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    Dream Alliance · Chicago

    Sponsor Chicago schools

    Chicago is home to professionals in every field whose paths began in its public schools. Too few students ever meet them. A Dream Alliance sponsorship brings those professionals into school classrooms, across a semester or a full school year.

    Schedule a conversation See the Chicago data

    Chicago Public Schools · Cross-class connection

    34 of the 47 CPS high schools with published data rank in the bottom quarter of U.S. high schools for cross-class friendship among graduates from about 2008 to 2018.

    • 27rank in the bottom 10% nationally
    • 36,000+students attend these schools today

    The map measures who students know. Todaydream adds people they would not otherwise meet: professionals who have walked the path.

    Sponsor a School
    Bottom quarter nationallyAbove the bottom quarter
    Lake MichiganFAR NORTH SIDE4 of 8NORTHWEST SIDE5 of 5NORTH SIDE1 of 3WEST SIDE7 of 9CENTRAL0 of 2SOUTH SIDE4 of 5SOUTHWEST SIDE5 of 5FAR SOUTHWEST SIDE3 of 4FAR SOUTHEAST SIDE5 of 6
    Each square is one CPS high school with published data, grouped by side of the city. Source: Social Capital Atlas (Chetty et al., Nature 2022), high-school economic connectedness by parental SES: friendships among schoolmates born 1990–2000 (classes of about 2008–2018), observed in 2022; ranks against 11,608 U.S. high schools. 47 of 176 CPS high schools have a published value. Enrollment: CPS School Profiles, 2024–25.
    • West Side7 of 9
    • Northwest Side5 of 5
    • Southwest Side5 of 5
    • Far Southeast Side5 of 6
    • South Side4 of 5
    • Far North Side4 of 8
    • Far Southwest Side3 of 4
    • North Side1 of 3
    • Central0 of 2
    View as a table
    SideBottom quarterWith data
    West Side79
    Northwest Side55
    Southwest Side55
    Far Southeast Side56
    South Side45
    Far North Side48
    Far Southwest Side34
    North Side13
    Central02

    Chicago, up close

    7 of 47

    CPS high schools with published data rank above the national median.

    1 in 4

    of lower-income graduates' high-school friends came from higher-income families, at the typical school among the 34. At the typical U.S. high school, it is 1 in 2.

    1.8 miles

    separate two CPS high schools at opposite ends: one in the top third nationally, the other in the bottom 1%.

    Source: Social Capital Atlas (Chetty et al., Nature 2022); classes of about 2008–2018, observed in 2022. 1 in 4 and 1 in 2 are median shares of above-median-SES friends among below-median-SES students (25% for these 34 schools; 48% across U.S. high schools). Distance is straight-line.

    How a Chicago sponsorship works

    1

    Choose where

    Choose a school near your office or community, or we will match you with a school ready to partner. Every partnership is arranged with the school's leadership.

    2

    We bring the professionals

    DreAmbassadors based in Chicago and across Illinois can be in the room. Others join by video from across the country. Each Session Day is prepared with the school's teachers around a hands-on challenge.

    3

    See what changed

    Students complete short surveys before and after the program. You receive a report you can share with your team, and your employees can serve as DreAmbassadors through our standard training and screening.

    One Semester

    "A strong start"

    The school receives:

    • A launch event for students.
    • Monthly DreAmbassador Session Days, each built around a hands-on challenge
    • Teacher preparation before every session
    • Student surveys before and after the program

    You receive:

    • A semester report on your partnership
    • Recognition on the Todaydream Foundation website

    One School Year

    "The full partnership"

    The school receives:

    • Everything in One Semester, across the full school year

    You receive:

    • A year-end report on your partnership
    • Recognition on the Todaydream Foundation website
    • The opportunity for employees to serve as DreAmbassadors, through our standard training and screening

    A Cohort of Schools

    "Impact across a community"

    The schools receive:

    • Everything in One School Year, for multiple schools in one neighborhood or network
    • A shared launch for the cohort

    You receive:

    • A combined report across schools
    • Recognition on the Todaydream Foundation website
    • The opportunity for employees to serve as DreAmbassadors, through our standard training and screening
    Dr. Chika Okafor

    Built by a Chicago Public Schools graduate

    Dr. Chika Okafor attended Chicago Public Schools from elementary through high school. He later returned to work for the district twice, on violence prevention and college persistence. Today he teaches at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. His research on social network discrimination, published in The Journal of Law & Economics, shows how separate networks produce unequal opportunity, even on an otherwise level playing field. Todaydream is what he built in response.

    "To see an Ivy League educated Black man come from Chicago Public Schools was very inspiring. We need to do this more for students. Representation matters."

    Educator, Chicago
    Browse our DreAmbassadors

    Questions sponsors ask

    One semester or one full school year, for one school. A cohort sponsorship covers multiple schools in one neighborhood or network.

    We share the details in a first conversation, along with what each option includes.

    Sponsorships are made to the Todaydream Foundation, a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity. The full statement appears at the foot of this page.

    Start with one school.

    Thirty minutes is enough to see whether a Chicago partnership fits your team.

    Schedule a conversation