MAITLAND, Fl. (April 13, 2026) — The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida (Holocaust Center) today announced it has secured gifts and pledges equaling 70 percent of its funding goal–approximately $44 million of its updated $63 million budget–to build, operate and endow the transformative “Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity” in Orlando. The organization anticipates a groundbreaking ceremony in the fourth quarter of this year to kickoff construction.

“Our community’s sustained interest in our mission and expanded slate of programming afforded opportunities to explore different sites and facilities over the past decade,” said Holocaust Center board chair Ronald Schirtzer. “We are proud to have landed on a right-sized concept that strengthens our vision. The design we’ve arrived at centers the Holocaust Center in the heart of downtown Orlando, dramatically expands our ability to deliver programs within and beyond the museum's walls, and establishes the financial foundation to sustain this mission for generations. We look forward to breaking ground later this year.”

The 25,345 square foot museum, 3.5 times larger than its current space, will be built at an architecturally significant, centrally located site provided by the City of Orlando in downtown Orlando at a value of $10 million. It is designed around a nontraditional approach to Holocaust education that meets younger generations where they are, helping them understand how injustice, othering, and unbelonging take shape in their own communities through the lessons of the Holocaust. Through immersive learning environments, first-person testimony of local survivors, and innovative technology, the museum reinforces that it is a space for ongoing conversations about personal and collective responsibility and action in the face of injustice.

“The Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity will be an important addition to downtown Orlando. More than just a destination, the museum will help residents and visitors learn from the past as we work to ensure that our city remains welcoming to all people today and tomorrow. I am grateful for our community's collective support of the Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida as they work to bring this vision to reality,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Designed by Orlando firm HuntonBrady Architects, the new plans will invest in an extensive remodel and reimagining of the property’s existing building, formerly home to the Orlando Chamber of Commerce with adjoining new construction to house the museum’s core exhibit. This path allows for the full expression of the museum’s vision while reclaiming the community focus the Holocaust Center has been known for. MDSX, an Orlando-based award-winning experience design, media production, and creative management agency will spearhead exhibit design.

“MDSX will be bringing the experience to life, leading the creative vision, infusing the project with our renowned storytelling and interactive media production expertise. Our team also includes Kellen Nixon, of Nixon & Co., who works closely with us to bridge the gap between the community and the museum, and Luna Lux for dynamic lighting design, among others. This collective of top-tier partners will deliver a transformative, multi-sensory destination that sets a new benchmark for immersive cultural experiences,” said MDSX owner and chief experience officer Dan Picard.

“Our core exhibit design centers the lived experiences of those who endured the Holocaust, grounding the space in our guiding values of empathy, dignity, resilience, and responsibility. Instead of a traditional, perpetrator-focused chronology, the exhibition invites visitors to move alongside local Florida survivors and encounter events as they were experienced and understood in real time, revealing how injustice, othering, and unbelonging took hold and the role we each play in confronting them today," said Holocaust Center Senior Director of Museum Experiences Suzanne Grimmer.

“As educators, we are entrusted not only with preserving memory, but with shaping conscience. By guiding visitors through the lived experiences of survivors using immersive environments and interactive testimony, we move beyond information to formation. We cultivate empathy, deepen perspective, and strengthen moral courage so that learning extends beyond our walls into resilient, responsible action within our community,” said Holocaust Center Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement Stephen Poynor.

The museum will support local educational efforts and add to Orlando’s rich collection of cultural attractions, which draw tens of millions of visitors and has made the city the United States’ most visited tourist destination. The Museum is the recipient of a $10 million allocation from Orange County’s Tourist Development Tax funds.

“Orange County prides itself on its unique cultural attractions, and the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity is especially meaningful for our community and the millions who visit Central Florida,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings.

The State of Florida has contributed $5 million to the museum, on a funding request forwarded by (former) State Senator Linda Stewart and State Representative David Smith. The new museum has also received significant gifts and pledges from a range of private donors and foundations.