Achieving The Dream

What Achieving The Dream does

Achieving The Dream (ATD) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, that operates the largest U.S. community college reform network, serving 300+ member institutions across 45 states and reaching 4M+ students. Originally incubated by the Lumina Foundation, ATD became an independent nonprofit and supports community colleges in improving student success and equitable outcomes through cohort-based learning, leadership coaching, and shared frameworks for institutional change.

ATD's core product is the Foundations of Transformation, a multi-year coaching engagement that combines on-site advising, leadership development, and the proprietary Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT) to diagnose and strengthen college practices. The organization supplements this with flagship convenings (the annual DREAM conference, which drew 6,800+ registrants in 2024), open educational resources, and an expanding portfolio of thematic initiatives including Holistic Student Supports, the Digital Holistic Student Supports (DHSS) initiative, the Community College Workforce Sustainability (CCWS) initiative, Sustainable College-Employer Partnerships, and the AI for All program. ATD delivered 8,800+ coaching hours in 2024 across its network.

ATD's revenue model is a hybrid of network membership fees, fee-for-service coaching and consulting, philanthropic grants from a diversified base of major foundations (Lumina, Ascendium, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Annie E. Casey, Kresge, Carnegie Corporation, ECMC, Barr, Walmart, JP Morgan Chase), event and conference revenue, and individual/corporate donations. The organization employs 101-250 staff and is led by President and CEO Dr. Lenore Rodicio, who assumed the role in 2025.

Name

Achieving The Dream

Legal name

Achieving the Dream, Inc.

Website

https://achievingthedream.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Achieving The Dream is a nonprofit that operates a 300+ member community college network across 45 states, delivering multi-year coaching, the proprietary ICAT assessment, and reform initiatives to improve student success for 4M+ students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Consulting Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Sector Coordination, Clusters & Working Groups (EDADALAE), Higher Education Capacity Building & Scholarships (BPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Community college transformation
• Student success services
• Higher education consulting
• Institutional capacity assessment
• Equity-focused education

Headquarters

HQ city

Silver Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Network Membership Fees: Colleges pay fees to join and participate in the ATD Network, accessing coaching, assessments, seminars, workshops, and other services.
2. Fee-for-Service Consulting: ATD provides customized consulting and coaching services to colleges, including Foundations of Transformation program, coaching engagements, assessments, seminars, and workshops on a fee basis.
3. Grant Funding: Achieving the Dream receives significant funding from foundations and donors including Lumina Foundation (founding investor), Ascendium Education Group, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and others to fund programs, events, and initiatives.
4. Event Revenue: The annual DREAM conference and learning events generate revenue through registration fees. The 2024 DREAM conference had over 6,800 registrants.
5. Donations and Scholarships: The organization accepts donations and provides scholarships including the DREAM Student Scholars program and Harvey Lincoln Student Scholarship ($3,000 per student).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Achieving the Dream operates a national network of 300+ community colleges across 45 states, providing multi-year institutional transformation programs, expert coaching, proprietary assessments (including ICAT), seminars, workshops, and innovation initiatives to improve student success, equity, and completion outcomes at community colleges.

Product overview

Achieving The Dream is a national nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive suite of programs and services designed to help community colleges transform to better serve students. The portfolio includes core transformation programs (Foundations of Transformation), professional development services (Coaching, Seminars, Workshops), assessment tools (ICAT, Area-Specific Assessments), and innovation initiatives (AI for All, Scaling Shortened Academic Terms, Digital Holistic Student Supports). These offerings are designed to work together as part of a Whole College Transformation approach, with institutions typically starting with Foundations of Transformation and then accessing additional coaching, seminars, and workshops based on their needs. The organization also maintains digital platforms (ATD Connect, ATD Strategy Hub), hosts the annual DREAM Conference, and administers scholarship programs for students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foundations of Transformation ATD's core multi-year intensive engagement led by expert coaches, designed to build foundational capacities for sustainable college transformation across leadership, equity, data, and institutional change.
• Coaching Structured guidance, ongoing feedback, and collaborative accountability for ATD Network institutions to build upon Foundations of Transformation and reach student success goals.
• Assessments Data-driven assessments including ICAT Capacity Café, Data and Technology Assessment, Holistic Student Supports Assessment, Student Parent Opportunity Assessment, Teaching and Learning Opportunity Assessment, and Dual Enrollment Opportunity Assessment.
• Seminars Structured series including Strengthening Advising Seminar Series and Strengthening Teaching and Learning Seminar Series, where college teams from multiple institutions exchange ideas and develop tailored action plans.
• Workshops Dynamic, action-driven sessions providing practical strategies around student success issues through focused, customizable, interactive learning sessions.
• ICAT (Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool) A detailed self-assessment tool that provides institutions with a comprehensive evaluation of their capacity across multiple dimensions for student success transformation.
• Scaling Shortened Academic Terms A nationwide initiative to help states and systems support colleges in scaling and evaluating shortened academic terms that advance student momentum and improved outcomes.
• AI for All A strategic framework supporting community colleges in navigating the age of AI, providing guidance on AI integration in higher education.
• Digital Holistic Student Supports (DHSS) Initiative A two-and-a-half-year cohort-based initiative supporting institutions of higher education in building data maturity and strengthening conditions for sustained, whole-college digital transformation.
• Community College Women Succeed (CCWS) An initiative launched in 2019 to identify and promote effective strategies that help adult women students, particularly student mothers, succeed in college.
• Sustainable College-Employer Partnerships A cohort-based initiative supporting community colleges and chambers of commerce in building and sustaining strong employer-college partnerships that align credentials with workforce demand.
• Gateway to College Program empowering out-of-school youth to earn high school diplomas and college credits through college support, K-12 partnerships, and preparation for postsecondary success.
• ATD Connect An online platform for ATD Network members to access resources, collaborate, and engage with the Achieving the Dream community.
• ATD Strategy Hub A strategic planning and resource platform for ATD Network institutions to support their transformation journey.
• DREAM Conference ATD's signature annual conference for college leaders, featuring evidence-based strategies that drive access, momentum, mobility, and community impact.
• DREAM Scholars Program Year-long experiential learning opportunity for up to eight community college students annually, designed to enhance leadership, critical thinking, and networking skills.
• Harvey Lincoln Student Scholarship Need-based scholarship of $3,000 per student for community college students at ATD institutions who have persisted despite educational, personal, or financial obstacles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ colleges in network across 45 states serving 4M+ students
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization leading efforts to close equity and achievement gaps and accelerate student success nationwide.
• Community College Research Center (CCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner providing research expertise and knowledge to support ATD's evidence-based approach to institutional transformation.
• Jobs for the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization collaborating on efforts to improve student success outcomes at community colleges.
• MDRCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner providing research and evaluation expertise to support evidence-based interventions.
• MDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner organization supporting ATD's network of community colleges.
• Public AgendacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner contributing to ATD's collaborative approach to institutional transformation.
• Community College Leadership Program (CCLP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner at University of Texas-Austin providing leadership development expertise.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC): National trade association and ATD founding partner representing the entire US community college sector. Comparable as a sector-coordination and policy advocacy peer, though AACC is membership-based and broader in remit than ATD's transformation services.
• Huron Consulting (Higher Education practice): Large management consulting firm with a higher education practice serving college presidents and system offices on strategy, transformation, and student success. Comparable as a broader incumbent competitor for ATD's fee-for-service and transformation engagements.

Direct peers

• Jobs for the Future (JFF): National nonprofit and ATD founding partner focused on workforce pathways, postsecondary success, and equity — directly comparable as a peer organization working with community colleges on student success and employer alignment.
• Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Columbia University: Research center and ATD founding partner producing evidence on community college student success, guided pathways, and developmental education. Directly comparable as an evidence-generation peer that informs ATD's frameworks.
• Aspen Institute (Community College Excellence Program): Administers the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, in which seven ATD colleges were finalists. Directly comparable as a peer organization identifying and elevating top community college performance through research, awards, and leadership development.
• Complete College America: Nonprofit alliance focused on dramatically increasing college completion, working with states and systems on structured pathways. Comparable as a peer organization driving community college completion and equity outcomes through state-level partnerships.
• League for Innovation in the Community College: Long-standing international network supporting community college innovation, teaching/learning, and leadership. Comparable as a peer organization offering conferences, resources, and a peer network for community college practitioners.
• MDRC: Education and social policy research organization and ATD founding partner. Comparable as a peer providing rigorous evidence evaluation and randomized controlled trials for community college interventions.
• MDC (formerly MDC, Inc.): Southern-based nonprofit and ATD founding partner focused on equity and economic mobility in postsecondary education. Comparable as a peer organization addressing disparities for low-income and minority community college students.

Others

• Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society: International honor society for community college students. Comparable as an adjacent organization embedded in the same community college ecosystem, with overlapping student success and leadership development mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AchieveTheDream
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC9RNyGlpb4NeHKpjFgNilVg
• Facebookfacebook.com/achievingthedream
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/achieving-the-dream-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Achieving The Dream