Dreams for Schools

What Dreams for Schools does

Dreams for Schools (DFS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered at 550 N Park Center Drive, Suite 102, Santa Ana, California. The organization delivers hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and computer science education programs to K-8 students, with an explicit priority on underserved and low-income communities. Its core offerings are structured by grade band: Let's Explore STEAM for grades 1-2 ($200, includes STEAM Kit), Coding Games with Scratch ($250-$275) and Engineering Inventors ($210, includes CAKE Kit) for grades 3-5, and AppJam+ Mobile App Development ($200+) and Web Development ($250-$260) for grades 6-12. Adjacent products include quarterly Girls in STEAM Night outreach events, Girl Scouts of Orange County Coding for Good Badge sessions (starting at $125 per troop), educator professional development workshops, and K-12 student scholarships funded by donations.

The technology stack is composed of established third-party platforms — MIT Media Lab's Scratch for block-based coding, MIT App Inventor for Android development, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Bootstrap for web development — paired with the organization's proprietary physical STEAM Kit (~$20 per kit) and CAKE Kit (~$40 per kit) that bundle all required materials for hands-on engineering and electronics projects. Programs are delivered in-person at partner school sites and virtually over Zoom, culminating in showcase events such as AppJamboree and Girls in STEAM Night. No proprietary AI/ML capability is developed or deployed.

The revenue model is hybrid and typical of a mission-driven nonprofit: tuition-based program fees ($200-$290 per student per session), donations (website, cryptocurrency via a Crypto Giving Tuesday campaign targeting $120,000, Amazon Smile), corporate sponsorship (notably Neudesic, an IBM company, which funds quarterly STEAM Scholarships for DFS Instructors since 2022), and modest professional development fees. Free and partial scholarships are offered to income-eligible families. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by direct district-level partnerships with major Southern California school systems (Santa Ana USD with nine participating middle schools, Riverside USD, PYLUSD, Saddleback), community organizations (Girl Scouts of Orange County, Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, Big Brothers Big Sisters), and an out-of-state site in Affton, Missouri.

Name

Dreams for Schools

Legal name

Dreams for Schools

Website

https://dreamsforschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dreams for Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers hands-on K-8 STEAM and computer science programs to underserved students through school district partnerships across Southern California and select out-of-state locations, employing college students as instructors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 STEAM and Computer Science Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (61142), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM & Science Camps (Biology, Chemistry, Space, Lab Science) (EDAMALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE)

Keywords

• STEAM education programs
• K-8 computer science
• After-school enrichment
• Teacher professional development
• STEAM curriculum kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: Parents pay tuition for K-8 STEAM classes. Pricing ranges from $200-$290 per student per session depending on program. Scholarships are available for income-eligible families.
2. Donations & Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations via its website, cryptocurrency, Amazon Smile, and corporate sponsorships. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, donations are tax-deductible.
3. Corporate Sponsorships & Crypto Donations: Corporate partners such as Neudesic provide financial support including STEAM scholarships. Cryptocurrency donations are accepted with a Crypto Giving Tuesday campaign targeting $120,000.
4. Professional Development for Educators: Dreams for Schools offers teacher professional development workshops on technology integration. Pricing starts at $125 per troop for Girl Scouts Badges programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dreams for Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs and delivers hands-on STEAM and computer science curricula for K-8 students, including Let's Explore STEAM (grades 1-2), Coding Games with Scratch and Engineering Inventors (grades 3-5), and AppJam+ mobile app development and Web Development (grades 6-12). Programs run as 10-week after-school sessions (2x/week) and as Mon-Fri summer camps, are delivered in-person at partner school sites or live online via Zoom, and ship all-inclusive kits (STEAM Kit, CAKE Kit). The organization also offers Girls in STEAM Night outreach events, Girl Scouts Coding for Good Badge classes, educator professional development workshops, and student/instructor scholarships funded through donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Dreams for Schools is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive K-12 STEAM education program portfolio. The core offerings include Let's Explore STEAM (grades 1-2), Coding Games with Scratch and Engineering Inventors (grades 3-5), AppJam+ Mobile App Development and Website Development (grades 6-12), complemented by Girls in STEAM Night outreach events, Girl Scouts Badges partnership programs, Professional Development for educators, and K-12 Student Scholarships. Programs are delivered in-person and online via Zoom, incorporating specialized kits (STEAM Kit, CAKE Kit) and culminating in showcase events like AppJamboree. The organization also runs a scholarship program for DFS Instructor college students in partnership with Neudesic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AppJam+: A 10-week mobile app development program for middle school students (6th-8th grade) where student teams develop their own Android mobile applications.
• Girls in STEAM Night (GISN)

Products and services

• Let's Explore STEAM

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,592+ K-8 students reached since 2016 in direct programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Girl Scouts of Orange CountycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022DFS partners with Girl Scouts of Orange County to provide Coding for Good Badge programs at Daisy, Brownie, and Junior levels. DFS instructors deliver 1.5-2 hour coding sessions to Girl Scout troops, enabling girls to earn their first coding badge. Minimum group of 10; pricing starts at $125 per troop.
• Riverside Unified School District / Longfellow ElementarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongfellow Elementary in Riverside USD has hosted the AppJam+ program and Fall 2019 AppJamboree with 5 student teams presenting mobile apps. DFS has partnered with Riverside USD since 2019.
• Santa Ana Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor district partner with 9 middle schools participating in AppJam+. The Fall 2019 AppJamboree featured 32 teams presenting at the UCI Alumni Center. Willard Intermediate, Villa Intermediate, Sierra Preparatory Academy, MacArthur Fundamental, and Lathrop Intermediate have all participated.
• OCDE Deaf and Hard of Hearing ProgramsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFS partnered with Orange County Department of Education's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program to provide Web Development instruction to students with hearing disabilities.
• Breakthrough San Juan CapistranosecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFS provided Web Development workshops for students through Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, an educational nonprofit serving students.
• Illumination FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFS partnered with Illumination Foundation to bridge educational equity gaps, providing STEAM programs to underserved students.
• Karina's Backpack ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to streamline and expand reach to underserved students. Karina's Backpack Project has helped distribute over 45,000 backpacks to students in low-income communities alongside DFS programs.
• St. Margaret's Episcopal SchoolsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Margaret's Episcopal School hosts the annual Girls in STEAM Night, partnering with DFS to facilitate workshops for young girls interested in STEAM. The 5th Annual GISN event in April 2021 had 104 registered students from grades 4-12.
• Boys & Girls Club of Garden GrovesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoys & Girls Club of Garden Grove partners with DFS to offer AppJam+ program to their members, providing STEAM education opportunities to youth in Garden Grove.
• Big Brothers Big SisterssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerDFS has reached 12,200+ students through train-the-trainer models with Big Brothers Big Sisters and similar community organizations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Iridescent: Nonprofit running Curiosity Machine and other STEAM programs for underrepresented youth, including family-based learning and AI education. Comparable equity-focused STEAM nonprofit, though programs are typically more family-engagement oriented than DFS's school-district model.

Direct peers

• iD Tech: For-profit provider of STEM/coding summer camps and after-school programs for K-12 students, including Scratch, web dev, and engineering tracks. Direct competitor to DFS for both summer camps and school-district partnerships, though iD Tech is significantly larger and for-profit.
• Code Ninjas: Franchised after-school coding-for-kids program covering Scratch, app building, and web development for elementary/middle schoolers. Direct competitor in the after-school CS enrichment category targeting similar grade levels with similar curriculum tools.
• Technovation: Nonprofit running mobile-app development programs for girls globally, including a 12-week curriculum similar to DFS's AppJam+. Comparable as a nonprofit focused on app development and CS education for girls, though with global rather than regional delivery.
• Girls Who Code: Nonprofit running clubs and summer immersion programs to close the gender gap in computer science. Comparable as a nonprofit focused on CS access for girls/underserved youth, with a similar equity mission though delivered at much larger scale.
• Black Girls CODE: Nonprofit providing technology education for girls of color through workshops and after-school programs. Comparable equity-focused nonprofit CS/STEAM provider serving underserved communities, with similar target population though broader national footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Code.org: Major nonprofit focused on expanding computer science access in K-12 schools. Comparable as a STEAM/CS education nonprofit with national reach and similar equity-oriented mission, though operates at vastly larger scale than DFS.
• Project Lead The Way (PLTW): National nonprofit providing K-12 STEM curriculum and teacher training adopted by thousands of US schools. Comparable as a STEAM curriculum provider/district partner, though PLTW focuses more on in-school curriculum than after-school enrichment.

Regional players

• STEM NOLA: New Orleans-based nonprofit offering hands-on STEM camps, workshops, and family engagement events for K-12 youth. Similar community-led STEAM nonprofit model with event-driven programming, though geographically distinct (Louisiana vs. SoCal).

Others

• Scratch Foundation (MIT Media Lab): Nonprofit supporting the Scratch programming platform that DFS uses for its Coding Games with Scratch program. Not a competitor but a critical upstream enabler/ecosystem partner whose tools underpin DFS's coding curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dreamsforschool
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/dreamsforschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/AppJamPlus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dreamsforschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/dreamsforschools/?hl=en

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 Dreams for Schools