videos via an online professional learning platform), private speaking engagements by Luke and Clay Zamperini, and donated books/DVDs to youth-serving organizations.

Product overview

The Louis Zamperini Foundation operates a unified educational mission centered on The Unbroken Curriculum—a free character-building curriculum for educators nationwide. This core product uses the life story of Louis Zamperini (Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, and POW survivor) to teach youth about resilience, forgiveness, and hope. The foundation also offers the Unbroken Curriculum™ Master Series as an enhanced add-on with 35 instructional videos for teachers. Additional offerings include public speaking engagements by the Zamperini family, donated educational materials (books and DVDs), and continuation of the Victory Boys Camps legacy through partner organizations. All programs and curriculum are provided at no cost to educators and youth programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unbroken Curriculum: A character-building educational curriculum based on Louis Zamperini's life story, designed to help students develop resilience, forgiveness, and compassion through structured Round Table discussions.

Products and services

• The Unbroken Curriculum A free character-building curriculum for K-12 educators built around Louis Zamperini's life story (Olympic runner, WWII bombardier, and POW survivor). Uses a structured Round Table discussion model and immersive activities such as the Life Raft Activity and Letters to Louie writing assignment to teach resilience, forgiveness, courage, empathy, and purpose.
• Unbroken Curriculum Master Series An enhanced extension of the Unbroken Curriculum featuring 35 educational videos that instruct teachers on how to implement the curriculum in classrooms, supporting both in-person and remote learning environments. Delivered through an online professional learning platform developed with Resilient Educator.
• Public Speaking Engagements Private speaking engagements by Luke Zamperini (son of founder Louis Zamperini) and Clay Zamperini (grandson) sharing Louis's story of survival, resilience, and redemption with schools, camps, correctional facilities, churches, and businesses.
• Donated Books and DVDs Free distribution of Louis Zamperini's autobiographies (Devil at My Heels, Don't Give Up, Don't Give In), young adult adaptations of Unbroken, and Captured By Grace documentary DVDs to youth programs, schools, correctional facilities, and mentoring organizations.
• Unbroken: A Victory for Hope National Teacher Development Program National teacher development program and resilience initiative launched in partnership with Penguin Random House Education and Resilient Educator, offering a live webinar, free online toolkit, and 35-video professional learning platform to help teachers build resilience, hope, and courage in students.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Unbroken Curriculum was adopted in more than 280 schools in 42 states and 8 countries in 2021 alone.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penguin Random House EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2020Partnership with Penguin Random House Education and Resilient Educator launched 'Unbroken: A Victory for Hope', a ground-breaking national teacher development program and resilience initiative to help build resilience, hope and courage. Includes live webinar, free online toolkit, and innovative teacher professional learning platform.
• Resilient EducatorcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 July 2020Resilient Educator partnered to create an online professional learning platform with 35 educational videos and a micro-course guiding teachers through social-emotional learning. Platform supports online, physical, and hybrid classrooms.
• Royal Family KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Family KIDS Camp provides foster children ages 6-12 a week of positive memories in a Christian Camp environment. Louis Zamperini Youth Ministries has partnered with them to develop camp curriculum using the story of Louis Zamperini from 'Don't Give Up, Don't Give In' and 'Devil at My Heels' to bring hope and faith to these children.
• Forest Home CampscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForest Home exists for people to Encounter Jesus, Experience Transformation and Engage the World. Louis Zamperini Youth Ministries is involved in the distribution of Children's Bibles and speaking engagements at this Christian camp, retelling Louis' story of survival, resilience, and redemption.
• State of California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with Ventura Youth Correctional Facility, providing quarterly speaking engagements, books, DVDs, and one-on-one mentoring with 17-24 year old inmates. The goal is to bring understanding of how Louis forgave his captors and found a path to Victory, giving inmates hope for their futures.
• A Chance For ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Chance For Children empowers at-risk youth by providing opportunities to set goals and tools to achieve them. Partnership includes speaking engagements, additional counselors for camp activities, children's Bibles, and copies of Louis' autobiography.
• Sunburst Youth Challenge AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunburst Youth Academy is part of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, intervening and reclaiming the lives of 16-18 year old at-risk high school students. Partnership includes speaking engagements, donation of books, DVDs, documentaries, and copies of 'Don't Give Up, Don't Give In'. Seeking sponsorships for students without resources to attend.
• Los Angeles Police Department and Torrance Police DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouis Zamperini Youth Ministries works alongside LAPD and Torrance PD through events such as day trips, hikes, and the donation of materials to their Little Free Libraries which function as educational and outreach tools for youth and families.
• University of Southern California (USC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSC Athletics Department has partnered with Louis Zamperini Youth Ministries to ensure participating students are paired with qualified caring mentors. USC played a key role in both Louis Zamperini's story and the foundation's development.
• Hope Central Watts ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarted by Pastor Jose Hernandez, a former gang member who now serves at-risk youth in the Watts area. The foundation supports his mission and ministry to bring hope and direction to youth in the community.
• Summit AdventureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummit Adventure has been providing customized wilderness guiding for nearly 40 years, focusing on transformational learning through outdoor adventure, service, and experiential education. All trip costs are funded through scholarships from Louis Zamperini Youth Ministries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soul Shoppe: Character-building and anti-bullying program delivered in K-8 schools with a strong emotional-intelligence and classroom-culture focus. Directly comparable in target customer, anti-bullying outcome focus, and in-classroom program delivery.
• Character Strong: Provides K-12 character education and SEL curricula with implementation training for schools. Directly comparable in target buyer (school districts and teachers), product format (lesson-based curriculum + training), and outcome themes (character development, school culture).
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Committee for Children produces Second Step, one of the most widely adopted SEL and bullying-prevention curricula in U.S. K-12 schools. Directly comparable to the Unbroken Curriculum in target customer (school districts), delivery (classroom-based lesson plans), and outcome focus (bullying reduction, social-emotional skills).
• Move This World: Provider of K-12 SEL curriculum with video-driven lessons and teacher professional development. Directly comparable in delivery format (videos + structured lessons) and target customer (school districts and teachers).
• Choose Love Movement (Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation): Founders of a free, story-driven SEL and character-education program born from a personal tragedy. Highly comparable to the Unbroken Curriculum in mission framing (real-life story as the anchor), free K-12 distribution, and emphasis on courage, forgiveness, and resilience.
• Random Acts of Kindness Foundation: Non-profit providing free K-12 kindness and character-education resources to schools. Comparable as a free, story- and values-driven curriculum provider targeting the same educator buyer with similar mission framing.

Others

• CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning): Non-profit that defines the dominant SEL framework used by U.S. school districts. Comparable as a non-profit K-12 SEL ecosystem player and as a thought-leader that influences adoption criteria for curricula like the Unbroken Curriculum.

Emerging players

• EverFi: Digital education platform offering K-12 SEL, prevention, and life-skills courses. Comparable in SEL and character-education subject matter and K-12 buyer, but differs in technology-led delivery versus the foundation's story-driven, partner-distributed model.

Broad incumbents

• Leader in Me (FranklinCovey Education): FranklinCovey's whole-school leadership and character framework adopted by thousands of schools globally. Broader incumbent with overlapping character-education and SEL content; comparable in school-district buyer but with a much larger portfolio and corporate backing.

Regional players

• National Guard Youth Challenge Program (Sunburst Youth Academy): Residential military-style program serving at-risk 16-18 year-olds at risk of dropping out of high school. The Louis Zamperini Foundation is a current partner and content provider; the program is a comparable channel/customer in alternative education and dropout re-engagement, but operates its own academies rather than curriculum.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/louiszamperini
• Facebookfacebook.com/louiszamperinifoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louis-zamperini-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Louis Zamperini Foundation