The Wooden Floor

What The Wooden Floor does

The Wooden Floor is a California-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1983 (originally as Saint Joseph Ballet, renamed in 2009) that operates a 10-year creative youth development program for low-income students in grades 3 through 12. Headquartered in Santa Ana, the organization runs two physical campuses (Main Street and Depot at Santiago) serving approximately 475 students year-round free of charge, integrating dance education with academic support, college and career readiness, and family case management services. Its pedagogical approach is exploratory and grounded in somatic-based practices including Laban/Bartenieff movement analysis, Pilates, and mindfulness, delivered through a copyrighted 10-level curriculum.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded, with revenue streams spanning individual donations, corporate and foundation grants, monthly recurring giving (Neighbors Program), special events (Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit, Annual Concert at Irvine Barclay Theatre), branded merchandise sales, and a fee-based Licensed Partner Program that licenses the copyrighted Theory of Change and curriculum to external organizations (CityDance in Washington DC is the first licensee). The endowment has grown from $1.8M to $8.6M during CEO Dawn S. Reese's tenure, and the operating budget has grown from $2.1M to $3.9M.

The organization claims 100% high-school graduation and higher-education enrollment for 21 consecutive graduating classes since 2005, and reports that 55% of alumni complete a Bachelor's or Master's degree versus 12% of socioeconomic peers nationally. Since 1983 it has touched more than 100,000 young people and provided over $1.8M in college scholarships. Programs are delivered in person in Orange County; national replication occurs through the Licensed Partner Program rather than owned expansion.

Name

The Wooden Floor

Legal name

The Wooden Floor

Website

https://thewoodenfloor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Wooden Floor is a Santa Ana, California nonprofit founded in 1983 that delivers a 10-year dance, academic, and family-support program free of charge to roughly 475 low-income students in grades 3 through 12, with a 100% college enrollment track record across 21 consecutive graduating classes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Educational Services (61)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Dance education services
• College readiness programs
• Family support services
• Arts education nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct charitable contributions from individuals supporting the organization's mission to inspire youth through dance and access to higher education
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Funding from corporations, foundations, and government entities to support programs and operations
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including concert DVDs, apparel, accessories, and promotional items through online store and third-party platform (Bonfire)
4. Special Events: Annual wine tasting benefit (Keep the Promise) and other fundraising events generating sponsorship revenue and auction proceeds
5. Endowment Campaign: Step Forward Endowment Fund Campaign launched for 40th anniversary to grow endowment for future generations through direct gifts and planned giving
6. Monthly Giving (Neighbors Program): Recurring monthly donor program for ongoing supporter engagement

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Wooden Floor is a nonprofit creative youth development organization that provides integrated dance education, academic support, college/career readiness, and family services to underserved students from 3rd through 12th grade on a 10-year commitment, free of charge. It operates at two Santa Ana, CA campuses serving 475 students year-round, produces an annual professional concert, and licenses its copyrighted Theory of Change model to partner organizations nationally.

Product overview

The Wooden Floor is a nonprofit creative youth development organization offering a holistic, integrated program model for students from 3rd through 12th grade. The core offering consists of dance education (Annual Concert, Dance Free Weeks, Dance Uplifts), academic services (tutoring, college readiness), family services, and career exploration through The Next Step Program. The organization operates at two Santa Ana locations and licenses its copyrighted Theory of Change to partner organizations nationally. Ancillary offerings include an online merchandise store and annual fundraising events (Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit, Step Forward Endowment Campaign). All programs are provided free of charge to students, with the organization maintaining a 10-year commitment per student from enrollment through college enrollment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dance Education Program After-school dance education program for students in grades 3-12, featuring a 10-level contemporary dance curriculum that develops self-knowledge, self-confidence, leadership, and creative problem-solving. Free of charge to students.
• Academic Services Comprehensive academic support including free tutoring, academic case management, college and career readiness programs, and SAT/ACT preparation courses for enrolled students.
• Family Services Program Case management approach providing counseling, crisis intervention, and social service referrals to support families of enrolled students facing socioeconomic hardships.
• Annual Concert Annual professional dance performance featuring young dancers collaborating with nationally recognized choreographers at the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Tickets: General Seating $20, Benefit Seating $50.
• The Next Step Program Career exploration program for grades 6-12 that emphasizes workforce development and college persistence, including mentorship and transition support for college and career readiness.
• Dance Free Weeks Free three-week dance training programs in Santa Ana public schools, bringing dance education to students who may not otherwise have access; serves as a pathway to enrollment auditions.
• Dance Uplifts After-school dance education program at Title I school sites, extending dance education access to additional students in underserved communities.
• Licensed Partner Program Fee-based consulting, training, and curriculum program allowing other organizations to replicate The Wooden Floor's comprehensive model, including copyrighted Theory of Change and programmatic elements.
• TWF Store (Merchandise) Online merchandise store selling branded apparel, accessories, and concert DVDs including t-shirts ($20), sweatshirts ($35), water bottles ($15), hats ($15), duffle bags ($20), bumper stickers ($2), and concert DVDs ($15).
• Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit Annual premier wine tasting fundraising event held at Big Canyon Country Club featuring wine tastings, auctions, and student success story presentations; generating sponsorship and auction revenue.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Irvine Barclay TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Venue partner for the Annual Concert performances, hosting The Wooden Floor's 44th Annual Concert in May 2027 with four performances including the nation's top choreographers, artists, and designers collaborating with young dancers.
• LAistminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Media sponsor for the 43rd Annual Concert, providing promotional support and media coverage for the annual dance performance.
• Big Canyon Country ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Venue host for the 20th Annual Keep the Promise Wine Tasting Benefit, Orange County's premier wine tasting event returning for its 20th year.
• NHL Anaheim DucksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Professional sports team partnership including holiday shopping sprees for youth, community engagement events, and corporate sponsorships.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• KIPP Foundation: National network of public charter schools serving predominantly low-income students with a college-prep mission. While not arts-focused, KIPP shares TWF's evidence-based, long-horizon approach to college access for the same demographic.
• Year Up: National workforce-development nonprofit providing career training and college pathways for low-income young adults. Similar in targeting underserved youth and producing measurable college/career outcomes, though focused on the post-secondary stage rather than K-12.
• Creative Youth Development (National Guild / CYD Network): National network and advocacy organization for the creative youth development field. Comparable in that it represents and supports the broader ecosystem of nonprofits using arts to advance youth outcomes, including organizations structurally similar to The Wooden Floor.

Broad incumbents

• Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH): New York-based dance institution with community education and school programs for underserved youth. While primarily a professional ballet company, its educational arm pursues a comparable mission of expanding access to dance for underrepresented communities.
• Young Audiences Arts for Learning: National nonprofit network delivering arts education programming (including dance) to K-12 students in schools and communities. A much larger and broader arts-education player whose mission overlaps with TWF's Dance Free Weeks school-based programming.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National youth services organization with a comparable after-school enrichment model serving low-income youth. While broader in scope (sports, education, arts), its Santa Ana-area affiliate(s) compete for the same philanthropic and student-participation pool as The Wooden Floor.

Direct peers

• National Dance Institute (NDI): New York City-based nonprofit founded by Jacques d'Amboise that provides free dance instruction to underserved schoolchildren. Shares The Wooden Floor's core model of long-term, in-school dance education for low-income youth with measurable academic outcomes.
• CityDance: Washington, DC-based dance education nonprofit that is The Wooden Floor's first and only publicly documented licensed partner. Implements the full Theory of Change model with adaptations for the DC community, serving a directly comparable at-risk youth population.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AileyCamp / Ailey Arts in Education): Operates AileyCamp and Arts in Education programs offering dance instruction and personal development to underserved youth in NYC and nationally. Directly comparable mission of using dance as a vehicle for youth empowerment and life-skill development.
• Boston Arts Academy Foundation: Boston's only public high school for the visual and performing arts, serving a diverse, primarily low-income student body with a holistic arts-and-college-prep model. Closely analogous in mission and demographic focus to The Wooden Floor's 10-year commitment model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheWoodenFloor
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheWoodenFloor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-wooden-floor
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewoodenfloor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 The Wooden Floor