"The foundation's purpose is to preserve the sites of the crimes as sites of mourning and commemoration, to provide these sites with a scientifically founded form and outward appearance and to make them accessible to the public in an appropriate manner, as well as to promote education through the research of the respective historical occurrences and their conveyance to the public. At the Buchenwald Memorial, the history of the Nazi concentration camp is to receive priority within this context. The history of the Soviet internment camp is to be integrated into the scientific and museum work to an appropriate degree. At the Mittelbau-Dora Memorial, special attention is to be devoted to the subject of the exploitation of inmates for the production of weapons of destruction. The history of the two memorials' political instrumentalisation during the era of the former German Democratic Republic is also to be represented.
The foundation's obligations include the organisation and realisation of permanent and temporary exhibitions, scientific colloquia and cultural events on the national and international level, the educational guidance of the visitors with a special focus on young people, and scientific documentation, research and publication in connection with the work of the memorial." (Article 2 of the Thuringian Act providing for the establishment of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation)
The foundation pursues exclusively and immediately non-profit objectives. The finances are furnished by the federal government and the State of Thuringia in equal parts. The organs of the foundation are the foundation council and the foundation director. A scientific board of trustees advises the foundation council and the foundation director on all special questions.
In order to incorporate the experiences of the victims into the memorial work, three advisory boards were formed:
an advisory board of former inmates of Buchenwald Concentration Camp
an advisory board of former inmates of Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp
an advisory board of former inmates of Soviet Special Camp No. 2.
