Powered by CharityEZ

CharityEZ

Charity report ready

COLLEGE DREAMS INC

We found this organization. Review its mission, finances, leadership, and ways to help below.

Back to search results

This takes you back to the exact search that opened this report.

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

COLLEGE DREAMS INC

EIN 26-3161884 · Scholarships & Student Financial Aid (B82)

What they do

COLLEGE DREAMS PROMOTES RESILIENCY and COLLEGE/CAREER READINESS for OVER 1,400 LOW INCOME, FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE-BOUND, and UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS of COLOR. (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O) IT SERVES 22 SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTHERN OREGON THROUGH MATCHED COLLEGE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, CAREER EXPLORATION and POST-SECONDARY PLANNING and DROPOUT PREVENTION PROGRAMS. KEY ACTIVITIES: ACADEMIC MOTIVATIONAL ENHANCEMENT; MENTORING; SKILL-BUILDING and TUTORING; COLLEGE/CAREER AWARENESS; COMMUNITY SERVICE; COMPETITIVE SCHOLARSHIPS; BARRIER REMOVAL SUPPORT; RIGOROUS COURSE/DUAL CREDIT PLANNING; ACCESS to YOUTH CAMP, CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, PRE-COLLEGE PROGRAMS, and CAMPUS VISITS; ACADEMIC MONITORING, EXCELLENCE INCENTIVES and SUPPORTTIVE INTERVENTIONS; 3-TO-1 MATCHED COLLEGE SAVINGS; and SOFT-SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PAID WORK EXPERIENCES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check
Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $83.90 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders9 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

75.87%of revenue went to mission work83.9% of expenses · Program services
5.54%of revenue went to fundraising6.1% of expenses
$90.44spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.
9.03%of revenue went to management and office costs10.0% of expenses
$0.66in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.
97.8%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

  1. Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
  2. What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
  3. Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $111,800 for CARL THOMAS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$4,638,100
Mission workProgram services$3,518,80975.87% of revenue83.9% of expenses
ManagementOffice and general costs$418,7039.03% of revenue10.0% of expenses
FundraisingAsking for donations$257,1815.54% of revenue6.1% of expenses
Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$443,4079.56% of revenueShown in gray on the chart
Total expenses$4,194,69390.44% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails
2024CurrentExpense mix: 83.9% mission · 10.0% management · 6.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.44% of revenue
2023Expense mix: 86.4% mission · 9.0% management · 4.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.10% of revenue
2022Expense mix: 88.6% mission · 8.4% management · 3.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 104.75% of revenue
2021Expense mix: 88.0% mission · 7.9% management · 4.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.79% of revenue
2020Expense mix: 87.1% mission · 8.6% management · 4.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.58% of revenue
2019Expense mix: 89.5% mission · 9.0% management · 1.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.77% of revenue
2018Expense mix: 92.0% mission · 6.2% management · 1.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.24% of revenue
2017Expense mix: 89.8% mission · 9.3% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.05% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,638,100
Expenses$4,194,693
Annual surplus $443,407 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$3,518,809 · 83.9% of expenses
Management and office costs$418,703 · 10.0% of expenses
Fundraising$257,181 · 6.1% of expenses
See all reported dollar amounts
Revenue$4,638,100
Expenses$4,194,693
Assets$2,784,068
Income$4,638,100
Contributions$4,536,599
Mission work (program services)$3,518,809
Fundraising$257,181
Grants given$13,300
Average grant$13,300
Management and general$418,703
Accounting fees$75,867
People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation
CARL THOMASEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $111,800Base $103,000 · Other $8,800

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (9)

CARL THOMASEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

ARMANDO LOPEZSECRETARY/TREASURER

BRENDA PATTONDIRECTOR

CAROL CHRISTENVICE PRESIDENT

KATIE MENADIRECTOR

KENDELL FERGUSONDIRECTOR

LINDA WHITEDIRECTOR

RALPH BURRELLEDIRECTOR

STEVE BOYARKSYPRESIDENT

About this charity

Recognized since
January 2010
Location
789 NE 7TH ST, GRANTS PASS, OR 97526-1632
County
Josephine
In care of
% C/O R P BUSCH
Primary officer
CARL THOMAS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(541) 476-8146

Filing and classification

Latest tax year
2024
Tax period began
July 1, 2024
Return type
990
Tax preparer
MCDONALD JACOBS PC
NTEE classification
Scholarships & Student Financial Aid (B82)
IRS tax category
Scholarships & Student Financial Aid
Grant-giving organization
Yes

Thanks for caring! Learning about a charity is a great first step toward giving back.

About this report: Information comes from public nonprofit records and may show the latest filing available.

Back to search results
Want to go deeper?

Full charity research is waiting at CharityEZ

Explore complete charity searches, information, reports, and research tools.

For Full Charity Searches and Information — Try CharityEZ
Are you this charity?Keep your current needs updated free with CharityEZ.
Post your needs free