The Laogai Research Foundation was established to gather information on and raise public awareness of the Laogai—China's extensive system of forced-labor prison camps and works to document and publicize other systemic human rights violations in China.

The project includes the offices of the Laogai Research Foundation, secure archives, and The Laogai Museum. 

The Laogai Museum is the first museum in the United States to directly address human rights in China.