The Dragon Kim Foundation

What The Dragon Kim Foundation does

The Dragon Kim Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2015 in Irvine, California, by Grace Kim following the death of her 14-year-old son Dragon Kim. The foundation operates a portfolio of youth development programs including the Fellowship Program (providing high school students with up to $5,000 in seed funding and business training to launch community impact projects over six months), the Dragon's Music Program (offering free instrument instruction to underserved children, originally launched in January 2016 via Camp OCSA), a Scholarship Program awarding $5,000 college scholarships to high-achieving high school seniors, the Dragon Juniors Academy for junior high students, and the annual Dragon Challenge Gala (a Shark Tank-style competition where top Fellowship teams can double their funding). The foundation has cumulatively sponsored over 300 High School Dragons, graduated 525 Fellows, engaged 206 mentors, partnered with 190 community organizations, and impacted 24,290 people, with $1.1M awarded and invested back into communities since inception.

The organization monetizes entirely through private donations, with no products or services sold. Its revenue model is composed of one-time donations of any size and a tiered annual membership program called Dragon Champions (Empower at $100/year, Impact at $250/year, and Transform at $500/year), which provides escalating benefits including newsletter access, social media recognition, event tickets, and the ability to "adopt" a Fellowship team. Its go-to-market is event-driven: students are onboarded through an annual admissions committee process (applications reviewed in January, interviews in February), and the organization reaches donors and volunteers through the Dragon Challenge Gala, a new Golf Tournament fundraiser, Fall Inspiration Sessions, a podcast on Spotify, and earned media coverage in outlets such as LA Times, Washington Post, and OC Register. The technology stack is essentially non-existent operationally — the foundation is a human-network-driven non-profit with no proprietary software, no app, no AI components, and no APIs, relying instead on its website, standard email, and a network of school and community partners (OCSA, Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., Kingston Technology, Hammitt) for program delivery.

Name

The Dragon Kim Foundation

Legal name

Dragon Kim Foundation

Website

https://dragonkimfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dragon Kim Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2015 in Irvine, California, that funds and mentors youth through a Fellowship Program, Music Program, college scholarships, and a Dragon Juniors Academy, funded entirely by private donations and serving high school students and underserved children in Southern California and Nevada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Non-Profit Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Community service grants
• Music education services
• College scholarship programs
• Student mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation is 100% supported by private donations. They accept one-time donations of any size as well as annual membership donations at three tiers: Empower ($100/year), Impact ($250/year), and Transform ($500/year). Membership benefits include newsletter subscriptions, social media recognition, event tickets, and the opportunity to adopt a fellowship team.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dragon Kim Foundation provides seed-funded fellowship programs (up to $5,000) and business training to high school students to launch community impact projects, supplemented by a music instruction program for underserved children, college scholarships, a Dragon Juniors Academy for younger students, and an annual showcase competition. Programming is delivered directly to student cohorts with mentorship from a network of 206 industry professionals and supported by 190 community partners.

Product overview

The Dragon Kim Foundation is a non-profit organization offering youth development programs including the Fellowship Program (providing seed money and business training for community impact projects), Dragon's Music Program (music instruction for underserved children), Scholarship Program ($5,000 college scholarships), Dragon Juniors Academy (youth development), and the Dragon Challenge (annual showcase event). The foundation also operates a donor membership program called Dragon Champions with tiered giving levels. These programs work together to inspire youth to impact their communities while discovering and pursuing their passions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dragon Fellows Program: High school student program providing seed money and business training to launch community impact projects
• Dragon's Music Program
• Dragon Challenge
• Dragon Juniors Academy
• Dragon Champions
• Breaking Barriers

Quantifiable outcome

• 525 Dragon Fellows completed the program since 2015
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kingston TechnologyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKingston Technology is mentioned as a corporate partner participating in the Corporate Volunteers program. The partnership engages Kingston Technology employees in mentoring student leaders through both short-term and long-term volunteer opportunities, demonstrating multi-faceted corporate involvement in foundation programs.
• HammittcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLuxury handbag brand partnered with Dragon Kim Foundation for a Lunar New Year shopping event and a youth fashion show featuring fellowship students' upcycling projects. Hammitt provided workspace at their Hermosa Beach headquarters and South Coast Plaza store for teen designers to select materials, and hosted a fashion show event celebrating student creativity and community impact.
• Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCSA is Dragon Kim's alma mater and serves as the venue for the annual Dragon Challenge Gala. The foundation's Music Program originally launched through OCSA's Camp OCSA, which serves over 300 Santa Ana elementary school kids annually. The foundation continues to partner with OCSA for program delivery and student participation.
• Girls ScoutsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through fellowship program where student teams conducted workshops and camps for Girl Scouts participants as part of their community impact projects focused on upcycling and fashion.
• Girls Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFellowship program partnership where student teams conducted workshops for Girls Inc. participants as part of community impact projects focused on fashion and upcycling.
• The Mix in Santa AnaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership through fellowship program where student teams conducted workshops and programs for youth at The Mix in Santa Ana as part of community impact projects.
• Boys & Girls ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDragon Fellows conducted the 'Feast of Flavors' community impact project at the Boys & Girls Club, as covered by the Daily Pilot in July 2024.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DoSomething.org: Youth social impact nonprofit that activates young people in community service and social change projects. Strongly comparable to DKF's fellowship program model of funding youth-led community impact projects.
• Questbridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving, low-income high school students with college scholarships and fellowships. Highly comparable mission to DKF's scholarship/fellowship pathway focused on top-tier college placement.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Private foundation that provides scholarships and educational support to high-achieving students with financial need. Directly comparable as a scholarship-focused foundation targeting high-achieving youth.
• Peace First: Nonprofit that invests in young people leading social change through seed funding, mentorship, and community. Directly analogous to DKF's Fellowship Program structure of seed grants + mentorship for youth changemakers.
• Ron Brown Scholar Program: Scholarship program for high-achieving African American high school seniors with demonstrated community service and leadership. Comparable in awarding scholarships based on community impact, paralleling DKF's selection criteria.
• Coca-Cola Scholars Program: Achievement-based scholarship program for high school seniors. Operates similarly to DKF's scholarship arm, awarding large scholarships to high-achieving students with community involvement.

Broad incumbents

• 4-H: Long-standing youth development organization offering leadership, community service, and project-based learning programs. Adjacent model to DKF's project-based fellowship and Juniors Academy approach.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national youth development organization providing programming across education, leadership, and the arts. Overlaps with DKF's Music Program and broader youth development mission as a wider-portfolio incumbent.
• Points of Light: Nonprofit focused on volunteering and civic engagement, including youth service programs. Comparable in mission to engage youth in community service, though operating at much larger national scale.
• Ashoka: Global organization supporting social entrepreneurs including youth changemakers through grants, mentorship, and networks. Broader scope but overlapping model of seed funding and mentorship for social impact projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLSIWdPr2xKAs-WRpzZIWhg
• Facebookfacebook.com/dragonkimfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/dragonkimfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-dragon-kim-foundaton

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 The Dragon Kim Foundation