D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. is a NYC-based nonprofit that delivers financial literacy education programs to urban youth through its flagship two-year Invest in Success institute, Money Talk$ community events, workshops, and annual competitions, supported by donations and corporate partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) does
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-Citizens) is a New York City-based nonprofit financial literacy organization founded in October 2009 by Femi Faoye and Jaleni Thompson — two Wall Street veterans who met in high school and founded the organization in response to the 2008-09 financial crisis's impact on underserved urban communities. The organization's primary mission is delivering financial education programming to urban youth, with secondary outreach to urban adults and community partners across the New York City metropolitan area, New Jersey, and select other cities including Chicago.
The core product is the Invest in Success Program, a two-year preparatory institute for NYC and NJ high school students that combines Finance Academy monthly Saturday sessions (progressing from budgeting basics to private market investment valuation), the Success Mentor volunteer pairing program, and competitions including the Stock Pitch Competition, Biz Plan Competition, and Personal Finance Case Competition. Supporting offerings include Money Talk$ community events (workshops, webinars, conferences co-hosted with civic groups and schools), Financial Empowerment: 101 crash courses, and the annual National Financial Literacy Month Conference. Technology delivery is light: a Squarespace-hosted web presence, social channels (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube), webinar platforms, and Eventbrite for event registration, supplemented by the Zolio stock-market simulation platform for student investing practice.
D.R.E.A.M. is funded through donations framed as 'social investment' and refundable admission deposits for Invest in Success enrollment, with operational support from corporate partners including ING DIRECT/Capital One 360 Café (venue partner), Moody's Corporation, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation (international), Liberty LEADS at Bank Street College, Catalyst Network Foundation, and Zolio. The organization celebrates 15 years of continuous operation, has graduated multiple Invest in Success cohorts, and reports flagship events hosting 500+ attendees. The leadership team comprises a Co-Founder/CEO, Co-Founder, CFO, CTO, two Directors of Programming, Chief of Business Development, and Chief Compliance Officer.
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)
- Legal name
- Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-Citizens, Inc.
- Website
- https://dream-usa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- D.R.E.A.M., Inc. is a NYC-based nonprofit that delivers financial literacy education programs to urban youth through its flagship two-year Invest in Success institute, Money Talk$ community events, workshops, and annual competitions, supported by donations and corporate partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Financial Literacy Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Saving & Emergency Funds (EDAAAJAB), Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (EDAAAJAA)
Keywords
Where D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Social Investment: The organization accepts donations and frames contributions as 'social investment' to fund operations and programs.
- Program Participation Deposits: A refundable admission deposit is required upon enrollment in the Invest in Success program to secure participation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time | Invest in Success Program Enrollment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) product offering
Product offeringCore offering
D.R.E.A.M. is a nonprofit that delivers financial literacy education to urban youth and adults through the two-year Invest in Success preparatory institute (covering budgeting, saving, checking, investing, and college financing), Money Talk$ community events and webinars, the Success Mentor program, and annual conferences and competitions. Programming is delivered in person and virtually through partner venues such as the Capital One 360 Café, schools, and community organizations in the NYC metro area, NJ, and Chicago.
Product overview
D.R.E.A.M. is a nonprofit financial literacy education organization offering programs primarily focused on urban youth. The core product is the Invest in Success Program, a two-year preparatory institute consisting of four main components: $tart $mart, Finance Academy, and Mentorship. Supporting offerings include Money Talk$ community events, the Success Mentor Program, and various competitions (Stock Pitch Competition, Biz Plan Competition, Personal Finance Case Competition). The Financial Empowerment: 101 workshops provide supplemental education, while the annual National Financial Literacy Month Conference serves as a major community outreach event.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Invest in Success: A two-year preparatory institute focused on developing students' knowledge of personal finance and investing, featuring components including $tart $mart, Finance Academy, and Mentorship.
- Money Talk$
- Success Mentor
Products and services
- Invest in Success Program Two-year preparatory institute for NYC and NJ high school students covering saving, budgeting, checking accounts, investing, and college financing. Includes Finance Academy sessions, Success Mentorship, and annual competitions.
- Money Talk$ Community Events Community financial literacy events co-hosted with local organizations, educational institutions, civic groups, and government entities for urban adults and youth. Includes workshops, webinars (e.g., Google+ Hangout webinars), and breakout sessions on budgeting, investing, debt, and credit.
- Finance Academy Monthly Saturday in-person instructional sessions conducted as part of the Invest in Success program, covering topics from basic budgeting to advanced investing concepts including private market investments.
- Success Mentor Program Mentorship program pairing Invest in Success scholars with volunteer Success Mentors who guide them on financial decisions, budgeting, saving, and college preparation. Rolling application process with phone interviews and background checks.
- Financial Empowerment: 101 Workshop series providing crash courses on budgeting, saving, and basic financial concepts for high school students and adults, delivered in locations including Brooklyn, NY and Chicago, IL.
- National Financial Literacy Month Conference Annual premiere community event bringing together Tri-State area individuals for conversations on personal finance topics including budgeting, investing, debt, credit, retirement, and wealth building.
- Stock Pitch Competition Annual capstone competition for year-two Invest in Success scholars to build stock portfolios and present investment recommendations to a panel of judges, with cash prizes for winners.
- Biz Plan Competition Shark Tank-style entrepreneurship competition for junior Invest in Success scholars to pitch business plans with the opportunity to receive capital to commercialize their ventures.
- Personal Finance Case Competition Competition for freshman and sophomore Invest in Success scholars who present analysis on handling personal financial portfolios to a panel of judges.
Quantifiable outcome
- First cohort graduated in June 2014 after completing the two-year Invest in Success program.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ING DIRECT Café (now Capital One 360 Café)coreOfficial partnership announced November 29, 2011 to host the 2011-12 Invest-in-Success program at the ING DIRECT Café in NYC. The café provided a state-of-the-art venue for Finance Academy sessions. D.R.E.A.M. supported ING DIRECT's mission to create a nation of savers.
- YEC (Young Entrepreneur Council)minorLogo partner displayed on the Partners & Sponsors page of the D.R.E.A.M. website.
- Liberty LEADScorePartnership with Bank Street College of Education's Liberty LEADS program. D.R.E.A.M. scholars led workshops on budgeting and money management for Liberty LEADS middle school students during National Financial Literacy Month.
- DASHA WellnessminorSponsor providing two weeks of healthy lunches for Invest-in-Success students. Founded by Dr. Darren (DA) Pollack and Shannon (SHA) Pollack, located in Midtown Manhattan.
- Benjamin TalkscoreNew partnership announced in November 2020 as documented in blog posts. Details of partnership scope to be determined.
- Catalyst Network FoundationcoreCo-host of the Be Money Wi$e: Financial Empowerment Panel Discussion held at Capital One 360 Café in April 2013 during National Financial Literacy Month.
- Rob Wilson TVcoreJoint presentation of 'The Money Talk' Webinar: 2013 Guide to Financially Dominating Your Competition. Rob Wilson is VP and financial advisor at Blazer Capital Management, serving professional athletes and entertainers.
- Tottenham Hotspur FoundationminorInternational partnership to lead financial education sessions in England. D.R.E.A.M. partnered with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to deliver programming abroad.
- Moody's CorporationcoreMoody's Corporation sponsored the 'Wall Street in the Black: Insight on Success from Wall Street Trailblazers' event honoring African American pioneers in finance. Co-Founder Femi Faoye attended as guest representing D.R.E.A.M.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Greenlight Financial Education: Greenlight is a fintech offering kids/teens debit cards and investment accounts bundled with financial education content. It overlaps with D.R.E.A.M.'s invest-by-doing model (savings and brokerage account components of Invest in Success) and competes for parent and teen attention in the same demographic.
- Zogo: Zogo is a digital financial literacy platform used by banks and credit unions to engage Gen Z consumers, including educational modules on saving, investing, and budgeting. It overlaps with D.R.E.A.M.'s investor/saving curriculum for young people but delivers via mobile app rather than cohort mentorship.
Broad incumbents
- Council for Economic Education: The Council for Economic Education is a long-established nonprofit supporting K-12 economic and personal finance education through standards, curriculum, and educator training. It operates at broader national scale than D.R.E.A.M. and overlaps on financial-literacy mission and curriculum developer positioning.
- Money Management International (MMI): MMI is a national nonprofit credit counseling and financial education agency serving consumers with budgeting, debt, and money management programs. It is comparable to D.R.E.A.M.'s Money Talk$ adult and community programming on budgeting, debt, and credit topics.
- NEFE (National Endowment for Financial Education): NEFE is a national nonprofit foundation focused on financial education research, programs, and public awareness. It overlaps with D.R.E.A.M.'s broader financial-literacy mission and National Financial Literacy Month positioning, and competes for sponsor, grant, and public-policy attention.
Direct peers
- Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement is the largest U.S. nonprofit delivering financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship education to K-12 students. D.R.E.A.M.'s Invest in Success program competes for the same urban-youth, school-based and after-school demand and the same corporate-sponsor dollars.
- Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF): NGPF provides free personal finance curriculum, teacher professional development, and student experiences targeted at U.S. high schools. It overlaps directly with D.R.E.A.M.'s curriculum design, sponsor base (financial institutions), and target students, though NGPF emphasizes teacher enablement over direct student programming.
- EverFi: EverFi provides digital financial literacy, life skills, and career-readiness curriculum used broadly in U.S. schools and employers. It overlaps with D.R.E.A.M.'s financial literacy curriculum mission and competes for the same school-district and corporate-sponsor relationships.
- FoolProof Foundation: FoolProof is a nonprofit delivering consumer and personal finance education to schools, with content emphasizing underserved youth. D.R.E.A.M. competes with FoolProof in the school-and-community channel for the same student demographic and sponsor pool.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America - Money Matters: Money Matters is Boys & Girls Clubs of America's flagship financial literacy program for teens from underserved communities, combining goal setting, budgeting, and saving with a mentoring layer. It directly overlaps with D.R.E.A.M.'s Invest in Success target audience and community-based delivery model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) social profiles
Digital presenceD.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)
What does D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) do?
D.R.E.A.M. is a nonprofit that delivers financial literacy education to urban youth and adults through the two-year Invest in Success preparatory institute (covering budgeting, saving, checking, investing, and college financing), Money Talk$ community events and webinars, the Success Mentor program, and annual conferences and competitions. Programming is delivered in person and virtually through partner venues such as the Capital One 360 Café, schools, and community organizations in the NYC metro area, NJ, and Chicago.
Is D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) a public or private company?
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) founded?
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) based?
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Social Investment is the primary driver. The others are program Participation Deposits.
Who are D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)'s main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Greenlight Financial Education and Zogo. Broad incumbents are Council for Economic Education, Money Management International (MMI) and NEFE (National Endowment for Financial Education). Direct peers are Junior Achievement USA, Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), EverFi, FoolProof Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America - Money Matters.
Does D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) have an API?
No public API is recorded for D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens).
What industry is D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens) in?
D.R.E.A.M., Inc. (Developing Responsible Economically Advanced Model-citizens)'s product category is Financial Literacy Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAIAH, Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students, with a secondary code of EDAAAJAB, Saving & Emergency Funds. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.