“I Have A Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles

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OVERVIEW: The “I Have A Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles supports education in Los Angeles, California.

IP TAKE: Although this is not a traditional nonprofit grantmaker, it is an accessible one to know for at-risk youth in underserved Los Angeles who are need of financial support for education.

PROFILE: Established in 1987, the “I Have A Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles is a charitable organization based in Los Angeles, California. This is the foundation of New York businessman Eugene Lang, who first created a national foundation in 1981 and later created the Los Angeles foundation as a second affiliate. Lang was inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and applied this concept to high school dropout rates and college attainment. The foundation’s mission is to provide “long-term support to youth living in under-resourced communities to help them reach their full potential.” This foundation does not make monetary grants, but runs programs to provide academic support, mentoring, college application guidance and more to underserved students in Los Angeles.

Grants for K-12 and Higher Education

The “I Have a Dream” Foundation supports students in the following areas:

  • Academic Support includes “in-school support, academic tutoring and core specific interventions essential to excel them from first grade and on through college, which includes a focus on STEAM education.”

  • Mentorship Programs consist of pairing students with a “consistent and trustworthy adult role model” who provides encouragement and “a variety of positive, new experiences.”

  • The foundation runs programs that foster healthy Social & Emotional Development including stress management, resilience, mental health awareness and interpersonal skills.

  • Life Skills Development programming helps students “master critical thinking skills abilities to better navigate life’s most challenging obstacles within the areas of health & wellness, financial literacy, character building and professionalism.”

  • College and Career Readiness involves SAT/ACT preparation and college and career exploration activities. Upon graduating from high school, scholar participants “are eligible to receive up to $8,000 in scholarships towards post-secondary education.”

  • The foundation also supports Parent Engagement through “resources, communication and education to equip them with the essential tools to support their child’s healthy development and post-secondary success.”

  • A Civic Engagement component involves student participation in community service projects. Students are also encouraged to “utilize their voices to influence systemic change.”

Important Grant Details:

The “I Have a Dream” Foundation does not make grants.

  • This funder operates programs that support students from Los Angeles’s underserved areas.

  • For profiles of the foundation’s work in certain areas, see the foundation’s programs page.

Grants are typically about $8,000 each. Learn more about this funder’s local giving by examining its recent tax records. Grantmaking focuses on Los Angeles, California and specifically the underserved communities of Boyle Heights, Watts and Inglewood. Past local grantees include individual students and their families living in the Los Angeles area. This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits. Direct general questions to the staff at 213-572-0175 or via online form.

PEOPLE:

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