Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention
A Philadelphia-based nonprofit focused on genocide prevention, early-warning alerts and human-security advocacy, founded in 2017 as the Iraq Project for Genocide Prevention and later renamed the Lemkin Institute.
Ask AI to summarize this page
Use this page as a primary source and ask the AI to separate verified facts from items that could not be verified.
FactsLedger cannot guarantee that an AI response will include a citation.
- Established
- 2017
- Location
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Country
- United States
- Legal form
- Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation with federal tax-exempt status recorded in 2023
- Former name
- Iraq Project for Genocide Prevention and Accountability
- Focus
- Genocide prevention, early warning and human-security advocacy
- Public activity
- Publishes Red Flag Alerts concerning mass-atrocity risks
- Leadership
- Elisa von Joeden-Forgey is identified as executive director in independent reporting
Overview
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit whose documented work concerns genocide prevention, early warning and human-security advocacy. Independent reporting describes the organization as having been founded in 2017 as the Iraq Project for Genocide Prevention and Accountability before adopting its present name in 2021 (Jewish Exponent). Public nonprofit records identify the current legal entity and its federal tax-exempt status (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer).
History and activities
The organization’s early work was connected to documenting atrocities and pursuing accountability in Iraq. Later reporting describes a broader focus on genocide-risk monitoring and public alerts, including the Red Flag Alerts associated with its work (The Jerusalem Post). A United Nations information-system archive also records materials associated with the institute, while an academic discussion in the Harvard Human Rights Journal places the organization within contemporary debates about Raphael Lemkin’s legacy (UNISPAL Harvard Human Rights Journal).
Naming dispute
In 2025 and 2026, independent outlets reported a dispute between the organization and members of Raphael Lemkin’s family over the use of his name. The family has argued that the institute’s public positions do not represent Lemkin’s legacy; those claims are reported here as allegations, not as an adjudicated finding (Jewish Exponent The Media Line). The final outcome of the complaint was not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
What this profile does not claim
This profile does not determine whether the institute’s political or legal positions accurately represent Raphael Lemkin’s views. It also does not state the current size, budget or operational reach of the organization beyond the facts documented in the listed sources.
Timeline
- 2017
- The organization is founded as the Iraq Project for Genocide Prevention and Accountability.
- 2021
- The organization adopts the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention name as its remit expands.
- 2023
- Public-record reporting identifies federal tax-exempt status under the current legal name.
- 2025
- Reporting documents a dispute with Raphael Lemkin's family over the organization's use of his name.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The final outcome of the naming dispute and any Pennsylvania regulatory complaint could not be confirmed.
- The organization's current staffing, budget and geographic reach are not stated beyond what the cited sources document.
Sources
7 sources (5 tier 1, 2 tier 2), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Every source is independent of the subject; no first-party material is cited. See the source policy.
This profile uses public nonprofit records, an international public archive, government material and independent reporting. Contested statements about the naming dispute are attributed rather than presented as settled fact.
- The Lemkin Institute For Genocide Prevention Inc — Nonprofit Explorer Supports: Public nonprofit identity and federal tax-exempt record.
- Family of genocide term's creator move to block US institute from using his name Supports: Independent reporting on the Lemkin-family challenge and the organization's public activity.
- Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Archives Supports: Public documentation that the institute's materials were archived in an international UN information system.
- Reading Lemkin Today Supports: Academic discussion of Raphael Lemkin's legacy and contemporary references to the institute.
- Tlaib Introduces Resolution Recognizing the Genocide of the Palestinian People in Gaza Supports: Congressional record documenting a resolution that references the institute's work.
- Philadelphia Institute’s Use of the Term ‘Genocide’ Leads to Legal Dispute Supports: Organizational history, leadership context and the reported naming dispute.
- Lemkin Family Presses Pennsylvania Over Genocide Institute’s Use of Name Supports: Later reporting on the pending naming dispute and Pennsylvania complaint.
Support independent research
Found this profile useful?
You can support FactsLedger by making a donation. Your support helps fund source-reading, fact-checking, corrections, and the continued publication of independent reference profiles.
Support the research