Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation

Self-guided/audio tour: under an agreement with the national park service, the Foundation is authorized to operate a self-guided/audio tour program with content covering Liberty Island and the Ellis Island museum. The audio tour is available in 12 languages, as well as an asl and audio descriptor tour. Revenues generated by these tours are available for projects jointly agreed to by the Statue of liberty-ellis Island Foundation and the national park service. In fiscal year 2023, audio tours were available to the approximately 3.3 million visitors to Liberty and Ellis islands.

Ellis wall of honor expansion: for more than 30 years, the american immigrant wall of honor has been a unique and lasting monument celebrating countless immigrant stories. Virtually every nationality from every inhabited continent can be found on the wall of honor, alongside those who endured forced migration from slavery and our land's earliest settlers. In response to continued interest in the wall of honor, the Foundation is expanding the monument; while the wall is currently full, soon there will be room for many more individuals and families to commemorate their family's immigrant history.

Ellis museum project: the original exhibitry at this museum is more than 30 years old. The Foundation is working with the national park service to reimagine the museum for the 21st century. The Foundation looks to maintain the museum's exceptional storytelling, while deepening the experience for the contemporary visitor.

The american family immigration history center (afihc) at Ellis Island welcomes tens of thousands of visitors annually. Foundation staff operate the family history center, welcoming visitors to search for their family's records. The Foundation's 65-million-record electronic database contains the arrival records of immigrants, passengers, and crew members who entered the united states through the port of new york/ellis Island between 1820-1957. The database, which is managed by the Foundation, is also available for free at www.libertyellisfoundation.org. In fiscal year 2023, the website received 16.3 million page views and 11.1 million unique visitors. Revenues are generated by reservation fees for terminals at the center, as well as sales from historical documents and other mission-related products on the web and at the center.

Public awareness, education, and programming: the Foundation seeks to inform external audiences about the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Foundation's mission and initiatives. The Foundation works closely with the national park service on media relations and is increasingly active on social media with some 123,000 followers on facebook, youtube, twitter, instagram, and linkedin. The Foundation curates and develops virtual experiences that ensure our ability to continue cultivating new audiences while also providing free educational content to benefit teachers, students, and the general public. Materials include informative videos about the Ellis Island immigrant experience, family history research tools, tips for capturing oral histories, augmented reality and virtual reality experiences, and more enlisting subject-area experts from our own staff, history advisory committee, and third parties, the Foundation hosts educational presentations (in person and virtual) relevant to the monuments' histories and immigrant experiences. The Foundation partners for select programming, such as with earthcam to provide views of lady Liberty and Liberty Island and holland america lines to commemorate the company's significant role in Ellis Island history.

Liberty museum care: since the opening of the museum in 2019, Foundation staff care for the ongoing maintenance of technology-related exhibits, which include the immersive theater with three enormous screens, the popular interactive becoming Liberty exhibit, and the Liberty star video terminals.

Statue of Liberty museum project: the Foundation designed and built a new leed-certified, freestanding museum on Liberty Island, which opened on may 16, 2019. Before the opening of the new museum, less than 20% of Liberty Island visitors could experience the exhibits that were located in the Statue's pedestal due to restricted access, but now all visitors can enjoy the museum, without the need for additional advanced reservations or tickets. This beautiful new destination on Liberty Island has given all visitors a more meaningful experience and deeper understanding of lady Liberty's history and ongoing significance.

Ellis exhibit care: to support the national park service, Foundation staff care for the ongoing maintenance of technology-related exhibits in the Ellis Island museum. These include interactive exhibits, a/v, and touchscreens.