One Institute

What One Institute does

One Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural and educational organization founded in 1952, recognized as the oldest continuously active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States. It operates from West Hollywood/Los Angeles and is dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ history through education, exhibitions, and public cultural programming. Its service base spans K-12 educators and students, LGBTQ+ youth, academic researchers, cultural audiences in Los Angeles and broader California, and — via its partnership with USC Libraries — national scholarly audiences.

The institute's product surface is broad and distributed across multiple formats. Core programs include the K-12 Education Programs and Youth Ambassadors initiative, which deliver LGBTQ+ history curricula into California schools; the Periodically Queer Podcast (launched June 2022) and Youspeak Radio, which extend reach into on-demand and broadcast audio; the Circa: Queer Histories Festival (launched 2023), a recurring public-programming franchise; ONE Gallery, the institute's exhibition venue; and the Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Lectures (launching August 2026), a recurring intellectual-programming series. In 2026, the institute assumed stewardship of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, adding an HIV/AIDS memorialization franchise to its mandate. The institute's historical archives were transferred to USC Libraries in 2010, formalizing a long-term preservation and academic-access partnership.

The institute operates on a nonprofit revenue model with free public programming. Earned revenue is limited to e-commerce and modest membership dues, with the bulk of operating support drawn from individual donations, foundation grants, and civic funding — including documented relationships with the City of West Hollywood, the Getty Foundation, and the LA County Arts Commission. Pricing across education, exhibitions, festival, podcast, and memorial programming is free to end users, making institutional fundraising rather than ticket or seat revenue the primary economic engine. The 2023 corporate restructuring under the "One Institute" brand consolidated prior entities into a unified identity aligned with this multi-format mandate.

Name

One Institute

Legal name

One Institute

Website

https://oneinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Short description

One Institute, founded in 1952, is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit cultural and educational organization that advances LGBTQ+ history through K-12 education, exhibitions, a podcast, a festival, and a 2026-stewarded AIDS Monument, serving youth, educators, researchers, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural and Historical Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural, Identity & Inclusion Programs (EDALAHAF), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF), Inclusive Education (Disability, Gender Equity, Marginalized Learners) (BPADAKAI)

Keywords

• LGBTQ history education
• Cultural exhibitions programming
• Youth mentorship programs
• Community arts nonprofit
• Archival research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, One Institute depends entirely on support from community members and public and private grant funds to sustain operations and free public programming
2. E-commerce Store: Online store selling apparel (T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats), accessories (buttons, tote bags, iPhone cases), home goods (posters, mugs, notecards), and exhibition catalogues
3. Membership Program: Membership program offering exclusive access while supporting LGBTQ+ mission

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

One Institute is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces LGBTQ+ history education programs, public exhibitions, and cultural events for queer and trans communities. It offers free public programs at ONE Gallery in West Hollywood, K-12 educational curricula and teacher trainings, youth mentorship programs, the Circa queer histories festival, the Periodically Queer podcast, and stewards the world's largest LGBTQ+ archive in partnership with USC Libraries.

Product overview

One Institute operates as a nonprofit cultural organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS history and culture preservation. The core offerings include the annual Circa queer histories festival (launched 2023), the Periodically Queer podcast exploring LGBTQ+ print media history, K-12 educational programs with lesson plans and teacher trainings, youth mentorship programs (Youth Ambassadors for Queer History and Youspeak Radio), and public exhibitions at ONE Gallery. The organization also maintains an online store selling branded merchandise including the Pride Collection featuring historic ONE Magazine imagery. Additional offerings include public programs (performances, screenings, readings, workshops), the Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis lecture series, Pride Publics public art projects, and stewardship of the STORIES: The AIDS Monument (assumed in 2026). The organization serves as the independent community partner of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circa: The first and only queer histories festival in the country, launched in 2023 in honor of LGBTQ+ History Month.
• Periodically Queer
• ONE Gallery
• Youth Ambassadors for Queer History
• Youspeak Radio
• Pride Publics

Products and services

• Circa Festival A month-long, LA County-wide programming series showcasing the trailblazing histories and vibrant cultural contributions of LGBTQ+ communities through exhibitions, performances, readings, screenings, lectures, dialogues, and parties. Free admission.
• Periodically Queer Podcast Award-nominated podcast exploring LGBTQ+ print media history, featuring archival excerpts, oral histories, and expert commentary. Season 2 spotlights ONE Magazine, Vanguard Magazine, and the history of LGBTQ+ publications from the 1950s-1960s. Available on Spotify.
• K-12 Educational Programs Educational initiatives providing LGBTQ+ history lesson plans, teacher trainings, and classroom resources to K-12 teachers across Los Angeles and beyond, equipping youth and educators with tools for inclusive classrooms and communities. Free to educators.
• Youth Ambassadors for Queer History Youth mentorship program that has equipped seven cohorts of students with archival research, oral history, and creative storytelling skills. Free to participating youth.
• Youspeak Radio Youth-focused program providing training and opportunities for young people to develop media and storytelling skills. Free to participating youth.
• Public Exhibitions at ONE Gallery Public exhibitions elevating the rich histories of queer and trans communities and embracing emerging stories yet to be told, featuring multimedia projects and displays at One Gallery and throughout Los Angeles. Free admission with suggested $5 donation.
• Paul D. Lerner and Stephen Reis Lectures on LGBTQ+ History A quarterly public speaker series celebrating the enduring impact of LGBTQ+ historians, activists, and authors, providing audiences with opportunities to learn from and engage with experts in the field. Free with RSVP via TicketTailor.
• Public Programs A robust schedule of performances, screenings, readings, panel conversations, workshops, and more featuring thinkers and doers leading the movement for queer and trans liberation. Free admission with RSVP for some programs.
• One Institute Online Store E-commerce store selling branded merchandise including apparel (T-shirts $25-$30, sweatshirts, hats, tank tops $25), accessories (buttons, iPhone cases, tote bags $28, fanny packs $35, bandanas, masks), home and living items (posters, framed posters $75, canvas prints, notecards, mugs $14), and exhibition catalogues.
• STORIES: The AIDS Monument One Institute serves as steward of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, dedicated to honoring those impacted by HIV/AIDS, in partnership with the City of West Hollywood.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ visitors to Pride Publics 2021 project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of West HollywoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026In 2026, One Institute assumed stewardship of STORIES: The AIDS Monument in partnership with the City of West Hollywood.
• USC Libraries (ONE Archives)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne Institute serves as the independent community partner of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, which contains the largest collection of LGBTQ+ materials in the world. The collections were transferred to USC in 2010.
• Los Angeles Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Periodically Queer Season Two Launch Party at Junipero Serra branch

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CenterLink: Umbrella organization for LGBTQ+ community centers across the US — comparable community-and-education delivery model with a network rather than single-site operating structure.
• Human Rights Campaign: Largest LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy organization in the US — operates at national policy scale across advocacy, education, and community programs, comparable mission with much broader scope.

Direct peers

• PFLAG: National LGBTQ+ family-support and education organization with chapters across the US — directly comparable grassroots community-and-education focus to One Institute's public programming.
• Lambda Literary: LGBTQ+ literary and publishing organization that, like One Institute, focuses on preserving and amplifying queer cultural history through publications, awards, and educational programming.
• GLSEN: National LGBTQ+ education organization focused on K-12 inclusive curricula, educator training, and student programs — directly comparable to One Institute's educational programming and teacher training mission.
• InterPride: International network of Pride organizations producing LGBTQ+ festivals and public events — directly comparable to One Institute's Circa queer histories festival model.
• The Trevor Project: Leading LGBTQ+ youth organization providing crisis intervention, mentorship, and education — overlapping with One Institute's Youth Ambassadors for Queer History and Youspeak Radio programs.

Emerging players

• Matthew Shepard Foundation: LGBTQ+ advocacy and education foundation — comparable education and memorial mission, though smaller and more focused on hate-crimes awareness than cultural-history programming.
• Point Foundation: LGBTQ+ scholarship and mentorship organization — comparable youth-development and educational-mission focus with a narrower scholarship-driven delivery model.
• National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR): LGBTQ+ legal advocacy organization with adjacent education and community programs — comparable mission profile but focused on legal rather than cultural-historical work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/oneinstitutela
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/one-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/oneinstitutela

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about One Institute