The Dui Hua Foundation

What The Dui Hua Foundation does

The Dui Hua Foundation is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in April 1999 by John Kamm, a former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, to advocate on behalf of political and religious prisoners in China. The foundation's primary function is to maintain direct, confidential dialogue with Chinese government ministries (Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the US government, and other like-minded governments (EU, Switzerland, Norway), through which it submits prisoner lists and advocates for clemency, sentence reductions, and improved detention conditions. Its served constituents include foreign governments and policymakers, families of detained individuals, media organizations, and academic researchers studying China's criminal justice system.

The foundation's core technology asset is the Political Prisoner Database (PPDB), a searchable database of political and religious prisoners built since 1999 through open-source research into official Chinese provincial newspapers, judicial yearbooks, and public security bureau records. Dui Hua disseminates its research through the quarterly Dui Hua Digest, a Human Rights Journal, regular Prisoner Updates, the first-person 'John Kamm Remembers' (JKR) narrative series, and the 'JKR: Encounters with China' podcast launched in 2023. Adjacent research resources cover death penalty reform, women in prison (UN Bangkok Rules), and juvenile justice. From April 1999 to December 2025, the foundation submitted over 550 lists with more than 2,000 prisoner names, achieving clemency outcomes for more than 500 individuals, with internal data indicating that being on a list tripled the probability of clemency.

Dui Hua operates a donation-based, non-commercial business model. As a federally tax-exempt organization (Tax ID 94-3327519), it accepts one-time and recurring gifts, stock donations, IRA qualified charitable distributions, and donor-advised funds, and all of its research, publications, and database resources are provided free of charge through duihua.org. The foundation employs between 1 and 10 staff at its 450 Sutter Street headquarters and does not sell products or services. Its go-to-market is fundamentally relational and diplomatic: influence is generated through confidential dialogue with government actors rather than through commercial distribution.

Name

The Dui Hua Foundation

Legal name

The Dui Hua Foundation

Website

https://duihua.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dui Hua Foundation is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1999, that advocates for political and religious prisoners in China through confidential direct dialogue with the Chinese, US, and other governments, the Political Prisoner Database, expert exchanges, and human rights publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• Political prisoner research
• Nonprofit foundation
• Criminal justice research
• Diplomatic dialogue services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: The Dui Hua Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization (Tax ID: 94-3327519) registered in California. The organization accepts donations online, by mail, and through other giving methods including stock donations, wire transfers, IRA qualified charitable distributions, and donor-advised funds. Donors can give one-time or recurring (sustainer) gifts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dui Hua Foundation conducts direct dialogue with the Chinese government, the US government, and other like-minded governments to advocate for clemency and better treatment of political and religious prisoners in China. It maintains the Political Prisoner Database (PPDB), publishes research findings on China's criminal justice system via the Dui Hua Digest, Human Rights Journal, Prisoner Updates, and the JKR: Encounters with China podcast, and organizes expert exchanges among criminal justice practitioners and scholars.

Product overview

The Dui Hua Foundation is a 501(c)(3) human rights non-profit organization that does not offer a commercial product or software platform. Its core offering consists of research programs and publications focused on political and religious prisoners in China. The main resources include the Political Prisoner Database (a searchable research database), the Dui Hua Digest (periodic publication), the Human Rights Journal (scholarly publication), Prisoner Updates (regular case-by-case updates), John Kamm Remembers (first-person narrative series), and the JKR: Encounters with China podcast. Additional research resources cover Death Penalty Reform, Women in Prison, and Juvenile Justice. All offerings are publicly accessible informational resources supporting the foundation’s advocacy mission of conducting direct dialogue with governments on behalf of at-risk detainees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Prisoner Database (PPDB) A searchable database of political and religious prisoners in China, maintained by Dui Hua researchers through open-source research into official Chinese publications and government dialogue. Used by governments, academics, journalists, and families for case research and advocacy.
• Dui Hua Digest

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 500 people received clemency through Dui Hua's advocacy
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Freedom House: Freedom House monitors political freedom and civil liberties globally, including annual ratings on China. While it shares Dui Hua's concern with political prisoners in China and produces influential research, it operates as a broader policy and monitoring organization rather than as a direct dialogue advocate for individual prisoners.
• Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch conducts research and advocacy on human rights abuses globally, including detailed reporting on political prisoners in China. While it shares Dui Hua's documentation and advocacy mission, HRW operates as a broad incumbent across many countries rather than through a single-country direct dialogue model.
• Amnesty International: Amnesty International is a global human rights organization that, like Dui Hua, documents political prisoners and advocates for their release, including in China. It is a broader incumbent operating worldwide across many human rights issues rather than focusing on a single country dialogue model.

Direct peers

• PEN America: PEN America advocates for writers and journalists imprisoned worldwide, including cases in China, through documentation, public campaigns, and government engagement. Its Writers in Prison program parallels Dui Hua's prisoner database approach and shared mission of advocating for individuals persecuted for expression.
• Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights: RFK Human Rights is a nonprofit that combines human rights documentation, advocacy, and litigation to support political prisoners and dissidents worldwide. It shares Dui Hua's focus on individual prisoner cases and engages with governments on behalf of detained individuals.
• Uyghur Human Rights Project: UHRP documents and advocates for Uyghur political prisoners in China through research, policy advocacy, and engagement with international bodies. It shares Dui Hua's mission of prisoner documentation and political advocacy targeting Chinese detention.
• China Aid Association: China Aid monitors religious persecution and political prisoners in China, particularly focusing on house churches and religious detainees. It parallels Dui Hua's documentation of religious prisoners and its advocacy for their release through international channels.
• Laogai Research Foundation: Laogai Research Foundation documents China's labor camp system and political prisoners, sharing Dui Hua's research-driven approach to Chinese human rights. Both organizations maintain databases on Chinese detention and conduct advocacy through dialogue with policymakers.

Regional players

• Tibet Action Institute: Tibet Action Institute engages in advocacy and digital activism for Tibetan political prisoners and human rights in China. While it shares Dui Hua's focus on political prisoner advocacy targeting China, it operates through public campaigns and digital tools rather than the bilateral government dialogue model.
• International Campaign for Tibet: ICT advocates for Tibetan political prisoners and human rights through engagement with the Chinese government and international bodies. While focused on Tibet specifically, it shares Dui Hua's methodology of documenting individual prisoners and advocating through diplomatic channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLTbsveeK6DnsSqNSMQeYCym_iUof8ca82
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dui-hua

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Dui Hua Foundation