Overview
The Freeport-McMoRan Foundation created DreamBuilder in partnership with Thunderbird for Good. A free online training and certification program, DreamBuilder consists of courses covering the foundational business knowledge needed to start and grow small businesses. Courses such as marketing, pricing, bookkeeping, and others use games, exercises, video testimonials from successful entrepreneurs, and story-telling to make the learning fun. A built-in business plan generator guides the participants in creating a personalized, editable business plan. DreamBuilder is available at no cost in English and Spanish and in both online and offline formats.
DreamBuilder was designed keeping the unique needs of women entrepreneurs in mind, however it is used world-wide by women, men and children who want to pursue their dreams of business ownership. Over 100 partner organizations offer facilitated classes and additional support to women enrolled in the program. In the United States, the SBA and its network of Women’s Business Centers, as well as the U.S. Department of State, are key partners. In 2019, the State Department selected DreamBuilder to be the central curriculum of its “Academy of Women Entrepreneurs” (AWE) program. The program is implemented through US Embassies across the world. As of 2021, AWE programming supports women in 83 countries from all six regions.