DREAAM

What DREAAM does

DREAAM Opportunity Center, operating as DREAAM, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Its mission is to support the academic achievement, well-being, and social-emotional development of Black boys and young men ages 3 to 24 in Champaign County, using a trauma-informed, strength-based youth development model. Core programming is structured around the proprietary Dream Big! 5-stage pipeline — Beginners, Achievers, Believers, Chasers, and Makers — providing age-specific curricula from kindergarten readiness through college and career readiness, supplemented by Hope for the Future (an evidence-based community violence-prevention collaborative), DREAAM Elite Football under the AYFL/MSDL league, Cub Scouts, the Illini Mentoring Program with the University of Illinois, College Prep Saturday School, and Parenting Programs such as 'Together We Rise.'

Operations run on a donation-driven nonprofit revenue model with minimal direct fees (e.g., a $150 Youth Football participant fee and optional $10/$25/$50 tiered program contributions); a majority of services are free or low-cost to under-resourced families. The organization accepts one-time, recurring, stock, IRA, planned giving, and donor-advised fund donations through Network for Good. Service delivery is executed through embedded community distribution — partner church facilities (University Place Church, First Presbyterian Church of Champaign, McKinley Presbyterian, Windsor Road Christian Church), two school districts (Champaign Unit #4 and Rantoul City Schools #137), Parkland College, and the University of Illinois — which provides in-kind space, meals, and transportation. Geographic operations are centered in Champaign County with a secondary Rantoul site and select Urbana-affiliated staff, and DREAAM launched its first international program in Africa in 2024. As of 2024 DREAAM serves 500+ program participants per year, up from 10 boys in its founding summer.

Name

DREAAM

Legal name

DREAAM Opportunity Center

Website

https://dreaam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DREAAM is a Champaign, Illinois 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers trauma-informed, age-tiered youth development programs for Black boys and young men ages 3 to 24 through a 5-stage pipeline, supplemented by violence prevention, mentoring, and athletics services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAM

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAJAEAF

Transition Programs (Reentry, Workforce Readiness & Life Skills for At-Risk Youth)

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Alternative & At-Risk K–12 Education (Continuation, Recovery, Juvenile)

SECONDARYEDACALAD

Positive Discipline & Behavior Support Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Violence prevention services
• Mentorship programs
• After-school programs
• Community nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DREAAM delivers trauma-informed, strength-based youth development programs for Black boys and young men ages 3-24 in Champaign County, Illinois, structured as a 5-stage pipeline (Dream Big!) progressing from early childhood STEM and kindergarten readiness through after-school enrichment, violence prevention, high school mentoring, and college/career readiness. The organization also operates the Hope for the Future community violence prevention model, youth football, Cub Scouts, and parent education programs, all delivered largely free or at low cost through partner churches and schools.

Product overview

DREAAM is a community nonprofit organization (501c3) offering a comprehensive portfolio of youth development programs targeting boys and young men ages 3-24 in the Champaign County, Illinois area. The core offering is the Dream Big! 5-stage pipeline program with age-specific tiers (Beginners, Achievers, Believers, Chasers, Makers) that provides STEM education, social-emotional development, mentorship, and college/career readiness. Supplementary programs include Hope for the Future (violence prevention), DREAAM Elite Football, Cub Scouts, Illini Mentoring Program, College Prep Saturday School, and Parenting Programs. The organization also operates an online donations platform through Network for Good. No technology product or SaaS platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dream Big! A 5-stage developmental pipeline (Beginners, Achievers, Believers, Chasers, Makers) designed for Black boys and young men ages 3-24, providing kindergarten readiness, after-school STEM enrichment, violence prevention, conflict resolution, group mentoring, leadership development, college visits, and individualized college/career support.
• Hope for the Future (H4F)

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew from 10 boys in 2015 summer program to over 500 people served in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University Place ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpened its doors to house the DREAAM Big! Program, providing essential space for after-school and summer programming for boys and young men in Champaign.
• McKinley Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with DREAAM to open doors and house the DREAAM Big! Program, providing facility space for youth programming.
• Parkland CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided in-kind space for the 2018 Summer Jumpstart Program, supporting early intervention programming.
• Champaign Unit #4 School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported DREAAM with in-kind after-school space, summer meals, and bus transportation for two years, enabling program accessibility.
• Rantoul City Schools #137coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported DREAAM with in-kind after-school space, summer meals, and bus transportation for two years.
• First Presbyterian Church of ChampaigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided seed funding, van transportation, volunteers, and office space. Key founding partner that supported DREAAM's establishment and growth.
• Windsor Road Christian ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored a Boys to Men Campout for families for three years, supporting family engagement and mentorship programming.
• University of IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides additional support, knowledge, and research for Hope for the Future program. Partner through Illini Mentoring Program connecting university students with local youth for academic and personal development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Major civil rights and African American advancement organization with youth-focused education, workforce, and mentorship programming. Comparable target population and broader upstream mission.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Largest U.S. youth-development nonprofit with after-school programming at club-based sites. Operates broadly across demographics, but its site-based, age-tiered youth development model is structurally similar to DREAAM's Dream Big! pipeline.

Direct peers

• Cure Violence Global: Organization that treats gun violence as a public health issue and deploys violence-interruption and prevention models. Conceptually adjacent to DREAAM's Hope for the Future violence-prevention model, although Cure Violence operates a different (interruptor-based) intervention methodology.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National 1:1 youth mentoring nonprofit. Overlaps with DREAAM's Illini Mentoring Program and overall mentoring-centric approach, although BBBS operates on a broader demographic and pure-mentoring model.
• National Fatherhood Initiative: National nonprofit promoting involved fatherhood through curriculum-based programs like Effective Fatherhood workshops. DREAAM's 'Together We Rise' parenting program and Effective Fatherhood Workshop map directly onto NFI's core programmatic focus.
• Youth Guidance (Becoming a Man / BAM): Chicago-based nonprofit running BAM and similar school- and community-based programs for at-risk youth, including Black boys, using group mentoring and trauma-informed practice. Closest functional analogue to DREAAM's Dream Big! and H4F models.
• 100 Black Men of America: National mentoring and youth-development organization explicitly focused on mentoring Black males through education, health, and economic empowerment chapters. Highly comparable demographic focus and mentorship-centric delivery model.
• Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America): National youth character and leadership organization operating Cub Scouts and similar tiered programs. DREAAM runs its own Cub Scouts pack, making Scouting America both a programmatic partner and a structural peer.

Emerging players

• Chicago Beyond: Fund and field-builder focused on youth violence prevention and healing-centered practice. Shares DREAAM's evidence-based, trauma-informed framing of violence prevention and targets overlapping populations.
• MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership: National umbrella that funds and supports mentoring programs, including ones targeting youth of color. Comparable because DREAAM's mentoring offerings (Illini Mentoring, achievement coaches) operate in MENTOR's orbit and could grow on its rails.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DREAAM45745914
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXwS9O7SSLqeuL1WPB8K1Lg
• Facebookfacebook.com/DREAAMorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dreaam
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockthedreaamhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 DREAAM