Dream Chicago

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
831188472
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2023–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Oak Park, IL, USA
Phone
8473971040
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose

Reported finances

Revenue
$662
Expenses
$767
Assets
$0

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

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • HEATHER TREADWAY (PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • HEATHER TREADWAY (PRESIDENT)
  • CATHERINE BENDOWITZ (SECRETARY)
  • REBEKAH KUCZMA (TREASURER)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

Dream chicago offers joyful art-making experiences and learning opportunities that inspire hope, courage, creativity and community, particularly among chicago's underserved populations. Dream chicago connects artists living their dreams with dreamers at various stages of their dream journey, with public and participatory opportunities including schools, studios and the streets of chicago.

What it reported doing in 2025

Workshops - designed for adult learners, these will focus on topics that range from creative writing to painting, sketching, photography, filmmaking, music, digital arts, and more depending on member interests. Again, strategic partnerships with the public library, schools and park district will be advantageous to programming. Depending on the length of class, required materials and level of instruction needed, a sliding fee scale will be offered for class fees, and financial assistance will be available. The average cost of a three-hour masterclass is 20-25 per participant.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 100
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 19
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -15.9%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: Limited
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -45.9% per year; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -37.1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -38.3% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 2 filed program accomplishments · $767 in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 5 of 5 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2023 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.