Dreams33 Foundation

Dreams33 Foundation is a founder-led private non-operating foundation established in 2017 by Victoria Anne Burns Humphrey ("Tori") and Erica Headley, based in Redwood City, California. Its origin story is central to understanding its giving philosophy: Tori read a People Magazine article revealing that only 3% of foster youth graduate from college, called Erica, and declared the statistic unacceptable. That call sparked the nonprofit's founding. This personal, mission-driven origin shapes every aspect of how Dreams33 operates and should inform how any applicant frames their approach.

The foundation runs two parallel grant programs that require distinct strategies. The first is a direct-to-student program: educational grants and scholarships for current and former foster youth pursuing higher education in five California counties — San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Placer. This program has a transparent online application portal, documented eligibility requirements, and a 24-hour email response commitment. It is accessible, structured, and designed for individual applicants.

The second is an institutional grantmaking program, where the foundation makes larger grants — ranging from $2,500 to $657,340 in documented filings — to aligned and founder-connected organizations. Past institutional grantees include Unravel Pediatric Cancer ($657,340), the Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and GO2 Foundation ($250,000 combined), the Giants Community Fund ($100,000), San Jose State University programs ($125,000 combined), and Woodside School Foundation ($70,000). These grants reflect founder philanthropic networks that extend well beyond the foster youth education mission. The application restrictions state explicitly: "ALL GIFTS ARE MADE PURSUANT TO TRUST INSTRUMENTS & IN THE DISCRETION OF THE TRUSTEE." There is no public RFP for institutional grants.

For first-time applicants of any type, the primary operational contact is Erica Headley (Director, Secretary & Treasurer), the only paid staff member at $82,000 annually. The board, led by President Tori Humphrey, holds decision-making authority. Student applicants should begin with the eligibility pre-screen at dreams33.org. Institutional partners should pursue board-level introductions before making any formal outreach.

Dreams33 Foundation distributed between $1.06 million and $1.51 million in total grants annually from FY2020 through FY2023, with the following year-by-year breakdown: FY2020: $1,061,141; FY2021: $1,505,655 (highest year); FY2022: $1,221,584; FY2023: $1,308,764. FY2024 giving data is not yet filed but total assets grew $2.2 million that year, suggesting continued investment income supporting stable grantmaking capacity.

The foundation's total assets have expanded from $16.96 million (FY2020) to $18.09 million (FY2024). FY2022 was a notable outlier: total revenue reached $8.45 million, driven by $7.95 million in net investment income, almost certainly from realized capital gains on the investment portfolio. This event boosted asset levels and likely increased grantmaking capacity in the years following.

Within the documented grantee dataset (21 total grants, $1,338,660 aggregate across multiple years), average grant size was $63,746. The median grant from DB enrichment data is $37,500, with a range from $1,250 to $250,000 per grant. However, averages are heavily skewed by the single largest grant — $657,340 to Unravel Pediatric Cancer across two payments.

Breaking down institutional grant dollars by area: - Pediatric and lung cancer research: ~$1,047,340 (Unravel Pediatric Cancer $657,340, Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation $125,000, GO2 Foundation $140,000) — approximately 78% of documented institutional dollars - University sports and facilities: ~$125,000 (San Jose State football program and Brennan Family Football Facility Fund combined) — ~9% - K-12 and university education: ~$98,820 (Giants Community Fund $100,000, Woodside School Foundation $70,000, Saint Francis High School $28,820, SF State $10,000) — ~7% - Human services and mental health: ~$35,000 (Emergency Assistance Fund, Children's Health Council, Wender Weis Foundation, Pivotal Connections) — ~3%

For direct student grants: awards cap at $5,000/year for university students and $3,000/year for community college students. The foundation's program expense reporting shows $143,194 allocated to direct student grants and $23,879 to Holiday Cheer Boxes in the most recent available filing. Geography is concentrated: 18 of 21 grantees are California-based, with 3 in Florida.

The following table compares Dreams33 Foundation to its closest peers by asset size within the Human Services NTEE category, as identified in public IRS data:

Dreams33 distinguishes itself from this peer cohort in two important ways. First, it operates a genuinely public-facing student grant portal — an unusual degree of accessibility for a private foundation at this asset level, where trustee-discretion giving with no public solicitation is the norm (as seen in the Stockel Family Foundation model). Second, its institutional grantmaking spans pediatric cancer research and university sports programs, reflecting personal founder interests that extend well beyond its formal Human Services classification. None of the comparable peers appear to publish as much programmatic detail or maintain as structured a student-facing application process. For grant seekers, this transparency is a practical advantage: Dreams33 is more approachable than comparably sized foundations, but only for student applicants; institutional partnership inquiries remain relationship-gated.

No specific press releases, media features, or formal grant announcements from Dreams33 Foundation were identified in web research for 2025 or 2026. The foundation does not appear to issue press releases through newswires or maintain a publicly indexed newsroom with dated posts.

From financial filings, the clearest signal of recent activity is asset growth: total assets rose from $14,821,274 (FY2022) to $15,874,945 (FY2023) to $18,086,667 (FY2024) — a compound increase of approximately 22% over two years. FY2024 revenue of $857,622 suggests continued contributions and investment income, though the FY2024 grants_paid figure is not yet available in filed returns.

Board composition as of the most recent multi-year filings includes Victoria Anne Burns Humphrey (President/Director, unpaid), Erica Headley (Secretary, Treasurer & Director, $82,000 compensation in FY2023 — the sole paid staff position), Stephen T. Humphrey (Director, unpaid), Jon Riley (Director, unpaid), Samantha Wickstrom (Director, unpaid), and Dena Grimm (Director, unpaid). No leadership changes were identified in public records for 2025 or 2026.

The foundation maintains social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube under @dreams33foundation. Active campaigns visible on the website as of 2026 include Dream for a Million (fundraising), Foster the Fun (May initiative), and the Holiday Cheer Boxes program for foster youth in college. These represent continuity of established programs rather than new initiative launches.

For student grant and scholarship applicants:

• Confirm county eligibility before investing time in the application. Dreams33's educational grant program serves students connected to San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, and Placer counties in California. The county connection may refer to your foster care placement history, not necessarily where you currently attend school. If your situation is ambiguous, email info@dreams33.org — the foundation guarantees a 24-hour response and can clarify before you gather documents.

• Request your dependency or ward letter early. This county-issued letter is required for all applications and is frequently the rate-limiting step. County human services agencies can take 2-4 weeks to process requests. Do not wait until the rest of your application is complete to request this document.

• Write a specific personal statement referencing the foundation's founding mission. Dreams33 was created because only 3% of foster youth graduated college. Your statement should directly address: what educational barriers you face as a result of your foster care experience, how you plan to overcome them, and what you intend to do with your education. Generic statements about financial need will not differentiate your application.

• Do not self-screen on income. Dreams33 explicitly has no income-based restrictions. Apply regardless of your income level or other financial aid you receive.

• Stack this grant with all other eligible aid. Dreams33 grants are designed to fill gaps in unmet financial need and can be combined with Pell Grants, Cal Grants, Education and Training Vouchers (ETV), and other foster youth scholarships. Apply here in parallel with other sources.

• Start via the eligibility pre-screen portal at dreams33.org, not a cold email. The pre-screen determines which program (educational grant or scholarship) you qualify for and routes your application correctly.

• The scholarship program begins at age 13. If you are a current high school student aged 13-17, apply for the scholarship commitment now — it converts to funding when you enroll in a qualifying program.

For institutional grantees:

• There is no public solicitation or RFP. All institutional giving is at trustee discretion. The most common mistake is submitting an unsolicited proposal. Cold submissions are unlikely to succeed.

• Align with documented founder interest areas: pediatric cancer research, lung cancer research, Bay Area youth-serving sports programs, and Peninsula-area K-12 education. These are where relationship-based institutional dollars have historically flowed.

• Pursue a warm introduction through existing grantees — Unravel Pediatric Cancer, the Giants Community Fund, or Saint Francis High School represent logical peer networks. A referral from a current grantee carries significant weight given the trustee-discretion model.

• Contact Erica Headley at info@dreams33.org for any institutional inquiry. She is the sole paid staff contact and manages all foundation operations.