Dreams Come True

What Dreams Come True does

Dreams Come True is a UK national wish-granting charity established in 1987 and registered in England and Wales (charity 800248) and Scotland (SC043878), led by CEO Lisa King, OBE, with headquarters in Godalming, Surrey. It is the only UK wish-granting charity that solely serves children aged 0–19 with a disability, serious illness, or life-limiting condition who also live in the highest areas of social deprivation, distinguishing it from peers such as Make-A-Wish. The organisation delivers three dream categories — Individual Dreams (e.g., adapted trikes, iPads with communication apps, bedroom makeovers, family breaks), Community Dreams (sensory rooms, sensory gardens, hospital interactive screens, accessibility equipment for SEN schools), and Urgent Dreams for children with short life expectancy — plus the Small Change, Big Impact Programme for daily-use equipment.

The charity operates on a non-proprietary technology stack consisting of a website with a donation portal (preset tiers of £5, £15, £40 and custom amounts), a referral hub for medical/healthcare/social-care professionals, and standard social media channels. There is no API, no SDK, and no AI component; the digital layer is functional rather than differentiated. Service delivery depends on human relationships with a professional referrer network and named delivery partners such as Sense Sensory, rather than on technology.

Commercially, Dreams Come True operates as a non-profit funded entirely by voluntary income — no government funding is received. Revenue streams include individual donations (one-off and regular giving), corporate partnerships (BSI is a named 2025 partner), events and challenges (London Marathon, Dublin Marathon, Great North Run, Thames Bridges Trek, Halloween Walk), the annual Dream Ball gala (£125,000 raised in 2024, ~12% of the £1.1M annual budget), and gifts in kind. Annual operating budget is £1,100,000, headcount sits in the 101–250 band, the charity targets 4,600 children in 2025, and it has fulfilled over 6,300 cumulative dreams since founding.

Name

Dreams Come True

Legal name

Dreams Come True Charity

Website

https://dreamscometrue.uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dreams Come True is a UK national wish-granting charity, founded in 1987, that exclusively serves children aged 0–19 with disabilities, serious illness, or life-limiting conditions living in the highest areas of social deprivation. It delivers Individual, Community, and Urgent dreams funded entirely by voluntary income on a £1.1M annual budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Wish-Granting Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

Keywords

• Wish-granting charity
• Children's disability services
• Special needs equipment
• Community dream projects
• Charitable donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Liphook

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters via website, with preset amounts (£5, £15, £40) and custom options. Regular giving programs available.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with businesses for funding, gifts in kind, and collaborative wish fulfillment. BSI supported Birmingham Children's Hospital interactive screens project.
3. Events and Challenges: Registration fees and fundraising from events including marathons, walks, and challenges. Charity gala Dream Ball.
4. Gifts in Kind: Non-cash donations from partners and supporters contributing equipment, services, or experiences for children's dreams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Dreams Come True is a UK national wish-granting charity that fulfils dreams for children aged 0-19 with a disability, serious illness, or life-limiting condition who also live in the highest areas of social deprivation. The charity delivers three programme tracks — Individual Dreams (e.g., adapted trikes, iPads with communication apps, bedroom makeovers, family breaks), Community Dreams (sensory rooms, sensory gardens, hospital interactive screens, accessibility infrastructure), and Urgent Dreams (expedited wishes for children with short life expectancy) — funded entirely through voluntary income, corporate partnerships, gifts in kind, and events.

Product overview

Dreams Come True is a national wish-granting charity operating as a unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering is the Dream Granting Service, which processes referrals from medical and social care professionals to deliver three types of dreams: Individual Dreams (personalized wishes like adapted trikes, iPads with communication apps, bedroom makeovers, and family holidays), Community Dreams (shared experiences for groups such as sensory rooms, sensory gardens, and hospital interactive screens), and Urgent Dreams (expedited wishes for children with short life expectancy). Supporting initiatives include the Small Change, Big Impact Programme for daily-use equipment, the 25 by 25 Campaign for targeted fundraising, the Referrer Network for professional referrals, World Dream Day awareness events, and the annual Dream Ball gala. The organization does not offer a technology product in the traditional SaaS sense; its primary digital presence is an informational and donation-processing website.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 25 by 25 Campaign: Campaign to raise £25,000 by World Dream Day (25 September) for community dreams.
• Small Change, Big Impact Programme
• World Dream Day

Products and services

• Individual Dreams
• Community Dreams Shared dreams benefiting multiple children at SEN schools, children's centres, and hospitals, including sensory rooms, sensory gardens, interactive screens in hospital departments, and accessibility infrastructure such as Drive Decks for wheelchair users.
• Urgent Dreams Expedited wishes for children with short life expectancy, providing magical experiences during critical times.
• Small Change, Big Impact Programme Programme providing daily-use equipment and technology — such as iPads with communication apps and adaptive equipment — to improve the lives of isolated children.
• Referrer Network Network for medical, healthcare, and social care professionals to submit dream referrals on behalf of eligible children, with subscribers receiving updates and early access to the referral portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 6,300 children and young adults have had dreams fulfilled.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sense SensorysupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Sense Sensory provided specialist equipment design and installation for the Halton Lodge Children's Centre sensory room refurbishment project.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WellChild: UK charity supporting seriously ill children and their families through practical support, equipment and family services. Comparable target population (sick/disabled children) and UK footprint but broader service portfolio than wish-granting.
• Sense: Major UK disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities including deafblindness. Comparable on the disability-support mission and an active partner in Dreams Come True's Community Dreams projects (e.g., Halton Lodge).
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity for children with life-limiting conditions and palliative care needs. Comparable on serving seriously ill children but focused on systemic support for children's palliative care services rather than direct wish fulfillment.
• Variety – the Children's Charity: Established UK children's charity supporting disabled, disadvantaged and sick children through equipment, experiences and grants. Overlaps with Dreams Come True on serving disabled/disadvantaged children but operates a broader mission without wish-granting as its core.
• Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent): Major UK charity supporting children and young people with cancer and their families. Comparable on serving seriously ill children in the UK with multi-channel support, though condition-specific (cancer) rather than multi-condition wish-granting.

Direct peers

• Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity: UK wish-granting charity for seriously and terminally ill children aged 3–17. Direct competitor in the same product category (individual wish fulfillment), serving a comparable beneficiary base.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: UK charity that grants wishes and provides play/distraction services for seriously ill children. Direct peer in wish-granting and hospital play services, with overlapping beneficiary population of children with serious illness.
• Make-A-Wish UK: The leading UK national wish-granting charity for seriously ill children. Most directly comparable peer in product/service category (wish fulfillment for children with critical illness), differing primarily in that Make-A-Wish is not restricted by a poverty/deprivation criterion.

Emerging players

• Solving Kids' Cancer: UK charity focused on children with childhood cancers. Comparable on serving seriously ill children and their families but narrower condition scope and primarily funding research/treatment rather than wish fulfillment.

Regional players

• Dream Foundation (US): US-based wish-granting charity for adults and children with life-limiting illnesses. Operates the same core product (wish fulfillment) but in a different geography and with broader age eligibility, making it a useful model-comparable rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DreamsComeTrueUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/DreamsComeTrueCharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dreams-come-true
• Instagraminstagram.com/dreamscometruecharity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Dreams Come True