I HAVE A DREAM FOUNDATION-LOS ANGELES
Educate. Empower. Achieve.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
IHADLA aims to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by providing increased access to education to Los Angeles youth and their families from underserved communities. The minority students we serve come from economically-disadvantaged Los Angeles communities with school dropout rates that greatly exceed the 6% national average: Boyle Heights (55%), Watts (49%), and Inglewood (27%). These students are at particularly at high-risk of dropping out of school and require IHADLA’s intensive, long-term “whole-child” educational approach to help them stay in school, graduate, enroll in and complete college. Even once enrolled in college, students from low-socioeconomic status, particularly minority students, are less likely to complete their college education; Only 18% of Latino and 22% of Black students from LAUSD schools complete college over 6 years. IHADLA launched its College Check-In Program in 2018 to address this disparity and to promote college persistence and graduation.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Program 19 - Boyle Heights 8th Graders
In the Fall of 2015, "I Have a Dream" sponsored 65 third graders at Sunrise Elementary School in Boyle Heights. This program is 99% Latino, 1% mixed race, and 54% male, 46% female.
IHADLA purposely works with the most challenged neighborhoods in the most economically disadvantaged communities - the families of this newest program at Sunrise Elementary are no exception. A Title I school, 94% of the student body is classified as “Economically Disadvantaged”, with at least 52% of the Dreamers’ families having an income less than $20,000/year. Additionally, we do not “cherry pick” our students, believing all young people deserve an opportunity, and so we took on the entire 3rd grade at Sunrise, including at least 15 students with Individualized Education Plans for learning disabilities. More than 95% of students are Latino, with 35% lacking English proficiency, and less than half of the parents report having completed high school, much less any kind of post-secondary education.
Working with students for ten consecutive years, from elementary school, through high school graduation, and into college, the core component of our Program 19 in Boyle Heights is year-round in-school and after-school academic programming, during which our Program Coordinators are in the classroom with students during the day, run an after-school program five days a week, and run a four week summer program. The academic support we provide includes tutoring, homework time, and additional learning time for those students needing extra support. This academic programming is complimented by an array of support services, all provided free of charge. These support services include: culturally enriching field trips; life enhancement, such as fitness and nutrition, community service and character building; socio-emotional support, which we provide through one full time MSW on staff, four MSW interns, and two mental health agencies (Amanacer Community Counseling and the Maple Center Counseling) to which we refer students who demonstrate a need; college preparation and college visits; financial planning for students and their parents/guardians; career preparation, including job-shadowing and a series of professional presentations; and finally parent/guardian support, whereby we hold workshops for families throughout the year on topics ranging from the LAUSD system, to financial planning, to the college process.
With every class of students we sponsor, we are looking for our programming to effect real systemic change in the communities in which we work. For instance, our recent Program 14 graduates (Class of 2013) were also from Boyle Heights, and so by going back into that community with this newest program, we aim to have a deeper community wide impact. Additionally, this program is based at Sunrise Elementary. Together, we are an incredibly effective partnership, working to open these young people to new opportunities, so that they can help raise not only themselves, but also their families, out of the cycle of poverty. Additional partnerships for Program 19 have been built with Girls on the Run, The Maple Counseling Center, USC MSW program, California State University Long Beach, ROAD Maps reading program, Common Threads and more. By creating strong and lasting partnerships, we ensure that we are able to support our students and their families in all areas of their lives.
Program 18 - Watts 11th Graders
Program 18 was launched in the fall of 2012, sponsoring 70 - 3rd grade students from Watts, who are currently in the 11th grade. The goal of IHADLA's program is high school graduation and college/career prep.
These students are 81% Latino/Hispanic; 18% Black/African-American; and 1% Multi-racial. When they were originally sponsored these 3rd grade students were enrolled int 99th Street Elementary School. These students come from an area saturated with violence and crime. Forty-three percent of children are English Learners and 97% come from severely economically disadvantaged homes. As for their parents, 41% have not completed high school. Finally, of the seventy students that IHADLA has inducted into the program, over 30% are under the jurisdiction of the Dependency Court System in Los Angeles, meaning Foster Care, Group Homes, or in the care of a non-parent guardian. IHADLA willingly took on this class knowing that it posed some of the greatest challenges yet faced by the foundation.
Working with students for 12+ consecutive years, from elementary school, through high school graduation, and into college, the core component of our Program 18 is year-round in-school and after-school academic programming, during which our Program Coordinators are in the classroom with students during the day, run an after-school program five days a week, and run a four week summer school program. The academic support we provide includes tutoring, homework time, and additional learning time for those students needing extra support. This academic programming is complimented by an array of support services, all provided free of charge. These support services include: culturally enriching field trips; life enhancement, such as fitness and nutrition, community service and character building; socio-emotional support, which we provide through one full time MSW on staff, four MSW interns, and two mental health agencies (Amanacer Community Counseling and the Maple Center Counseling) to which we refer students who demonstrate a need; college preparation and college visits; financial planning for students and their parents/guardians; career preparation, including job-shadowing and a series of professional presentations; and finally parent/guardian support, whereby we hold workshops for families throughout the year on topics ranging from the LAUSD system, to financial planning, to the college process.
This program began at 99th Street Elementary School in Watts. Together, we are an incredibly effective partnership, working to open these young people to new opportunities, so that they can help raise not only themselves, but also their families, out of the cycle of poverty. Additional partnerships for Program 18 have been built with Girls on the Run, The Maple Counseling Center, USC MSW program, California State University Long Beach, ROAD Maps reading program, Common Threads, Que Rico Dance Company, and more. By creating strong and lasting partnerships, we ensure that we are able to support our students and their families in all areas of their lives.
Program 17 - Inglewood College-Level Students
The program serves 58 - college level students from Inglewood (who were sponsored since the 1st grade) – our focus is giving them every tool to succeed in college.
Students meet every Saturday for six hours of workshops designed and led by our two Program Coordinators. Along with homework help, a large focus is college prep, including: researching schools; tracking credits; meeting application requirements; practice essays/interviews for admissions; financial aid workshops for students and parents, led by admissions professionals; SAT prep; 23 Hours, a website to encourage community service, helping students track requirements for graduation; and teaching students to use Raiseme.com, a micro-scholarship program where students sign up for target colleges and earn money for them by meeting small goals. This past summer, we offered our annual week-long intensive college prep program, held on a college campus, focusing on college research, SAT prep tactics, and essay writing/interview skills, giving students an idea of life on a college campus.
In addition to the college prep progamming, we also take all students on at least two college field trips a year. Over the past seven years with IHADLA, our Inglewood students have already been to all local schools. Some students had the opportunity to visit colleges in Northern California, historically African-American colleges in the South. Exposing our students to colleges is integral, as most of our students are often the first in their family to achieve higher education, and thus they have no framework for the college experience or the myriad of opportunities available to them – IHADLA works to fill that void.
Program 20 - Inglewood 3rd & 4th Graders
In Fall 2018, IHADLA sponsored an entirely new class of 53 1st and 2nd graders at Frank D. Parent Elementary School in Inglewood. Students are 53% Black/African-American; 30% multi-racial; and 17% Latino/Hispanic.
Working with students for 12+ consecutive years, from elementary school, through high school graduation, and into college, the core component of our Program 20 is year-round in-school and after-school academic programming, during which our Program Coordinators are in the classroom with students during the day, run an after-school program five days a week, and run a four week summer school program. The academic support we provide includes tutoring, homework time, and additional learning time for those students needing extra support. This academic programming is complimented by an array of support services, all provided free of charge. These support services include: 2+ annual college visits (beginning in the 1st grade); culturally enriching field trips; life enhancement, such as fitness and nutrition, community service and character building; socio-emotional support, which we provide through one full time MSW on staff, four MSW interns, and case management referrals to partnering agencies.
Program 16 - College & Career Check-In Program (Inglewood)
Launched in Fall 2018, IHADLA implemented for the first time its College & Career Check-In Program for 56 of its recently graduated Inglewood students (Class of 2018). 98% of this class successfully graduated from high-school on-time. 75% of this class enrolled into college. IHADLA launched this program to combat statistics that show that college persistence and graduation is most difficult for students from low socio-economic status, especially minority students. Therefore, IHADLA's program provides additional support, networking, and peer-to-peer support for new college students making the transition from high school into college. The program also provides counseling and career support for students who directly enrolled into the military or workplace to ensure their successful transition.
College Tuition Support & College/Career Networking
Upon successful high-school graduation, IHADLA's students are eligible to receive up to $2,000 of post-secondary educational support each year (up to $8,000 maximum). IHADLA currently provides this support to Program 16 (Inglewood Class of 2018), along with tuition support and college and career networking and support to 150+ students from prior programs. IHADLA hosts program alumni networking events for current and prior students to share their college and career experiences on a regular basis.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The mission of IHADLA is to help youth from under-resourced communities become empowered members of society by providing a long-term program that includes: academic support, college and career readiness, life skill development, parent engagement, and social-emotional support, plus the offer of a scholarship for higher education to assure the best outcomes for employment and life success. Sponsoring entire grades levels of 1st grade students from economically challenged communities, we work with them for 12+ consecutive years through high school graduation and into college. Our vision is that the cycle of intergenerational poverty will be broken in our life-time, as increased access to education leads to high-school graduation, college completion, and higher rates of employment.
The following goals govern all aspects of the work of IHADLA as we work to achieve our mission and make our vision a reality: a) To instill a college-going culture into the children and parents we serve; b) To increase reading comprehension, vocabulary, and mathematic proficiency; c) To provide workshops and other resources for parents, enabling them to be the advocates of their children's educational futures, and; d) To provide the skills and resources necessary to encourage emotionally and physically healthy behaviors.
Ultimately, our goal is to abolish the intergenerational cycle of poverty that plagues the children, families, and communities with whom we work. We aim to do this through educating and empowering the students we serve, opening new worlds of opportunity to them and their families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
IHADLA employs a long-term, “whole child" education approach to achieve its goals of achieving college and career readiness for its students. The year-round, comprehensive programming offered by IHADLA is comprised of academic support, social-emotional development, tutoring, cultural enrichment, one-on-one mentoring, internships, intensive college preparation (SAT/ACT prep, application essay workshops, scholarship application workshops), college campus visits (2+ per class per year beginning in the 1st grade), career research and exposure (Dream Speaker series), STEM/STEAM interactive activities, field trips, community service, parent engagement (college and financial prep), and case management. Upon the completion of high school, IHADLA offers each student an $8,000 scholarship to be used towards college and other post-secondary education.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
IHADLA employs a staff of 14 who conduct educational, emotional, and experiential support on 4 campuses in Inglewood, Watts, and Boyle Heights. Under the guidance of our Sr. Director of Programs, who holds as Masters in Social Work, our Program Coordinators work individually with students to ensure their academic and case management progress. IHADLA oversees a staff of case management workers who assist our staff and students on-site.
IHADLA partners with a variety of community organizations, educational and arts institutions, schools, mental health organizations, and volunteers to provide a plethora of programming and services that foster the well-being and educational enrichment of its students. Among these partnerships include mental health agencies, University of Southern California Master of Social Work students, AmeriCorps volunteers, arts education, coding, interactive STEM/STEAM workshops, summer programs, media workshops, science and math instruction, music, technology, among others.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
For over 30 years, IHADLA has sponsored a total of 20 programs across Los Angeles County, cumulatively impacting over 11,500 individuals including students, parents, and siblings from economically-challenged communities. We currently serve nearly 500 youth from underserved communities of Boyle Heights, Watts, and Inglewood towards achieving high school graduation and college and career success.
We have a proven record of success: In June 2018, 98% of our Inglewood Class of 2018 high school seniors graduated high school on-time, exceeding IUSD's 85% and LAUSD’s 75% high school graduation rate. Furthermore, 75% of our students enrolled directly into college, 9% into the military, and 14% are gainfully employed. Among the colleges they are attending include UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, and Spelman College.
In Fall 2018, we adopted our newest class of 1st and 2nd graders from Inglewood, for whom we will continue to support through elementary, middle, and high school, and into college. In Fall 2018, we also launched our newest program - the College and Career Check In Program to ensure college and career persistence among our recent high school graduates and to promote their college graduation.
We aim to continue adopting more students from underserved communities and applying our "whole-child" approach to ensure that Los Angeles youth complete high school and continue onto college and fulfilling careers - equipped with the skills then need to pursue their dreams.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
I HAVE A DREAM FOUNDATION-LOS ANGELES
Board of directorsas of 01/08/2021
Ron Camhi
Managing Partner, Michelman & Robinson, LLP
Term: 2016 -
Susan Sprung
Associate National Executive Director, Producers Guild of America
Nancy Cotton
President, Heyday TV, USA
Christiane Cuse
Educator
Sabrina Strong
Partner, O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Tom Wertheimer
Media Consultant
Ron Camhi
Partner, Michelman & Robinson, LLP
Justin Falvey
Co-President, Amblin Television
Darryl Frank
Co-President, Amblin Television
Christine Lawton
Partner, Nolan Heimann LLP
Richard Wolf
CEO, the Producers Lab
Laurie Zaks
President, Mandeville Television/ABC Studios
David Kim
Managing Partner, The Bascom Group
Pamela Miller
CEO/Executive DIrector, "I Have a Dream" Foundation - Los Angeles
Vanessa Frank
Philanthropist
Grant F. Little III
CEO, Hudson Advisory Partners
Donna Rosenstein
Head of Casting, Amazon Studios
Kelly Goode
VP Current Programming, Warner Bros. Studios
Terrence Carter
EVP Development, Drama and Comedy, 20th Century Fox TV
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
No data
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data