Dalmatian Dreams Dba Dream Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770405779
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Phone
8055642131
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,904,709
Expenses
$2,134,534
Assets
$1,515,851
Liabilities
$110,004

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KIRSTEN HEYER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • KIRSTEN HEYER (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $240,239 total reported compensation
  • BARBARA SCHOCH (VP PROGRAMS): $130,196 total reported compensation
  • CINDY HELLRIEGEL (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & HR): $43,028 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Dream foundation serves terminally-ill adults and their families by providing end-of-life dreams that offer inspiration, comfort and closure.

What it reported doing in 2024

Dream foundation is the only national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults and has fulfilled over 35.768 dreams since 1994. Dream foundation's dreams touch lives, meet essential needs and provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. In 2024, the agency processed 490 requests for assistance. In 2025 the organization projects 550 referrals from over 170 hospices throughtout the united states and puerto rico. Additional referrals are received from doctors, nurses, social workers, health care facilities, and via the internet. 20% of dream referrals include adults that have young children who will be facing the impending loss of a parent. The toy program was established to let children know they are not forgotten in the midst of the emotional turmoil the family is facing. The toy program provides a box of new gender and age-appropriate toys for each child. In 2024 the program served over 211 children with donated new toys, games and gift cards. The flower empower program is a locally based, volunteer-driven program that delivers donated floral bouquets, fresh baked cookies and cards to people in hospices, cancer centers and their homes. Since it's inception in 1994, flower empower has served thousands of community members by providing more than 125,000 bouquets. In 2024 the flower empower program logged 6,750 volunteer hours and delivered 12,771 handmade bouquets.dream foundation created dreams for veterans in 2014 to tailor the dream experience to veterans, service members, and their families. Dream recipients are terminally-ill u.s. Military veterans, active service members, and members of the reserve and national guard in every state and puerto rico. This program acknowledges these groups and honors their servce by fulfilling their final dream, providing them, their families and caregivers inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. Since its inception dreams for veterans has served 1,235 veteran's dreams, 46 of them in 2024.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 93% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 47% for direct work, and 53% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 86
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 24
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.1%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 84.3%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $10.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -12.1%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.71; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.4%; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.1% of revenue deployed · 84.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $240K · 20 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $156K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 39/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 32/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 16/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 47/100.