Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund

What Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund does

The Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund (operating as Friends of Budapest Jewish Cemetery) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in November 2015 by Dr. Michael Perl and Dr. Marc Pintér to restore and maintain the Budapest Jewish Cemetery at Kozma Street, established in 1891. The cemetery is one of the world's top five Jewish cemeteries, with approximately 300,000 to 400,000 burials across 33 sections on roughly 260,000 to 310,000 square meters, including graves of Hungarian national figures and notable Art Nouveau architectural elements. Restoration operations are physically executed by a small team (5-15 workers on any given day, supervised by Zsolt, with a first full-time maintenance hire in February 2024) and supplemented by an annual volunteer week attracting young Jewish adults aged 18-28 from around the world.

The organization monetizes primarily through charitable donations, with a sophisticated multi-jurisdiction donation infrastructure comprising a US 501(c)(3) (Friends of the Budapest Jewish Cemetery), a Canadian registered charity (Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund), a UK channel via Transnational Giving Europe/CAF, and an Australian entity registered in 2024, plus multi-currency PayPal, Zelle, wire and cheque rails. Beyond donations, it sells discrete services: a Family Tree research service at USD 500 delivered via wikitree.com within 30 days, one-off grave cleaning at USD 130 per grave within 10 days, an annual maintenance subscription at USD 180, and tiered section sponsorships ranging from USD 360 (Adopt a Grave) up to USD 2,000,000 (Budapest Memorial Chapel Building). A searchable relative database (database.budapestjewishcemetery.com) anchors the service offering, with a 200,000+ card digitization project underway in partnership with the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives.

The go-to-market is community-led, targeting diaspora Hungarian Jewish descendants in the USA, Canada, UK and Australia through email newsletters, Facebook, the organization website, earned media in outlets such as Canadian Jewish News and Euronews, and direct personal outreach by leadership. Operations are anchored by a formal letter of intent with the Jewish Parish of Budapest (BZSH), the cemetery's legal manager, and supported by equipment partnerships with Stihl Hungary and student engagement with the Scheiber Jewish Highschool. As of mid-2025 the organization had reopened access to over 100,000 graves across 77 acres and 40 completed sections, with Phase I completion targeted within three years.

Name

Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund

Legal name

Friends of Jewish Cemetery Non-profit Charitable Ltd., Budapest

Website

https://budapestjewishcemetery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund is a non-profit founded in 2015 that restores and maintains the historic Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery in Budapest, serving diaspora Hungarian Jewish descendants in the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia through tax-deductible donations, section sponsorships, grave cleaning, and genealogical research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Preservation and Non-profit Cemetery Restoration

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (81222), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Cemetery restoration services
• Jewish heritage preservation
• Charitable fundraising
• Genealogical research services
• Grave maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue from tax-deductible donations from individuals worldwide, particularly diaspora Hungarian Jews. Accepts donations via PayPal (multiple currencies), Zelle, wire transfer, and cheque. Registered as 501(c)(3) in USA and registered charity in Canada.
2. Family Tree Research Service: Experts create family trees using historical Hungarian birth, death and marriage registry excerpts. Results presented on wikitree.com. Service completed within 30 days. Fee: $500 USD.
3. Grave Maintenance and Cleaning Services: One-off cleaning and maintenance of individual graves including area cleaning, weed clearing, and manual tombstone cleaning. Includes before/after photography. Completed within 10 days. Price: $130 USD per grave.
4. Section Sponsorships: Named sponsorship opportunities for cemetery sections and features. Includes Budapest Memorial Chapel Building ($2,000,000), Holocaust Martyrs Memorial Garden ($360,000), Visitor parking area ($50,000), Memorial Bench ($1,800), Adopt a Grave ($360), and various other levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund fundamentally restores, maintains, and preserves the historic Budapest Jewish Cemetery at Kozma Street, one of the world's largest Jewish cemeteries, while offering heritage-related services to descendants worldwide. Its commercial offerings consist of fee-based services (individual grave cleaning/maintenance at $130 USD per grave and family tree research at $500 USD) alongside free access to a searchable online relative database and guided cemetery tours. The remaining revenue base is charitable, sourced through tax-deductible donations and named section sponsorships across multiple jurisdictions.

Product overview

The Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund operates as a nonprofit preservation initiative focused on restoring the Kozma Street Jewish Cemetery in Budapest. The organization offers a suite of services including a searchable relative database for locating graves, professional family tree research presented on wikitree.com, grave cleaning and maintenance services, and educational programs including cemetery tours. The primary offering is the cemetery preservation project itself, with ancillary services supporting fundraising and heritage documentation. The organization does not operate as a traditional technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Relative Search Database Searchable online database enabling people to locate graves of relatives interred in the Budapest Jewish Cemetery at Kozma Street. Provided free to the public through the organization's website.
• Family Tree Service Expert genealogy service creating family trees using historical Hungarian birth, death, and marriage registry excerpts. Results presented on wikitree.com. Service completed within 30 days for a $500 USD fee.
• Grave Maintenance Service One-off cleaning and maintenance of specified graves, including clearing of surrounding area and weeds, manual cleaning of tombstones, and before/after photography delivered via email. Completed within 10 days for $130 USD per grave.
• Cemetery Tours Guided tours of the Budapest Jewish Cemetery for locals and foreigners, organized as part of fundraising and educational programs to introduce visitors to Hungarian Jewish heritage.
• Volunteer Program Annual volunteer weeks for young people aged 18-28 combining cemetery restoration work with educational tours of Budapest's Jewish heritage sites. Launched July 2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000+ graves reopened access to by mid-2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Jewish Parish of Budapest (BZSH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2016Signed letter of intent in April 2016 with the manager of the cemetery. The Jewish Parish expressly supports the project and cooperation with Budapest Jewish Community (BZsH) for equipment assistance including wood chipper services.
• Transnational Giving Europe / CAF (UK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK arm of transnational giving program administered by Charities Aid Foundation. Allows UK donors to make tax-deductible donations within their own country via Gift Request form and Gift Aid Declaration.
• Hungarian Jewish Museum and ArchivesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint datacard digitization project beginning 2023. Will digitize approximately 200,000+ cards in drawers at cemetery office containing genealogical information. Work involves scanning and digital indexing.
• Stihl HungaryminorOthersProvides discounted power tools and equipment (chainsaws, brushcutters) for cemetery restoration work. Ongoing partnership providing equipment subsidies.
• Scheiber Jewish Highschool (Budapest)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBudapest Jewish secondary school whose students participate in volunteer days. Students cleaned and repainted row markers, collected waste, and photographed gravestones. Vice-principal Zsolt Martha coordinated efforts.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Yad Vashem: Israel's official Holocaust memorial and museum. Comparable in donor base (diaspora Jewish communities worldwide) and in its focus on Holocaust commemoration sites, but operates at vastly larger scale and is government-affiliated.
• Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (NYC): Much larger and broader Jewish heritage museum with extensive donor infrastructure. Comparable in mission and donor base (US Jewish diaspora), though its scope is broader and its delivery model is museum-based rather than cemetery/site restoration.

Direct peers

• Jewish Museum in Prague: Manages the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague and other Central European Jewish heritage sites. Directly comparable as a Jewish-heritage non-profit restoring cemeteries and providing tours, genealogical context, and educational programming in the same Central European geography.
• Centropa: Vienna-based non-profit preserving Jewish heritage across Central and Eastern Europe through oral history, photography, and educational programming. Comparable in geographic focus, donor base, and educational programming model.
• Wrocław Jewish Heritage Foundation: Smaller-than-FODŻ organization focused on Jewish heritage preservation in Wrocław, including cemetery restoration. Most directly comparable peer in terms of cemetery-scale, donor-driven restoration, and Polish/Central European footprint.
• Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland (FODŻ): Polish non-profit dedicated to preserving Jewish heritage sites, including cemeteries, synagogues, and mass graves. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and donor engagement model for Central European Jewish cemetery preservation.
• Heritage Foundation for Preservation of Jewish Monuments (Switzerland): Swiss-based foundation preserving Jewish heritage sites and cemeteries in Switzerland and Central Europe. Comparable in operating model (heritage foundation, donor-driven, Central European footprint) and Dr. Pintér's German-speaking market familiarity.
• AEPJ: Umbrella European organization coordinating Jewish heritage routes, sites, and cemeteries across Europe. Directly comparable as a network coordinating Jewish cemetery and heritage preservation across multiple jurisdictions, similar to the Fund's multi-country donor infrastructure.

Emerging players

• JewishGen: Largest online resource for Jewish genealogy. Comparable to the Budapest Jewish Cemetery's Relative Search Database and Family Tree Service, though JewishGen is broader geographically and not focused on a single cemetery's restoration.
• Gesher Galicia: Non-profit focused on Jewish genealogical research in the former Austro-Hungarian region of Galicia. Strongly comparable to the Fund's Family Tree Service and Regional Search Database, with overlapping donor segments (diaspora descendants of Central European Jews).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfb.me/BudapestJewishCemetery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Budapest Jewish Cemetery Heritage Fund