Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope

What Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope does

Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1995 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose to sustain eight inner-city Catholic elementary schools in California — five in Los Angeles, two in San Francisco, and one in Oakland. The organization provides tuition assistance to approximately 1,055 of the 1,504 students enrolled across these schools for the 2022-2023 academic year, allocating roughly $100,000 per school annually through a combination of endowment income and annual fundraising. Over its 30-year operating history, Vision of Hope has educated 54,000 students and provided $25 million in cumulative tuition assistance.

The organization's product surface extends beyond financial aid to include the Parents in Action (PiA) program — a free workshop series covering parenting education, ESL, health and wellness, and high school transition — and a Blended Learning educational program implemented in partnership with Loyola Marymount University that combines in-person instruction with technology-based learning. A portfolio of named endowed scholarships (including the Robert M. Holstein Jr. Memorial, Veritas, and Sister Renilde Cade O.P. Memorial scholarships) layers on top of the base tuition assistance. Vision of Hope is governed by a Board of Directors co-chaired by Denise Bacall and Lori Hawkins, with advisory boards in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, and operates with a small professional staff of approximately nine led by Executive Director Nicole Johnson, Administrator/Business Manager Sister Karen Elizabeth Zavitz O.P., and Los Angeles Liaison Sister Georgette Coulombe O.P.

Vision of Hope's business model is a non-profit fundraising and grant-making operation. Revenue is generated through annual fund campaigns, planned giving vehicles (estate planning, charitable remainder trusts, the Legacy Circle program), appreciated stock and securities gifts, and named endowed scholarships. Donations are processed through the DonorPerfect online platform and solicited via the organization's website (visionofhope.org), email newsletters, social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), and the annual Fall Luncheon. Vision of Hope does not sell products or services; its "revenue" is gross charitable receipts that are then redistributed to its eight beneficiary schools and into endowment principal, with no pricing model, public tuition disclosure, or commercial sales motion.

Name

Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope

Legal name

Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope

Website

https://visionofhope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides tuition assistance, parent education, and blended learning support to eight inner-city Catholic elementary schools in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Oakland, serving roughly 1,500 students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Education Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Catholic education support
• Tuition assistance programs
• Parent education workshops
• Blended learning education
• School scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Fundraising: Annual fund campaigns that provide ongoing tuition assistance to the eight schools. Vision of Hope allocates on average $100,000 to each school annually through endowment dollars and annual fundraising.
2. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Charitable planned giving vehicles including estate planning, charitable remainder trusts, and the Legacy Circle recognition program for donors who include Vision of Hope in their estate planning.
3. Stock and Securities Gifts: Acceptance of appreciated securities including stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, providing donors with tax deductions while supporting Vision of Hope schools.
4. Named Scholarships: Multiple endowed scholarship funds established by donors, including Robert M. Holstein Jr. Memorial Scholarship, Veritas Scholarship, and others that provide tuition assistance to qualifying students.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds and supports eight underserved Catholic elementary schools in California by allocating approximately $100,000 per school annually for tuition assistance, delivering the Parents in Action parent education program, and implementing a Blended Learning educational technology program in partnership with Loyola Marymount University. The organization also administers multiple named scholarship funds and conducts annual fundraising campaigns to sustain affordable Catholic education.

Product overview

Vision of Hope operates as a network of eight underserved Catholic elementary schools in California (five in Los Angeles, two in San Francisco, one in Oakland), founded in 1995 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose. The organization's core offerings consist of a Tuition Assistance Program providing financial support to approximately 75% of students, a Parents in Action (PiA) program offering free parent workshops and development resources, a Blended Learning Program implemented with Loyola Marymount University, and various named scholarships supporting students across all eight schools. The organization also conducts annual fundraising through its Annual Fund program with planned giving options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuition Assistance Program
• Parents in Action (PiA) Program
• Blended Learning Program
• Named Scholarship Funds
• Annual Fund Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,504 students enrolled in 2022-2023 with approximately 1,055 receiving tuition assistance
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dominican Sisters of Mission San JosecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995Vision of Hope was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose in 1995 to ensure the quality, affordability, and vibrant future of their eight poorest elementary schools. The schools embody the charism and commitment to the four pillars of the Dominican Order: Prayer, Community, Study, and Service.
• Loyola Marymount UniversitycoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to implement Blended Learning programs across all eight Vision of Hope schools, providing technology-based educational support that enhanced remote learning capabilities during COVID-19.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Connelly Foundation: Philadelphia-area foundation that supports Catholic K-12 education through tuition assistance grants and scholarship programs, paralleling Vision of Hope's endowment-funded scholarship model in a different regional market.

Direct peers

• Catholic Inner-City Schools Educational Fund (CISE): Provides financial and programmatic support to inner-city Catholic elementary schools in the St. Louis area with a comparable focus on sustaining viability of urban Catholic schools serving low-income families.
• Fulcrum Foundation: Catholic school foundation serving the Archdiocese of Seattle with tuition assistance and educational programs for underserved families, paralleling Vision of Hope's mission across the Pacific Northwest.
• Big Shoulders Fund: Provides scholarships and programmatic support to inner-city Catholic schools in Chicago with a near-identical model of tuition assistance funded through donations and major foundation partnerships. The most structurally similar direct peer to Vision of Hope.
• The Catholic Schools Foundation: Provides need-based scholarships to low-income students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, with a comparable endowment-based tuition assistance model.
• Inner-City Scholarship Fund: Provides tuition assistance to inner-city Catholic school students in the New York metropolitan area, employing the same nonprofit grantmaking model for underserved urban Catholic education that Vision of Hope uses in California.
• Today and Tomorrow Educational Foundation: Provides scholarships and grants to low-income students attending Catholic schools in the Kansas City area, mirroring Vision of Hope's tuition assistance mission and donor-funded grantmaking model.
• Aim Higher Foundation: Provides tuition assistance to Catholic elementary school students in the Twin Cities using the same model of partnering with individual donors and foundations to support underserved Catholic education.
• Catholic Education Foundation: Provides tuition assistance and support to Catholic elementary and secondary schools throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, directly overlapping with 5 of Vision of Hope's 8 schools' geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA): Largest professional education association for Catholic schools in the U.S., operating at national scale across policy, advocacy, and programming rather than direct tuition assistance—overlaps with Vision of Hope's mission space but at a much broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCW4nhX-OX6sMt9UdF-Z3lgg
• Facebookfacebook.com/DominicanSistersVisionofHope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dominican-sisters-vision-of-hope
• Instagraminstagram.com/dsvisionofhope

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Dominican Sisters Vision of Hope