Dreampower Foundation Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
The DreamPower Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy and Therapeutic Horsemanship programs and services to children, teens and adults with mental, emotional, behavioral and medical problems.
- Income
- $710,221
- Spending
- $743,900
- Spent on programs
- 88%
- Reserves
- 0.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 73%
- Employees
- 12
- Highest pay
- $94,035, executive dir.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 62 out of 100. Higher than 32% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Reserves
4 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 0.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 10% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 5% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 1% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1588% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Weak: 49 out of 100. Higher than 20% of charities in its peer group (human services, $250k to $1m).
Independent board
18 of 254 of 3 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
0 of 15Reports no written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
0 of 8Reports no written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
6 of 15Its accounts were not audited or reviewed by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (3)
- $657,144 spent. The DreamPower Foundation 2024ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2024DreamPower received a Mentored Internship Program Round 2 grant from the California Department of Health Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program. This grant was renewed for a second round of funding for Oct. 2023 Dec. 2024. Sixteen bachelors and masters level psychotherapy interns participated in the Mentored Internship Program Round 2 grant, helping to develop a more robust behavioral health work force for CaliforniaLeadership 2 Partnership 25 volunteers participated in 4 weekly Leadership 2 Partnership classes, training the therapy horses in ground work and training the volunteers on how to handle the therapy horses consistently, increasing their longevity in the program.Horses for Warriors Four free weekly support groups were offered year-round, facilitated by licensed psychotherapists, for US military veterans from all branches and all eras. Individual counseling and volunteer opportunities are also available for military veterans.LEOS (Law Enforcement Officers Support) Project this year-round project offers professional counseling and peer support with other law enforcement officers at DreamPower through horse activities, counseling, volunteering, and knife-making and leather working classes for active, retired, reserve, injured and admin leave law enforcement officers. The LEOS Project co-sponsored a Law Enforcement Family Day at the Ranch in April.Hitch Team (Therapeutic Carriage Driving) - Carriage driving lessons and training for DreamPower volunteers and carriage driving lessons for the community.Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center DreamPower psychotherapists provided individual and group psychotherapy and workshops for children and adults impacted by mass violence at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in 2019.Operation Freedom Paws DreamPower provides psychotherapists at four weekly service dog training classes and a weekly anger management group for military veterans at Operation Freedom Paws.San Jose Police Department DreamPower staff presented three times during 2024 on Trauma and EMDR to the San Jose Police Department Crisis Intervention Training Academy for new police officers.January 2024 Webinar Becoming the Designated Calm Person presented for DreamPower volunteers and the community by Lasell Bartlett, MSW. Leadership 2 Partnership hosted the DreamPower Volunteer Potluck and Lightfest, held after dark in an arena lit up with holiday lights.February 2024 Professional Counselor Intern Chris Henriquez was interviewed about DreamPower for Telemundo 48 television news.March 2024 The first Read to a Horse Day was held at DreamPower. 38 families from the community came to read to a horse (and a donkey, sheep, goat, cow, chicken, duck or alpaca).April 2024 The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) Intl. Region 11 awards were presented to Julie Whelan for Region 11 Volunteer of the Year, Alexander Wolf for Region 11 Equine Caretaker of the Year and Tango for Region 11 Therapy Horse of the Year. Poppy and Daisy (two Chincoteague Ponies) attended the Horsemanship Over Obstacles clinic at De Frates Horsemanship. On April 27, twenty law enforcement families participated in a Law Enforcement Family Day at the Ranch, held in collaboration with the Peace Officer Wives of California and Taji 100.May 2024 - San Jose State University IT Project Management Class completed upgrading and overhauling the DreamPower website for a class project.June 2024 Twenty campers and 80 volunteers participated in the 17th Annual DreamPower Camp for Children with Special Needs. Poppy and Daisy participated in the Happy Trails Summer Camp for children with special needs in Visalia, CA and also Baby Boot Camp at De Frates Horsemanship in Gilroy, CA. Poppy and Daisys story was included in the book Out of the Sea: Today's Chincoteague Pony (2nd Edition) by Lois Szymanski.July 2024 A high school senior Girl Scout began working on her Girl Scout Gold Award project at DreamPower.August 2024 DreamPower had an information booth at the Gilroy Rodeo.October 2024 DreamPower Director Martha McNiel published her first childrens picture book called Poppy and Daisys Big Adventure. This is the first book in The DreamPower Tales series of true stories about real animals who help people at DreamPower and beyond. Poppy and Daisys Big Adventure is available in English, Spanish and Ukrainian. Poppy and Daisy graduated from Baby Boot Camp for young horses at De Frates Horsemanship in Gilroy, CA. DreamPower began a partnership with the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office and the 526 Resilience Center (for survivors of the 5/26 Valley Transit Authority mass shooting).November 2024 Home Depot team members participated in a Home Depot District Work Day at DreamPower, beautifying the ranch and gifting us with a Tuff Shed storage shed (assembled by professionals). Gilroy Walmart sponsored the second Read to a Horse Day at the ranch. More than 75 families participated in Read to a Horse Day.December 2024 The Second Annual Poinsettias, Pancakes, Ponies and Pictures Holiday Breakfast was served for our community. DreamPower was honored to welcome three staff members from Victory Center in Kyiv, Ukraine as our guests for three days at DreamPower. Our Ukrainian guests met with our DreamPower veterans and learned about working with military veterans from the DreamPower staff. DreamPower hosted a community dinner where our guests shared about life and working with military veterans and children affected by war in Ukraine. The Girl Scout Gold Award Project was completed, which included translating Poppy and Daisys Big Adventure into Spanish and Ukrainian, and donating 200 copies of the book to children at Victory Center in Kyiv, Ukraine.PartnershipsAmerican Legion Post 419 (Santa Clara)Veterans Administration Palo Alto Health CenterSan Jose Police DepartmentSan Jose Police Officers AssociationGilroy Chamber of CommerceMorgan Hill Chamber of CommerceEmbark Reside
- DreamPower Foundation Inc. (DBA DreamPower Horsemanship) is a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International Premier Accredited Center and a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization founded in 2002. For the past 18 years, DreamPower has provided equine-assisted psychotherapy and therapeutic horsemanship programs and services for children, teens, adults and elders with a wide variety of mental, emotional, physical and behavioral special needs. Now located at WoodMyst Farm in Gilroy, DreamPower provided services to 835 children, teens, adults and elders in 2019 through more than twenty equine-assisted programs, including the following:Equine Facilitated PsychotherapyAutism Research Groups (for children on the autism spectrum)Horses for Warriors (for military veterans of all eras and branches)Law Enforcement Family Day at the Ranch John F. Kennedy University Masters in Holistic Counseling classes Horses for Warriors Family Day at the Ranch (military veterans and families)Twelfth Annual DreamPower Camp for Children with Special NeedsSunnyvale Elks Family Day at the Ranch (for children on the autism spectrum)Womens Personal Growth Group Farm Friends (social skills groups for children)Horse Power: Living Strong with MS (for adults with multiple sclerosis) Therapeutic Horsemanship Lessons Equine Empowerment for Elders (for elders with high functioning dementia)LEOS Youth groups (for children from law enforcement families)The Hitch Team (therapeutic carriage driving program) Fire Buddies (for children affected by wildfire)Interactive Vaulting (social skills and gymnastics on horseback)Womens Harvest Circle (for women with anxiety and depression) Gilroy Strong Resiliency Center (for persons affected by the Gilroy Garlic Festival shootings)Sensory Friendly Trick or Treat Party (for children with special needs)
- DreamPower Horsemanship has a long history of partnering with and working alongside a wide variety of community organizations. DreamPower regularly partners with the following organizations and agencies:Evolve Treatment CenterWounded Warrior ProjectSan Jose Vet CenterSanta Clara County Office of Education Adaptive Physical Education Post-Secondary ProgramOperation Freedom PawsGilroy Strong Resiliency CenterLearning ServicesProfessional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship Intl. (PATH Intl.)San Jose Police DepartmentSunnyvale Department of Public SafetyJohn F. Kennedy UniversityPalo Alto UniversitySunnyvale ElksGilroy After Hours RotaryGavilan College Veteran ServicesNational Multiple Sclerosis SocietyGirl ScoutsBoy ScoutsAdvent Group MinistriesChamberlain Childrens ServicesCommunity SolutionsLifeMoves (homeless shelters)
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 2003.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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