Dream Center Bismarck

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
850943567
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Bismarck, ND, USA
Phone
7019552150
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Human Service Organizations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,644,577
Expenses
$3,618,934
Assets
$4,081,586
Liabilities
$2,176,087

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • James Barnhardt (President/Executive Director)
  • Dawn Kopseng (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • James Barnhardt (President/Executive Director): $66,502 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to connect people to a community of support by offering free resources and services that address immediate and long-term needs. Partner agencies and the Dream Center will work in many different areas including nutrition, employment, and health & dental as well as areas of poverty, addiction, abuse, and generational dysfunction. The Dream Center serves as a resource center focused on working together with others in our community to find creative solutions through community outreach programs.

What it reported doing in 2025

The Dream Center is a faith-based charitable organization dedicated to supporting the Bismarck-Mandan community. Our mission is to bridge the gap for those in need by providing free food in the form of prepared meals and groceries, while offering essential resources and support. Through collaboration with partner agencies, we offer comprehensive assistance in areas such as nutrition, employment, healthcare, addiction recovery, and family education. Our goal is to foster life-changing transformation while meeting immediate needs. Our Adopt-a-Block mobile grocery distribution program provides food to high-need neighborhoods while our facility provides on-site meals and groceries. Supported by local donations from local grocery and retail stores and distribution programs, Dream Center Bismarck is open 365 days a year.Beyond meals, we connect people with critical services, including health screenings, job assistance, and recovery programs, in partnership with organizations like Northland Health, AARP Tax Aide, Job Service ND, and Bridging the Dental Gap. The impact of these efforts is reflected in testimonies from community members who have found stability, employment, and hope through our programs.Block Parties were started in June of last year. These fun events are meant to bring families from the neighborhood to the Dream Center and build community. Activities include crafts, outdoor fun (weather permitting), live music, a free meal, games, prizes and an opportunity for our partnering organizations to take part and eductate our guests about their free services.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 94% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 72% of its reported program spending out as 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. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 57
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 74.2%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 95.2%; rating input score 95
  • Fundraising efficiency: $47.03 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Fail
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 22.1%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.13; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 22.7% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.4% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 55.3% per year; rating input score 100; 98th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 74.2% of revenue deployed · 95.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $3.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $67K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 5 filing years from 2020 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 38/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.