WeGOJA Foundation
WeGOJA Foundation is a South Carolina-based nonprofit that documents and promotes African American historic sites through travel guides, preservation toolkits, educational films, podcasts, and oral history projects, serving heritage tourists, property owners, communities, and schools across the state.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersColumbia, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What WeGOJA Foundation does
WeGOJA Foundation is a South Carolina-based nonprofit organization that documents and promotes African American historic sites throughout the state. Founded circa 2008 (per firmographic data) with a mailing address in Columbia, SC, the foundation operates with a small team of 1–10 employees and is led by Executive Director Dawn Dawson-House. Its core mission centers on supporting state historical markers, National Register of Historic Places listings, and educating the public about African American heritage through curated travel, educational, and preservation resources.
The foundation's product portfolio includes the Green Book of South Carolina (a first-of-its-kind travel guide to African American historic sites, sold in print on Amazon), the SC Preservation Toolkit (a Mellon Foundation-funded resource for property owners and communities), the South Carolina Family Reunion Toolkit, Preservation Night School (a virtual educational series in partnership with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor), the curriculum-based film 'South Carolina African American History Through Our Eyes,' and the 'A Legacy of Courage' podcast series produced with Discover South Carolina and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a Squarespace-hosted website at wegoja.org with Simplecast for podcast distribution. There is no proprietary software, no API, and no mobile application.
The foundation's business model is grant- and donation-driven rather than commercial. It derives operating support from institutional foundation grants (notably $750,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in March 2023 and $25,000 for an oral history project in 2024), PayPal-based donations, publication sales via Amazon, and partnership-funded programming with the South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Its go-to-market is community-led, relying on partnerships with state agencies, heritage corridors, and nonprofits rather than a direct sales force.
WeGOJA Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WeGOJA Foundation
- Legal name
- WeGOJA Foundation
- Website
- https://wegoja.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- WeGOJA Foundation is a South Carolina-based nonprofit that documents and promotes African American historic sites through travel guides, preservation toolkits, educational films, podcasts, and oral history projects, serving heritage tourists, property owners, communities, and schools across the state.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WeGOJA Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Heritage Preservation Services
- NAICS
- Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)
Keywords
Where WeGOJA Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WeGOJA Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Foundation and Government Grants: The organization receives significant grant funding from foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation ($750,000) and government arts commissions to fund preservation projects, educational materials, and organizational capacity building.
- Donations: Individual and organizational donations collected via PayPal to support the African American Heritage Commission's mission and various initiatives including historic marker installations.
- Publication Sales: The Green Book of South Carolina is sold as a physical publication through Amazon, serving as the organization's first-of-its-kind travel guide to African American historic sites.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Green Book of South Carolina publication |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
WeGOJA Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WeGOJA Foundation documents and promotes African American heritage sites in South Carolina through publications, educational resources, and preservation tools. Its core offerings include the Green Book of South Carolina travel guide, the SC Preservation Toolkit, the Family Reunion Toolkit, the A Legacy of Courage podcast series, an educational film (South Carolina African American History Through Our Eyes), and the Preservation Night School virtual program. The organization supports state historical marker installations, National Register of Historic Places listings, and community oral history projects.
Product overview
The WeGOJA Foundation operates as a nonprofit organization that documents and promotes African American heritage sites in South Carolina. The organization's offerings consist of several interconnected products and resources: the Green Book of South Carolina serves as a comprehensive travel guide to African American historic sites; the SC Preservation Toolkit provides preservation tools and funding information for property owners and communities; the Family Reunion Toolkit helps planners incorporate heritage site visits into family reunions; Preservation Night School delivers virtual educational content on preservation management; and the A Legacy of Courage podcast series communicates civil rights history through multimedia content. These products work together to fulfill the organization's mission of identifying, documenting, and sharing African American history through place-based education and heritage tourism.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Green Book of South Carolina: A first-of-its-kind travel guide to the most tourist-friendly African American historic sites in South Carolina.
- SC Preservation Toolkit
- Preservation Night School
- South Carolina Family Reunion Toolkit
Products and services
- Green Book of South Carolina A first-of-its-kind travel guide to the most tourist-friendly African American historic sites in South Carolina, available as a physical publication on Amazon and as an online resource. It serves as a comprehensive resource for heritage tourists and family reunion planners seeking to visit African American historic sites.
- SC Preservation Toolkit A preservation resource developed to help property owners and communities meet their preservation goals, featuring funding information, preservation tools, and support for African American heritage sites. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- South Carolina Family Reunion Toolkit A planning resource encouraging family reunion organizers to reconnect with family and rediscover heritage by incorporating visits to African American historic sites into family reunions across South Carolina.
- A Legacy of Courage Podcast Series A three-episode podcast series on South Carolina's role in the civil rights movement and the historic sites visitors can engage with, developed in collaboration with Discover South Carolina and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.
- South Carolina African American History Through Our Eyes Film A 24-minute curriculum-based educational film on African American history told through a student's discovery, designed for classroom use in South Carolina schools. Funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission with National Endowment for the Arts support.
- Preservation Night School An after-hours virtual educational series providing tips on how to manage preservation projects, hosted in partnership with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Open to community registration.
Quantifiable outcome
- Two-year study completed on feasibility of Rosenwald Schools Trail in South Carolina
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use WeGOJA Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
WeGOJA Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
WeGOJA Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Conservation Voters of South CarolinacoreCooperation partner in the two-year Rosenwald Schools Trail feasibility study, working with Rosenwald School groups and other major partners.
- Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage CorridorcorePartnership to host Preservation Night School, an after-hours virtual series providing tips on managing preservation projects. This collaboration combines expertise in cultural heritage preservation and community education.
- Preservation South CarolinacoreComplementary partnership on Taveau Church restoration and oral history project in Cordesville, SC, where WeGOJA's project complements Preservation South Carolina's full-scale restoration of the 19th-century church.
- Discover South CarolinacoreCollaboration on the 'A Legacy of Courage' podcast series about South Carolina's civil rights movement, working with the U.S. Civil Rights Trail to highlight historic sites.
- U.S. Civil Rights TrailcorePartnership on civil rights podcast series highlighting places visitors can engage with civil rights history in South Carolina.
- Together SCminorStatewide association membership supporting the work of nonprofits across South Carolina.
- African American Heritage Commission of South CarolinacoreSupporting the Commission's mission to identify, document and share African American history in South Carolina through historic marker installations and other initiatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WeGOJA Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Park Service — African American Heritage Sites Program: Federal operator of African American historic sites and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail; directly partners with WeGOJA on the A Legacy of Courage podcast and operates in the same heritage-interpretation and visitor-experience category.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation: The largest U.S. private historic preservation nonprofit, operating at a national scale with overlapping mission around African American heritage sites, Rosenwald Schools advocacy, and National Register support that WeGOJA focuses on at the state level.
- Discover South Carolina (SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism): State tourism marketing organization; co-produces the A Legacy of Courage podcast with WeGOJA and drives SC heritage tourism traffic to the same African American historic sites catalogued in the Green Book.
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: Premier national institution for African American heritage interpretation; comparable in mission (documentation, preservation, public education on African American history) and serves as a content/curatorial model for WeGOJA's toolkits and film.
Regional players
- Historic Charleston Foundation: Long-established South Carolina preservation nonprofit focused on historic properties in Charleston; operates in the same SC heritage-tourism and preservation space and shares overlap on African American historic sites like Harleston-era properties referenced in WeGOJA's film.
Direct peers
- African American Heritage Commission (SC): South Carolina's state-affiliated commission that identifies and shares African American history; WeGOJA directly supports its mission and works on the same historic marker and documentation initiatives.
- Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor: Federal cultural heritage corridor focused on Gullah Geechee history along the Southeast coast; partners with WeGOJA on Preservation Night School and serves overlapping African American heritage audiences in South Carolina.
- Preservation South Carolina: Statewide preservation nonprofit that co-runs the Taveau Church restoration with WeGOJA and operates in the same South Carolina historic preservation niche, sharing audiences, partners, and grant funder pools.
Emerging players
- Equal Justice Initiative — Legacy Sites: Operates the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice focused on African American history; comparable in mission (heritage interpretation, civil rights education) and audience (heritage tourists, schools).
- Rosenwald Schools Initiative / Rosenwald Park Initiative: National network focused on preserving and interpreting Rosenwald Schools; WeGOJA is the SC state partner on a Rosenwald Schools Trail feasibility study, making this its most directly comparable peer at the niche, mission-aligned level.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
WeGOJA Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceWeGOJA Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WeGOJA Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WeGOJA Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WeGOJA 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 WeGOJA Foundation
What does WeGOJA Foundation do?
WeGOJA Foundation documents and promotes African American heritage sites in South Carolina through publications, educational resources, and preservation tools. Its core offerings include the Green Book of South Carolina travel guide, the SC Preservation Toolkit, the Family Reunion Toolkit, the A Legacy of Courage podcast series, an educational film (South Carolina African American History Through Our Eyes), and the Preservation Night School virtual program. The organization supports state historical marker installations, National Register of Historic Places listings, and community oral history projects.
Is WeGOJA Foundation a public or private company?
WeGOJA Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was WeGOJA Foundation founded?
WeGOJA Foundation was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is WeGOJA Foundation based?
WeGOJA Foundation is headquartered in Columbia, United States, in the North America region.
How does WeGOJA Foundation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Foundation and Government Grants are the primary driver. The others are donations and publication Sales.
Who are WeGOJA Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Park Service — African American Heritage Sites Program, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Discover South Carolina (SC Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism) and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Historic Charleston Foundation is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are African American Heritage Commission (SC), Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor and Preservation South Carolina. Emerging players are Equal Justice Initiative — Legacy Sites and Rosenwald Schools Initiative / Rosenwald Park Initiative.
Does WeGOJA Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for WeGOJA Foundation.
What industry is WeGOJA Foundation in?
WeGOJA Foundation's product category is Heritage Preservation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAE, Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAA, Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty). Its NAICS code is 712120.