Sead Project
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
THE SEAD PROJECT (SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIASPORA) IS A COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ON A MISSION TO BE AN ACCESSIBLE CREATIVE HUB THAT PROVIDES STREAMLINED WORKSHOPS AND TOOLS TO ENGAGE AND SHARE KNOWLEDGE IN KHMER, HMONG, LAO, VIETNAMESE, AND OTHER SOUTHEAST ASIAN DIASPORA COMMUNITIES.
- Income
- $245,464
- Spending
- $425,412
- Spent on programs
- 56%
- Reserves
- -0.5 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 99%
- Employees
- 6
- Volunteers
- 17
- Highest pay
- $75,519, co-director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 28 out of 100. Higher than 6% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, under $250k).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 73% of income.
Income trend
0 of 15Income fell 53% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1556% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 29 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 92% of charities in its peer group (public benefit, under $250k).
Independent board
25 of 256 of 6 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a 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
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 (5)
- $57,994 spent. SEA CHANGE LAB - IN THE SUMMER OF 2024, WE HOSTED OUR LOCAL IN-PERSON SEA CHANGE LAB COHORT. THIS WAS OUR FIRST RETURN TO IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING SINCE THE PANDEMIC. WE HAD A COHORT OF 12 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM THE TWIN CITIES OVER 16 SESSIONS. THEIR VAST ARTISTRY INCLUDED SKILLS FROM SCULPTURE, DANCE, SHORT STORIES TO VISUAL ART INCLUDING PAINTING AND ILLUSTRATION. THE PROGRAM WORKED WITH 8 DIFFERENT TEACHING ARTISTS, EACH BRINGING A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE TO THE GROUP. AT THE END OF THE SESSION, WE CELEBRATED THE GROUP WITH THEIR FINAL PROJECT COMMUNITY EXHIBITION AND THEY WERE MATCHED WITH A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR FROM THEIR HERITAGE BACKGROUND.
- $48,664 spent. PLANTING SEADS - THE YEAR 2025 MARKED 50 YEARS SINCE THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR, THE END OF THE SECRET WAR IN LAOS, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE KHMER ROUGE TAKEOVER IN CAMBODIA - ALL DEEPLY SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINTS OF OUR VAST COMMUNITY'S STORIES. IN HONOR OF THIS ANNIVERSARY, STARTING IN 2025 SEAD HOSTED A SERIES OF PROGRAMMING TO COMMEMORATE THIS LANDMARK OCCASION AND HONOR THE STORIES, RESILIENCE, AND CULTRUAL LEGACIES OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE STARTED TO GATHER, PRESERVE, AND ELEVATE THE STORIES OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH A MULTI-LEVELED PROJECT OF ART AND STORYTELLING THAT INCLUDED THE COMPLETION OF A MOBILE ART INSTALLATION AND THE BEGINNING OF OUR STORYTELLING COLLECTIONS OF SEA STORIES. WE WORKED WITH 5 ART INSTALLATION ARTISTS AND CULTURAL ADVISORS TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE ABUNDANCE ALTAR, A MOBILE CENTERPIECE OF OUR 50TH PROGRAMMING. THE ABUNDANCE ALTAR WAS A GATHERING POINT FOR OUR STORYTELLING COLLECTIONS WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE PHOTOS, MEMENTOS, AND OFFERINGS THAT HONOR THE PEOPLE AND HISTORIES THAT SHAPED US. IN SUMMER OF 2025, WE LAUNCHED OUR STORY COLLECTIONS AND SHOWCASED OUR MOBILE ALTAR ART INSTALLATION AT VARIOUS COMMUNITY EVENTS INCLUDING COSA FEST IN BROOKLYN CENTER AND LITTLE MEKONG NIGHT MARKETS IN ST. PAUL. PLANTING SEADS - THE YEAR 2025 MARKED 50 YEARS SINCE THE END OF THE VIETNAM WAR, THE END OF THE SECRET WAR IN LAOS, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE KHMER ROUGE TAKEOVER IN CAMBODIA - ALL DEEPLY SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINTS OF OUR VAST COMMUNITY'S STORIES. IN HONOR OF THIS ANNIVERSARY, STARTING IN 2025 SEAD HOSTED A SERIES OF PROGRAMMING TO COMMEMORATE THIS LANDMARK OCCASION AND HONOR THE STORIES, RESILIENCE, AND CULTRUAL LEGACIES OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE STARTED TO GATHER, PRESERVE, AND ELEVATE THE STORIES OF OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH A MULTI-LEVELED PROJECT OF ART AND STORYTELLING THAT INCLUDED THE COMPLETION OF A MOBILE ART INSTALLATION AND THE BEGINNING OF OUR STORYTELLING COLLECTIONS OF SEA STORIES. WE WORKED WITH 5 ART INSTALLATION ARTISTS AND CULTURAL ADVISORS TO DESIGN AND BUILD THE ABUNDANCE ALTAR, A MOBILE CENTERPIECE OF OUR 50TH PROGRAMMING. THE ABUNDANCE ALTAR WAS A GATHERING POINT FOR OUR STORYTELLING COLLECTIONS WHERE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WERE INVITED TO CONTRIBUTE PHOTOS, MEMENTOS, AND OFFERINGS THAT HONOR THE PEOPLE AND HISTORIES THAT SHAPED US. IN SUMMER OF 2025, WE LAUNCHED OUR STORY COLLECTIONS AND SHOWCASED OUR MOBILE ALTAR ART INSTALLATION AT VARIOUS COMMUNITY EVENTS INCLUDING COSA FEST IN BROOKLYN CENTER AND LITTLE MEKONG NIGHT MARKETS IN ST. PAUL.
- $31,272 spent. SEA ROOTS - STARTING IN SPRING 2025, WE PARTNERED WITH OUR NINE LANGUAGE INSTRUCTORS TO BEGIN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEVEL II COURSES IN ALL FOUR OF OUR LANGUAGES: HMONG, LAO, VIET, AND KHMER. THE LEVEL II WAS DEVELOPED USING OUR LEVEL I MODEL FOLLOWING THE 8-WEEK STRUCTURE WITH MORE FOCUS ON LANGUAGE LITERACY INTENSIVES TO DEEPEN LANGUAGE SKILLS IN READING AND WRITING WHILE ENGAGING MORE FULLY WITH CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE, TRADITIONS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING. THE LEVEL II CURRICULUM INTEGRATED MUSIC, VISUAL ART, STORYTELLING AND SNAPSHOTS OF TOPICS SUCH AS HISTORY, SOCIAL ISSUES, AND CULTURE. THE NEW LEVEL II CLASSES WILL LAUNCH IN 2026.
- $100,774 spent. (4)CULTURAL ORGANIZING - IN FY25, SEAD STRENGTHENED AND INCREASED OUR PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPAND OUR CAPACITY AND COLLABORATIONS TO ENGAGE MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND SHARE RESOURCES. WE PARTNERED WITH LOCAL LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF GRASSROOTS COALITION AND PLANNING COMMITTEES TO ENSURE THAT THE 50TH COMMEMORATION HONORS THE VOICES, LIVED EXPERIENCES, AND HISTORIES OF OUR REFUGEE JOURNEYS THROUGH EVENTS, LEGISLATION, FUNDING, AND PROGRAMS. (5)SOON STORYTELLING SHOP AND CREATIVE SERVICES - SOON STORYTELLING CONTINUED TO GROW TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMING AND OPERATIONS WITH OUR OWN UNRESTRICTED FUNDS THROUGH OUR ONLINE SHOP AND AT IN-PERSON COMMUNITY EVENTS AND MARKETS. IN FY25, SEAD EXPANDED OUR SEA QUEENS COLLECTION OF PRODUCTS THAT INCORPORATED OUR VIBRANT AND CULTURAL HERITAGES. WE INCREASED OUR WORK COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL ARTISTS SUCH AS VIDEOGRAPHERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, STYLISTS, MODELS, ACTORS, AND MEDIA PRODUCERS TO CREATE A MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WAS REFLECTIVE OF OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN STORIES.
- (4)CULTURAL ORGANIZING - IN FY25, SEAD STRENGTHENED AND INCREASED OUR PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPAND OUR CAPACITY AND COLLABORATIONS TO ENGAGE MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY AND SHARE RESOURCES. WE PARTNERED WITH LOCAL LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS AS PART OF GRASSROOTS COALITION AND PLANNING COMMITTEES TO ENSURE THAT THE 50TH COMMEMORATION HONORS THE VOICES, LIVED EXPERIENCES, AND HISTORIES OF OUR REFUGEE JOURNEYS THROUGH EVENTS, LEGISLATION, FUNDING, AND PROGRAMS. (5)SOON STORYTELLING SHOP AND CREATIVE SERVICES - SOON STORYTELLING CONTINUED TO GROW TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMING AND OPERATIONS WITH OUR OWN UNRESTRICTED FUNDS THROUGH OUR ONLINE SHOP AND AT IN-PERSON COMMUNITY EVENTS AND MARKETS. IN FY25, SEAD EXPANDED OUR SEA QUEENS COLLECTION OF PRODUCTS THAT INCORPORATED OUR VIBRANT AND CULTURAL HERITAGES. WE INCREASED OUR WORK COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL ARTISTS SUCH AS VIDEOGRAPHERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, STYLISTS, MODELS, ACTORS, AND MEDIA PRODUCERS TO CREATE A MARKETING CAMPAIGN THAT WAS REFLECTIVE OF OUR SOUTHEAST ASIAN STORIES.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 November 6, 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 June 2025.
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 June 2015.
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 November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.