USC Shoah Foundation
USC Shoah Foundation is a USC-affiliated non-profit that preserves and distributes the world's largest video testimony archive (60,394 Holocaust and genocide survivor accounts) through educational platforms, museum exhibits, and AI-powered interactive experiences for educators, researchers, and the public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What USC Shoah Foundation does
USC Shoah Foundation is a non-profit institute housed at the University of Southern California that preserves, indexes, and disseminates video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses to other genocides. Founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg following the production of Schindler's List, the organization operates the Visual History Archive — 60,394 searchable testimonies collected across 69 countries and 45 languages — accessible through 208 institutional sites worldwide, a patent-protected search engine, and a mobile app (IWalk). The technical platform combines a large video corpus with 12 patents on digital collection management and AI-driven interactive technology (Dimensions in Testimony), which uses natural language processing to let visitors ask questions that trigger real-time responses from pre-recorded survivor interviews. This technology is deployed at more than ten museum partners including Illinois Holocaust Museum, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, and Sydney Jewish Museum.
The organization's core products are Visual History Archive (the underlying corpus), IWitness (a free K-12 and educator platform with testimony-based activities), Dimensions in Testimony (the interactive AI exhibit), and IWalk (location-based mobile app). Supporting programs include the Countering Antisemitism Lab (a policy-oriented research initiative launched in 2024), Echoes & Reflections (a Holocaust educator training partnership with ADL and Yad Vashem dating to 2005), Living Links (a 3G descendant program), and The Willesden Project. Distribution extends to YouTube (47M views, 138M minutes viewed in 2024), HBO Max, and Netflix documentary placements.
The business model is non-profit philanthropy: donations, planned giving, foundation grants, corporate matching (7,500+ companies), and major individual gifts including a $30M endowment gift from Mickey Shapiro in 2025. All educational programs, IWitness, and Visual History Archive access through designated sites are free to end users; monetization runs through donor cultivation rather than user fees. Customers are segmented across K-12 educators and students, academic researchers, museum visitors, government/policy makers, and Holocaust survivors themselves. The organization reports 407,000 educators reached, 27 million students impacted globally, and 7,000 scholarly citations of the archive.
USC Shoah Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- USC Shoah Foundation
- Legal name
- USC Shoah Foundation - The Institute for Visual History and Education
- Website
- https://sfi.usc.edu/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- USC Shoah Foundation is a USC-affiliated non-profit that preserves and distributes the world's largest video testimony archive (60,394 Holocaust and genocide survivor accounts) through educational platforms, museum exhibits, and AI-powered interactive experiences for educators, researchers, and the public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
USC Shoah Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Holocaust and Genocide Education
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Educational Support Services (611710), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Media Archives, Libraries & Content Preservation (MPABADAL), Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)
Keywords
Where USC Shoah Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
USC Shoah Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a non-profit organization supported by individual donations. Supporters can make one-time gifts, recurring gifts, stock donations, and tribute gifts to commemorate events or memorialize loved ones.
- Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Donors can include the foundation in their estate plans through planned giving, providing long-term financial sustainability while offering donors tax benefits.
- Corporate and Foundation Grants: Major funding from foundations including Forever Fund ($3,000 gifts), Last Chance Testimony Collection Fund, and other programmatic funding. Over 7,500 companies match charitable contributions through matching gift programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | Free educational programs for K-12 educators |
| Subscription | Monthly | Donor giving programs |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
USC Shoah Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
USC Shoah Foundation preserves and provides access to the world's largest collection of primary-source video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses to other genocides through the Visual History Archive (60,394 searchable testimonies across 69 countries and 45 languages). It delivers K-12 and university educational programs through the IWitness platform, operates the patented Dimensions in Testimony interactive biography technology at partner museums, and develops the IWalk mobile application for location-based learning tied to survivor testimonies.
Product overview
USC Shoah Foundation operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its Visual History Archive—the world's largest collection of primary source video testimonies. Key products include IWitness (educational platform), Dimensions in Testimony (interactive biography technology), and the IWalk mobile app. Supporting programs include the Countering Antisemitism Lab research initiative, Echoes & Reflections educator training (in partnership with ADL and Yad Vashem), Living Links community program, and The Willesden Project. The organization also produces documentary films including Academy Award-winning titles and licenses content through SFI Access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Visual History Archive: The world's largest collection of primary source video testimonies from survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides, containing 60,394 searchable testimonies.
- IWitness
- IWalk
- Dimensions in Testimony
- Countering Antisemitism Lab (CAL)
- Echoes & Reflections
- Living Links
Products and services
- Visual History Archive The world's largest collection of primary source video testimonies from survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides, containing 60,394 searchable testimonies across 69 countries and 45 languages, with patented search functionality over 2M+ personal names and 71,971 keywords.
- IWitness An online educational platform providing testimony-based activities for students and educators, featuring embedded tools to build videos, word clouds, and other projects using survivor testimonies; available free of charge to K-12 educators and students globally.
- Dimensions in Testimony Interactive biography technology enabling people to ask questions that prompt real-time responses from pre-recorded video interviews with Holocaust survivors and witnesses through conversational AI and advanced natural language processing, deployed at partner museums globally.
- IWalk App A mobile application connecting users to curated tours at authentic sites of history and memorials, linking locations with testimonies from survivors and witnesses of genocide and mass atrocity, developed with the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation.
- SFI Access Licensing platform for accessing collections of testimonies, footage, and images from the archive, and obtaining downloadable copies of recorded interviews for documentary and educational use.
Quantifiable outcome
- 27 million students reached through educational programs globally
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use USC Shoah Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
USC Shoah Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature4 records
USC Shoah Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education CentercoreCollaborated to expand AI-powered Dimensions in Testimony interactive technology to include Kizito Kalima, Tutsi survivor of Rwandan genocide. First non-Holocaust interactive exhibit at the museum, developed with USC Libraries and USC Digital Repository.
- AJC (American Jewish Committee)flagshipPartnership announced at AJC Global Forum to document and map global antisemitism, giving voice to modern-day antisemitism around the world through combined efforts.
- ADIR FoundationflagshipCo-hosted 'Digital Frontlines: The Challenges and Solutions to Fighting Online Antisemitism' one-day event in Washington D.C. bringing together technology, policy, and research experts. ADIR engaged 400 innovators from 25 countries in its first year through its open innovation challenge.
- ADL (Anti-Defamation League)flagshipPartnership program since 2005 through Echoes & Reflections, providing Holocaust education professional development programs and resources impacting millions of students across the United States at no cost.
- Yad VashemflagshipPartnership program since 2005 through Echoes & Reflections, combining expertise in Holocaust education and testimony preservation for educator professional development.
- Holocaust Educational Trust (UK)coreSupporting Holocaust Survivor Testimony in Teaching program equips UK educators with tools, training, and curated testimony resources. USC Shoah Foundation is one of only three organizations whose resources are signposted through this initiative.
- USC Institute for Creative TechnologiescoreTechnology partner for Dimensions in Testimony, developing the interactive biography technology enabling conversational interactions with pre-recorded survivor testimonies.
- Claims ConferenceflagshipPartner in Inside Kristallnacht XR experience launching ahead of Kristallnacht anniversary, recreating Holocaust survivor Dr. Charlotte Knobloch's firsthand account through immersive mixed-reality technology.
- MetaflagshipTechnology partner for Inside Kristallnacht immersive XR experience, providing platform for mixed-reality Holocaust education content.
- makemepulsecoreCreative technology studio that developed the Inside Kristallnacht immersive mixed-reality experience recreating survivor testimony.
- UNESCOflagshipPartner in Inside Kristallnacht XR experience, supporting Holocaust education and remembrance through immersive technology.
- Discovery EducationcorePartnership to expand reach of educational materials through Discovery Education's platform, inspiring students and educators to fight discrimination and hate using testimony.
- The Genocide Education ProjectcorePartnership to expand reach of Armenian Genocide educational materials into high schools across the United States.
- Living LinkscoreFirst national organization engaging and empowering 3G (third generation) descendants of Holocaust survivors, partnering to help new generations tell their family stories.
- Delirio FilmscorePartner in animated short film 'Ruth: A Little Girl's Big Journey' bringing Holocaust survivor Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer's childhood journey to life.
Scale indicators15 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
USC Shoah Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: The US national Holocaust museum and archive, with overlapping missions in testimony preservation, scholarly research, and Holocaust education. It collaborates directly with USC Shoah Foundation on the Countering Antisemitism Summit and shares the testimony-based education model targeting schools and the general public.
- Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust remembrance authority and archive, and a direct partner of USC Shoah Foundation via Echoes & Reflections (with ADL). Comparable in testimony collection, archival research, educator professional development, and international reach.
- Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies: A Yale University-based video testimony archive of Holocaust survivor witnesses — the most directly comparable collection to USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive. Same content category (preserved survivor video testimony), same primary user base (scholars and educators), and similar archival/research access model.
- Holocaust Educational Trust (UK): UK-based nonprofit delivering testimony-based Holocaust education to schools; an active partner of USC Shoah Foundation under the UK Department for Education's 'Supporting Holocaust Survivor Testimony in Teaching' programme. Closely aligned on K-12 classroom deployment and educator training.
- Arolsen Archives: International archive documenting victims and survivors of Nazi persecution, headquartered in Germany. Comparable as a Holocaust-focused archival/educational institution, though its primary medium is documents rather than video testimony.
- The Wiener Holocaust Library: The UK's largest Holocaust archive and library, offering collections, exhibitions, and educational programming. Directly comparable to USC Shoah Foundation in combining archival preservation with public-facing Holocaust education and scholarly access.
- Anti-Defamation League (ADL): Long-standing flagship partner of USC Shoah Foundation via Echoes & Reflections since 2005. ADL is broadly comparable in antisemitism education and K-12 educator professional development, with overlapping distribution channels to schools.
- AJC (American Jewish Committee): Global Jewish advocacy organization and active USC Shoah Foundation partner (2025 partnership to document and map global antisemitism). Comparable as an antisemitism-monitoring, education, and policy organization engaging government and civil society audiences.
Broad incumbents
- StoryCorps: A national oral history nonprofit recording and archiving personal audio testimonies across many topics. Comparable in oral-history testimony methodology and large-scale archive stewardship, though broader in scope and not Holocaust-specific.
- Canadian Museum for Human Rights: Canada's national human rights museum combining exhibitions, archives, and educational programming across multiple genocides and mass atrocities. Comparable as a museum/educational institution using testimony-based exhibits to teach about genocide, with similar educator outreach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
USC Shoah Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceUSC Shoah Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
USC Shoah Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
USC Shoah Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
USC Shoah Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about USC Shoah Foundation
What does USC Shoah Foundation do?
USC Shoah Foundation preserves and provides access to the world's largest collection of primary-source video testimonies from Holocaust survivors and witnesses to other genocides through the Visual History Archive (60,394 searchable testimonies across 69 countries and 45 languages). It delivers K-12 and university educational programs through the IWitness platform, operates the patented Dimensions in Testimony interactive biography technology at partner museums, and develops the IWalk mobile application for location-based learning tied to survivor testimonies.
Is USC Shoah Foundation a public or private company?
USC Shoah Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was USC Shoah Foundation founded?
USC Shoah Foundation was founded in 1994. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is USC Shoah Foundation based?
USC Shoah Foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does USC Shoah Foundation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are planned Giving and Legacy Gifts and corporate and Foundation Grants.
Who are USC Shoah Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Yad Vashem, Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies, Holocaust Educational Trust (UK), Arolsen Archives, The Wiener Holocaust Library, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and AJC (American Jewish Committee). Broad incumbents are StoryCorps and Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Does USC Shoah Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for USC Shoah Foundation.
What industry is USC Shoah Foundation in?
USC Shoah Foundation's product category is Holocaust and Genocide Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAEAGAJ, Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation), with a secondary code of MPABADAL, Public Media Archives, Libraries & Content Preservation. Its NAICS code is 51921.