What is the Courage Museum?
The Courage Museum is an interactive, immersive museum and learning center opening in 2026 in San Francisco. It’s designed to inspire visitors to believe in a world in which violence is not inevitable – and to take action to make that vision a reality.
Visitors will experience an immersive learning environment, including a series of interactive installations that show the causes and impacts of domestic and sexual violence, harassment and abuse. The goal? To inspire acts of courage around ending violence.
The pioneering Empathy Mirrors exhibit will include interactive screens with personal narratives of adversity, discrimination and resilience – created in partnership with award-winning filmmakers. Through empathetic listening and interactive questions, visitors will consider their own capacity for courage and action in the face of violence.
FUTURES is partnering with renowned museum designer Jake Barton to bring the Courage Museum to life. Barton is the founder of the experience design firm Local Projects, whose recent projects include the 9/11 National Memorial and Museum in New York City, and the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
To learn more about the Courage Museum, or to join us as a founding partner in the nation’s first immersive learning center designed to prevent violence and to offer a place for teaching and healing, please contact Rachael Smith Fals, rsmithfals(at)futureswithoutviolence.org.
What can visitors expect?
Visitors will learn how to create change to help their families, schools and communities live free from violence, bullying, and harassment by:
- Exploring evidence and brain science to better understand violence as a learned behavior that can be unlearned
- Embracing empathy and courage by interacting with personal narratives from survivors of violence and abuse
- Discovering everyday actions that can prevent violence and promote resilience and healing
- Re-examining the biological, cultural, and historical assumptions to better understand the causes and impacts of violence
Who should come?
- Students (high school and college)
- Educators
- Parents
- Activists
- Anyone curious about taking a transformative journey to rethink assumptions and see the individual and collective actions they can take to prevent violence and help survivors heal
Where will the museum be?
The Courage Museum will be located on the main post of the Presidio in San Francisco – a National Park in the heart of the Bay Area. Part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, it is home to nature trails, amazing views of the Bay Bridge, and amenities including hotels, restaurants and a theatre.
How can I keep in touch?
Sign up for our newsletter — choose Courage Museum from the list options — and we’ll send you information about events, happenings and our exciting grand opening.
