i.am.angel Foundation

What i.am.angel Foundation does

i.am.angel Foundation is a private nonprofit foundation founded in 2009 by musician and entrepreneur will.i.am (William Adams) and headquartered in Los Angeles, with its primary operational footprint in the Boyle Heights community. The foundation delivers STEM/STEAM education, competitive robotics, and college preparation programs free of charge to underserved youth, operating through three core branded programs: i.am FIRST (competitive robotics delivered in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District across 400+ public schools, reaching 12,000+ students annually via FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition teams), i.am STEAM (coding, robotics, and design enrichment), and i.am College Track (a 10-year academic and social support pipeline co-operated with College Track, targeting first-generation college students and producing 100% college matriculation among graduates in the classes of 2025 and 2026). A fourth program, TRANS4M, is the foundation's annual fundraising gala.

The foundation does not generate revenue in a commercial sense; its operating model is funded through charitable donations from its founder, corporate sponsorships (Chase, Google, Microsoft, HP, NVIDIA, SpaceX, Raytheon, LEGO Education, Dassault Systemes), and grants from philanthropic partners including The Prince's Trust (£500,000 in 2012) and the 100,000 Strong Foundation ($100,000 in 2013). Programs are distributed via direct school-district partnerships, community centers (Estrada Courts and Variety Boys & Girls Clubs), a dedicated center at Boyle Heights City Hall, and international distribution through The Prince's Trust in the UK. Distribution outside the US is regional rather than global, but students participate in FIRST World Championships in Houston alongside peers from 75+ countries.

The foundation's strategic differentiation rests on founder-led celebrity visibility, deep institutional entanglement with LAUSD and College Track, and a curated corporate ecosystem spanning NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, and major technology companies that supplies mentors, equipment (e.g., 85 laptops from Microsoft in 2014), and prestige. Underlying technology is conventional STEM/STEAM curriculum and robotics competition tooling — there is no proprietary software platform or AI/ML capability disclosed. Governance is single-leader: will.i.am serves as founder and president, and in July 2025 was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the ITU-led AI Skills Coalition, signaling an emerging programmatic emphasis on AI education and digital skills advocacy.

Name

i.am.angel Foundation

Legal name

i.am Angel Foundation

Website

https://iamangelfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

i.am.angel Foundation is a 2009-founded nonprofit delivering STEM/STEAM education, competitive robotics, and college preparation to underserved youth, primarily via a partnership with LAUSD across 400+ schools reaching 12,000+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit STEM/STEAM Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied) (EDAMACAG), Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Robotics competitions
• College preparation services
• Nonprofit foundation
• STEAM enrichment

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations and Grants: The foundation operates as a nonprofit, funded through donations from will.i.am, corporate sponsors, and grants from foundations such as The Prince's Trust (£500,000), 100,000 Strong Foundation ($100,000), and others to support STEM education programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

i.am.angel Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization that delivers free STEM/STEAM enrichment, FIRST Robotics competition programming, and long-term college preparation services to underserved youth, primarily in Boyle Heights and across the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Its three flagship programs—i.am FIRST, i.am STEAM, and i.am College Track—are delivered through school district and community-center partnerships, supplemented by an annual TRANS4M fundraising gala. All programs are provided at no cost to students and are funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.

Product overview

i.am Angel Foundation operates as an educational nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of programs including i.am FIRST (robotics competitions and education), i.am STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math enrichment), i.am College Track (10-year college preparation), and TRANS4M (annual fundraising gala). The foundation partners with LAUSD to bring FIRST Robotics programs to over 400 schools impacting more than 12,000 students, while providing college preparation services focused on underserved communities like Boyle Heights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• i.am FIRST: FIRST Robotics program partnership with LAUSD bringing robotics programs to 400 Los Angeles public schools
• i.am STEAM
• i.am College Track
• TRANS4M

Products and services

• i.am FIRST A FIRST Robotics program partnering with LAUSD to bring competitive robotics education to 400+ Los Angeles public schools, enabling 12,000+ middle and high school students to participate through FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams.
• i.am STEAM

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of i.am College Track scholars are first in their family to attend college
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and supporting.

• ITU (International Telecommunication Union)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UN agency for digital technologies leading the AI Skills Coalition. will.i.am appointed as Goodwill Ambassador at AI for Good Conference in Geneva to raise awareness for AI education and skills development.
• Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2021LAUSD partners with will.i.am and i.am Angel Foundation to bring FIRST Robotics programs to 400 Los Angeles public schools. Over 12,000 students have the opportunity to participate in robotics competitions annually. The partnership includes FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) teams competing in regional and world championships.
• LA's BESTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership with LA's BEST to expand FIRST LEGO League robotics programs in Boyle Heights. Provides after-school robotics enrichment for underserved students in Los Angeles.
• LEGO EducationsupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Corporate partner providing LEGO robotics equipment and education resources for expanded FIRST LEGO League programs in Boyle Heights schools.
• MicrosoftsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Provided 85 laptops for hackathon events and coding workshops, enabling students without home computers to participate in programming activities.
• Dassault SystèmessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Donated CATIA V6 software and supported 3D design work for student robotics projects, including the Orion spacecraft mascot project.
• Lockheed MartinsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Led initiative to include STEM artifacts on Orion spacecraft payload, inviting i.am Angel Foundation students to contribute 3D-printed robotics mascot.
• Tango Systems (Tapdn)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Los Angeles-based mobile payment company that mentored student developers and provided back-end technology for scholarship crowdfunding app.
• College TrackcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2013National college completion program partnered with i.am Angel Foundation to open Boyle Heights site. Provides 10-year commitment from freshman year through college graduation. Free programs include academic support, mentoring, Chinese language, robotics, and enrichment activities.
• NASAflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2013Partnership for the 'Reach for the Stars' Space Apps Challenge, a 48-hour coding marathon for space exploration apps. will.i.am's song 'Reach for the Stars' was the first music broadcast from Mars by Curiosity rover. NASA collaboration includes International Space Apps Challenge in 75+ cities worldwide.
• 100,000 Strong FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2013$100,000 grant to send Boyle Heights students to China for study abroad programs and create Mandarin language programs. Partnership with Confucius Institute at UCLA. Launched by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to strengthen US-China relations through education.
• SpaceXsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013SpaceX hosted tours of Hawthorne headquarters for i.am College Track students, particularly young women in STEM. Students learned about rocket manufacturing and careers in aerospace from engineers like Erin Gatling.
• National Academy of SciencessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Co-organized SpaceX tours for i.am College Track women along with CAA Foundation and i.am Angel Foundation to encourage more women in STEM fields.
• Science Museum (London)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Partnership with The Prince's Trust to deliver Launchbox workshops in schools across the UK, inspiring 13-19 year olds in STEM subjects.
• The Prince's TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012will.i.am donated £500,000 ($800,000) to The Prince's Trust to fund technology programs for disadvantaged young people in the UK. Programs include STEM workshops at Science Museum, Get Started with Product Design courses, and digital skills training. Over 800 young people supported through Prince's Trust programs.
• FIRST RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational robotics competition organization providing the framework for i.am FIRST programs. Enables students to participate in FIRST Tech Challenge, FRC competitions, and World Championships. The foundation has been a partner since 2013.
• ChasesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor for Roosevelt High School robotics team and STEM programs.
• RaytheonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTech company providing STEM professionals as mentors for Roosevelt High School robotics team.
• GooglesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate partner contributing to successful creation of Roosevelt High School robotics team.
• HPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate technology partner for robotics and STEM education programs.
• NVIDIAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner supporting robotics team development and STEM education.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@iamangel_foundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/iamangelfoundation
• Xx.com/iamangelfdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/i-am-angel-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about i.am.angel Foundation