Gail Overton
Crime thriller from Power creator Courtney A. Kemp.
9,000+
Youth Served
7+
Active Programs
100+
Mentors & Volunteers
50+
Corporate Partners
Why We Exist
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Empowering Tomorrow's Leaders
To empower underserved youth, ages 13 to 19, with the tools, guidance, and support they need to succeed, through real-world experiences, caring mentors, and financial and technology literacy.
Our Vision
A World of Possibility
A world where every young person has access to mentorship, education, and experiences that unlock their potential and inspire them to create positive change.
What Drives Us
Empowerment
Giving young people the tools and confidence to shape their own futures.
Community
Building lasting bonds between mentors, families, and youth that uplift everyone.
Innovation
Using music, technology, and creative programming to unlock potential in fresh ways.
Excellence
Setting the highest standard in everything we do, from band camp to boardroom.
An entertainer who never stopped showing up for her community.
Dawnn Lewis is a Grammy Award-winning singer, a multiple ASCAP and BMI Award-winning songwriter, a film, television, and stage actor, a composer, and a series TV creator and producer. She was inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame with its first class in 2021, and she is a Trumpet Award honoree.
Born in Brooklyn to a family with roots in Guyana, she started the musical theatre program at the University of Miami at 16 and graduated magna cum laude. Her career began in Broadway musicals and has now spanned five decades, across the stage, television, film, recording studios, and the voice booth.
She has served on the SAG and SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors, helping lead the merger as National and Los Angeles Chair of the Singers Committee, and on the National Advisory Board of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. She has been a spokesperson for UNCF, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the K.I.S. Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease, and the EMPOWHER Institute.
With the Los Angeles Urban League she co-produced A New Day: Concert for a Cause, which brought together more than 40 artists and performers who donated their talent to community nonprofits. In 2017 she founded A New Day Foundation to put that same energy directly behind underserved teens, ages 13 to 19.
- Grammy Award-winning singer
- Recording artist and vocalist
- ASCAP & BMI Award-winning songwriter
- Multiple-award recipient
- Women Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee
- Inducted with its first class, 2021
- Trumpet Award honoree
- Celebrating Black achievement
- SAG-AFTRA National Board of Directors
- Former National & LA Chair, Singers Committee
- National Advisory Board
- National Center for Civil and Human Rights
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
- Next Dimension University, 2019
- B.M. in Musical Theatre, magna cum laude
- University of Miami
On screen and on stage
Five decades, and still going. Dawnn's career began in Broadway musicals and grew into a body of work few performers can match: landmark network sitcoms, feature films, prime-time drama, and some of animation's best-loved voices, from The Simpsons and Futurama to Star Trek. Her newest roles include Netflix's Nemesis and ABC's R.J. Decker, and she still meets fans at conventions like Comic-Con.
Officer Penmar
R.J.’s sharp, savvy parole officer.
Zelma Bullock
Tina Turner’s mother, in the original Broadway cast.
Tina on Broadway, via A New Day Foundation
Captain Carol Freeman (voice)
Commanding officer of the U.S.S. Cerritos.
Season 1 official trailer, via Paramount+
DAWNN LEWIS
The Simpsons
as Bernice Hibbert
FOX2021–present
Bernice Hibbert (voice)
Futurama
FOX, Comedy Central, Hulu
LaBarbara Conrad (voice)
Hermes Conrad’s wife.
Patrice
Official promo, via TNT
Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor
She also co-wrote the show’s theme song.
Robin Dumars
And sang the first-season theme with Holly Robinson and En Vogue.
Cheryl Spade
Official trailer, via Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers
Also heard in Doc McStuffins (Grandma McStuffins) and Carmen Sandiego (The Chief).
Using the spotlight for good
Long before ANDF, Dawnn was lending her voice and her network to causes she believes in: civil rights, health, education, and housing.
Impact in Action
Moments That Matter
From the classroom to the stage, from the field to the boardroom — our programs create memories and milestones that last a lifetime.
Leadership group at ANDF event
Focused N FIT group lineup
Scholarship recipient celebration
NASA team teaching session
Engaged students at band camp
Siedah Garrett and Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis with Steve Wesson
Opening panel discussion
Volunteer leader in action
Dawnn with Zeta Phi Beta sorors
SWAT experience program
Raffle winner celebration
Our Journey
Building Impact, Year by Year
From humble beginnings to national recognition, our journey has been defined by passion, purpose, and the power of community.
2017
Day 1Founded
Dawnn Lewis founds A New Day Foundation to empower underserved youth ages 13–19, building on decades of service and advocacy.
2017
Day 1Founded
Dawnn Lewis founds A New Day Foundation to empower underserved youth ages 13–19, building on decades of service and advocacy.
2023
Signature eventFocused N F.I.T.
The signature conference brings high school and college students and their parents together for financial and technology literacy, mentorship, and scholarships.
2023
Signature eventFocused N F.I.T.
The signature conference brings high school and college students and their parents together for financial and technology literacy, mentorship, and scholarships.
2024
New programsHBCU Heroes & Topgolf
The HBCU Heroes webinar series on money, technology, and careers launches, and Topgolf Family Experiences bring parents and teens together to learn the game and each other.
2024
New programsHBCU Heroes & Topgolf
The HBCU Heroes webinar series on money, technology, and careers launches, and Topgolf Family Experiences bring parents and teens together to learn the game and each other.
2025
10+ experiencesDoors Wide Open
Band Camp, iFLY, The Color Purple, the Lakers, the Sheriff's Crime Lab and Harbor Patrol, and a trip to the Smithsonian's NMAAHC in Washington, D.C.
2025
10+ experiencesDoors Wide Open
Band Camp, iFLY, The Color Purple, the Lakers, the Sheriff's Crime Lab and Harbor Patrol, and a trip to the Smithsonian's NMAAHC in Washington, D.C.
2026
5 citiesCoast to Coast
A Celebrity Golf Classic with Topgolf, The First Tee, and Callaway; Drone Experiences in Indianapolis and Los Angeles; Topgolf Family Experiences in Atlanta and Chicago.
2026
5 citiesCoast to Coast
A Celebrity Golf Classic with Topgolf, The First Tee, and Callaway; Drone Experiences in Indianapolis and Los Angeles; Topgolf Family Experiences in Atlanta and Chicago.
What Sets Us Apart
More Than a Foundation
Real-World Experiences
From forensic labs to recording studios, our programs go beyond the classroom to deliver hands-on, career-shaping experiences.
A Founder People Show Up For
Dawnn Lewis brings artists, civic leaders, and executives into the room, so teens meet the people they want to become.
Holistic Approach
We develop the whole person — building confidence, creativity, technical skills, and community bonds simultaneously.
Proven Track Record
9,000+ youth served since 2017 across Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Indianapolis, with partners like Google, PepsiCo, and the LA Lakers.