Dawkins Family Foundation

What Dawkins Family Foundation does

The Dawkins Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of youth-empowerment programs across Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. The foundation traces its origins to the Mitchell L. Dawkins Sr. Outreach Ministry, which served Orange, Seminole, and Volusia Counties of Central Florida for over 20 years before being rebranded and expanded into the Dawkins Family Foundation. Programs are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries and span four core offerings: the Annual Bookbag Drive (K–12 school supply distribution in partnership with venues such as Casa Guadalupe Center and Broughal Middle School), the Empower Code Academy (a six-week summer coding accelerator for ages 11–18 in Grand Rapids, MI that provides a free laptop per graduate), three named $1,500 scholarship programs (Dr. Mitchell L. Dawkins Sr., Darryl Dawkins, and Harold 'Chico' Dawkins Community Uplifting Award), and the DFF Community Basketball League team in partnership with All Good Sports.

The foundation is family-controlled and operated, with Nicholas Dawkins as President, Mitchell Dawkins II as Vice President, Breanna Dawkins as Secretary, Janice Dawkins as Treasurer, and Melanie Dawkins as Executive Director of Outreach. No external investors or parent entity is indicated. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, and operations are community-led — delivered through direct events, school partnerships, and word-of-mouth referrals — rather than through a technology platform.

The business model is donations-based: revenue is generated through charitable contributions from individuals, corporate sponsors (logos displayed include NBA, US Bank, LVHN, CAI, Insight Professional Services, Batch Microcreamery, and 5StarHeart), and in-kind gifts collected via the website, a Clover payment link, and an Amazon Wishlist. Programs are provided at no cost to recipients. Distribution occurs through community partner locations in Sanford, Orlando, and Gainesville (FL); Allentown, Bethlehem, State College, Easton, and Center Valley (PA); and Grand Rapids (MI). Marketing is primarily organic social (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), email newsletter, and earned media coverage of family members including Penn State football's Nick Dawkins. No revenue figure is publicly disclosed.

Name

Dawkins Family Foundation

Legal name

Dawkins Family Foundation

Website

https://dawkinsfamilyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dawkins Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs free youth-empowerment programs — coding academies, scholarships, basketball leagues, and bookbag drives — for underserved K-12 and college-bound youth across Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, funded by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Youth empowerment programs
• Community nonprofit services
• Educational scholarships
• Coding academy training
• School supply distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Allentown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The Dawkins Family Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Revenue is generated through charitable donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and community supporters. Donations directly fund youth programs including scholarships, the Empower Code Academy, basketball team sponsorship, and annual bookbag drives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dawkins Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers free youth empowerment programs to underserved communities across Florida, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Its core offerings include the Annual Bookbag Drive (free school supply distribution to K-12 students), the Empower Code Academy (a 6-week coding bootcamp with a free laptop for each graduate), three $1,500 scholarship programs (Dr. Mitchell L. Dawkins Sr., Darryl Dawkins, and Harold "Chico" Dawkins Community Uplifting Award), and a community basketball league team.

Product overview

The Dawkins Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of youth empowerment programs focused on education, athletics, and community support. Its core offerings include the Annual Bookbag Drive (school supply distribution), Empower Code Academy (free 6-week coding bootcamp with laptop provision), three scholarship programs (Dr. Mitchell L. Dawkins Sr. Scholarship, Darryl Dawkins Scholarship, and Harold "Chico" Dawkins Community Uplifting Award), and the DFF Basketball Team/Community Basketball League. These programs work together to equip youth from underserved communities with academic resources, technical skills, financial aid, and athletic opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Bookbag Drive Annual community event that distributes free bookbags, school supplies, and essential learning tools to K-12 students from underserved communities, along with food and family-friendly activities. Delivered in Sanford, FL and Allentown/Bethlehem, PA through partner locations such as Casa Guadalupe Center and Broughal Middle School.
• Empower Code Academy A 6-week summer coding accelerator for students ages 11-18 in underserved communities across West Michigan, teaching front-end web development fundamentals with mentorship from professional software engineers, including a free laptop for each participant upon completion.
• Dr. Mitchell L. Dawkins Sr. Scholarship $1,500 scholarship for high school seniors applying to or attending college/university, focusing on applicants who have overcome significant adversity and demonstrate resilience and determination in their academic pursuits.
• Darryl Dawkins Scholarship $1,500 scholarship honoring NBA legend Darryl Dawkins, open to high school seniors who demonstrate strong community involvement, volunteer work, or initiatives that create positive impact in their communities.
• Harold "Chico" Dawkins Community Uplifting Award $1,500 award recognizing individuals or organizations making tangible positive impact in tough or underserved neighborhoods, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, sustainability, and empowerment of community residents.
• DFF Basketball Team Community basketball league providing structured basketball competition, leadership development, and academic accountability for high school boys who may not have access to traditional school sports, including food, mentorship, team apparel, transportation, and weekly practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6-week intensive coding program with laptop provision for each graduate
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• All Good SportscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual sponsorship of a high school boys basketball team competing in the Community Basketball League. The foundation provides food, mentorship, team shoes and clothing, transportation, weekly practices, and relief funds. The partnership provides structured basketball competition, leadership development through the Lead Fit program, and academic accountability for students who may not have access to traditional school sports opportunities.
• NBAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe NBA logo appears on the foundation's supporter acknowledgment section on the homepage, indicating some form of partnership or support relationship.
• CAI (Community Affairs Initiatives)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLogo appears in supporter section indicating financial or promotional support for foundation programs.
• Insight Professional Services LLCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLogo appears in supporter section indicating corporate sponsorship or support.
• US BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLogo appears in supporter section indicating corporate sponsorship or support.
• LVHN (Lehigh Valley Health Network)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Annual Bookbag Drive in Pennsylvania. Logo displayed on event page along with other community sponsors.
• Batch MicrocreameryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Annual Bookbag Drive, providing refreshments or support for community event.
• 5StarHeartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Annual Bookbag Drive, logo displayed on event page.
• Casa Guadalupe CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity partner location hosting Day 1 of the Annual Bookbag Drive at 218 N 2nd St, Allentown, PA 18102. Provides venue and community access for program delivery.
• Broughal Middle SchoolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCommunity partner location hosting Day 2 of the Annual Bookbag Drive at 114 W Morton St, Bethlehem, PA. Provides venue for school supply distribution.
• Drop-off Location PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal businesses serving as collection points for bookbag drive donations: Edge Restaurant (Mon-Sat), SURV Restaurant (Sun-Sat), CapturedLV Escape Room (Fri-Sun).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Code.org: Nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science education in schools — adjacent rather than directly competing, but targeting similar outcomes of broadening tech access for underrepresented youth.

Broad incumbents

• National Urban League: Historic civil rights and community empowerment organization offering youth education, workforce development, and scholarships — analogous to DFF's scholarship-plus-education-empowerment positioning, though broader in scope.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: The largest US youth-development nonprofit, offering integrated education, athletics, and mentorship programming to underserved youth — the closest large-scale analog to DFF's integrated multi-program model, though at vastly greater scale.
• YMCA of the USA: Multi-program community nonprofit offering youth development, athletics, and education programs — directly comparable to DFF's integrated education-plus-athletics approach, with an established local-association network including in DFF's geographies.

Direct peers

• Black Girls CODE: Provides technology education to Black girls and other underrepresented youth through coding workshops and tech programs — similar target demographic and free STEM-education model to Empower Code Academy.
• Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Family-oriented national nonprofit providing educational, cultural, and community-service programming for African American youth — comparable family-led, community-rooted youth empowerment foundation model.
• Girls Who Code: National nonprofit working to close the gender gap in tech through free coding programs for girls — directly comparable STEM-education-for-underserved-youth mission, though at significantly larger scale.
• All Star Code: Free coding bootcamps and tech education for Black and Latinx high school students from underserved communities — closely aligned with Empower Code Academy's audience and free-program model.
• Police Athletic League: Youth services nonprofit combining athletics, education, and mentorship for at-risk youth — closely aligned with DFF's DFF Basketball Team plus academic accountability model.
• Kode With Klossy: Free coding camps for underserved youth ages 13-18, directly comparable to DFF's Empower Code Academy in mission, target demographic, and free-program delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dawkinsfamilyfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dawkins-family-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/dawkinsfamilyfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dawkins Family Foundation