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| Dreams for Kids | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dreams for Kids |
| Type | Nonprofit youth development organization |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Founder | Jeffery Fenholt |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Area served | International |
| Focus | Youth mentorship, vocational training, arts education |
Dreams for Kids is a nonprofit youth development organization providing mentorship, vocational training, and arts education to underserved children and adolescents. It operates programs that combine life skills, creative arts, and workforce preparation to support positive youth outcomes. The organization collaborates with schools, community centers, and civic institutions to expand access to experiential learning.
Dreams for Kids works with schools such as Los Angeles Unified School District, New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, and community partners including Boys & Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and Habitat for Humanity. It engages stakeholders from philanthropic organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation while interacting with municipal bodies such as the City of Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and state agencies like the California Department of Education and the New York State Education Department. The organization references research institutions such as Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia University, and University of Chicago for program evaluation.
Founded in 1999, Dreams for Kids developed initial programs inspired by models from Teach For America, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and arts initiatives like El Sistema and Carnegie Hall's education programs. Early pilots were run in partnership with local entities including the LA County Department of Arts and Culture, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and neighborhood organizations like Slauson Boys & Girls Club and Watts Labor Community Action Committee. The organization expanded through collaborations with national nonprofits such as United Way, Salvation Army, Feeding America, and juvenile justice partners including The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Justice Policy Institute. Milestones included program scaling during the administrations of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and policy changes influenced by legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Dreams for Kids offers after-school programs, summer internships, and vocational tracks that echo models from YouthBuild USA, Jobs for America’s Graduates, Skillshare, and City Year. Arts programming mirrors approaches used by National Endowment for the Arts, Lincoln Center Education, Juilliard's community programs, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Workforce readiness courses align with standards from LinkedIn Learning, Google Career Certificates, Microsoft Philanthropies, and partnerships with employers including Disney, Apple Inc., Google, Amazon (company), Walt Disney Company, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Live Nation. Health and wellness components reference collaborations with Kaiser Permanente, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Red Cross, and local hospitals such as Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
Evaluations draw on methodologies from Harvard Graduate School of Education, RAND Corporation, The Brookings Institution, and Pew Research Center to measure outcomes including graduation rates, employment placement, and reductions in juvenile recidivism. Reported partnerships with institutions like University of Southern California, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Yale University, and Duke University supported longitudinal studies. Program alumni include participants who later engaged with organizations such as Teach For America, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, LinkedIn, Netflix, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, and municipal governments including City of New York and City of Los Angeles. Outcomes have been presented at forums including SXSW, Clinton Global Initiative, Aspen Ideas Festival, World Economic Forum, and United Nations Headquarters events.
Funding streams include grants from private foundations like The Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, corporate philanthropy from Google.org, Apple Global Volunteer Program, Walt Disney Company Foundation, Bank of America, and fundraising events modeled after benefits hosted by Kennedy Center Honors and auction partnerships with Christie's and Sotheby's. Government grants have come from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education, Corporation for National and Community Service, and state arts councils including the California Arts Council and New York State Council on the Arts. Governance has included board members and advisors from institutions like University of California, Columbia University Teachers College, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and nonprofit leaders from The Aspen Institute and The Brookings Institution.
The organization partners with arts institutions such as Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Getty Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, Metropolitan Museum of Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum, and performance venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Dolby Theatre, and Madison Square Garden. Education partnerships include charter networks such as KIPP, Success Academy Charter Schools, Uncommon Schools, and community colleges like Los Angeles City College and Santa Monica College. International collaborations reference NGOs and programs including UNICEF, UNESCO, Save the Children, and World Bank initiatives on youth development.
Critiques mirror those leveled at similar nonprofits, including debates addressed by commentators at The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and policy analyses from Brookings Institution and Center for American Progress regarding scalability, measurement, and equity. Operational challenges include sustaining funding through economic cycles influenced by events such as the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerns about program efficacy and cultural relevance have prompted collaborations with community leaders from neighborhoods represented by organizations like Coalition for Responsible Community Development and advocacy groups including NAACP, LGBTQ+ centers, and tribal entities such as the National Congress of American Indians.
Category:Non-profit youth organizations in the United States