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Seed Foundation Inc

EIN 54-1850819 · Washington, DC

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair65 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

THE SEED FOUNDATION IS A NATIONAL NONPROFIT THAT PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT PREPARE UNDERSERVED STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND.

Income
$5.0 million
Spending
$8.4 million
Spent on programs
91%
Reserves
3.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 67%
Employees
37
Volunteers
20
Highest pay
$363,446, ceo and president

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

Fair: 65 out of 100. Higher than 47% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    20 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 3.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 5% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 70% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 8% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    91% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 25 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 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    17 of 18 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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 (4)
  1. $1.9 million spent. SEED'S COLLEGE TRANSITION & SUCCESS (CTS) PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING SEED SCHOOL GRADUATES IN THEIR TRANSITION TO COLLEGE AND SEED'S OVERALL COMMITMENT TO PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE BEYOND. TO AMPLIFY THE IMPACT OF SEED'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM MODEL, CTS PRIORITIZES: (1) DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY COLLEGE TRANSITION ADVISING AND PROGRAMMING, (2) LEADING COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE CAPACITY BUILDING ACROSS SEED SCHOOLS, (3) SUPPORTING THE UNDERSTANDING AND USAGE OF COLLEGE SUCCESS DATA, AND(4) EXPANDING SEED'S COLLEGE SUCCESS EXPERTISE VIA OUR COLLEGE MATCHING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION. AS A RESULT OF THE WORK OF THE CTS PROGRAM, BEST PRACTICES AND RESOURCES SUCH AS THE COLLEGE ACCESS & SUCCESS GUIDE, COLLEGE OUTREACH VISITS TO ALL SEED GRADUATES, AND THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS OF SEED'S COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE & ADVISING PILLAR HAVE BEEN CORE TO EXECUTING SEED'S MISSION. MOST NOTABLY, SEED'S ATTENTION TO THE KEY INDICATORS OF COLLEGE DEGREE ATTAINMENT AND CONSISTENT ENGAGEMENT WITH SEED GRADUATES HAS RESULTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EVIDENCE-BASED COLLEGE MATCHING TIER SYSTEM. SEED STUDENTS WHO BEGIN THEIR COLLEGE JOURNEY AT "RIGHT FIT" INSTITUTIONS BASED ON OUR COLLEGE MATCHING TIER SYSTEM ARE EARNING COLLEGE DEGREES AT RATES OF NEARLY 68% WHICH IS MORE THAN 5 TIMES GREATER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR LOW INCOME, FIRST GENERATION AFRICAN AMERICAN AND LATINO STUDENTS. WITH MORE THAN 1,000 STUDENTS CURRENTLY ENROLLED AT SEED SCHOOLS AND 1,100 SEED GRADUATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE CTS PROGRAM REMAINS COMMITTED TO DELIVERING HIGH QUALITY ADVISING, PROGRAMMING, AND CAPACITY BUILDING SERVICES. MOREOVER, AS K-12 AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION EVOLVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE ARE ACTIVELY REFINING AND STRENGTHENING OUR COLLEGE SUCCESS EFFORTS VIA DATA ANALYSIS, DIRECT SERVICES, PARTNERSHIPS, AND TRAINING.
  2. $1.9 million spent. THE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM WORKS TO STRENGTHEN THE SEED NETWORK AND ITS LEADERS BY ESTABLISHING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES, AND PROCESSES. THE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM HAS TWO CORE PRIORITIES:-SYSTEMS WORK: THE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM FOCUSES ON CREATING ROBUST, EFFICIENT, AND SCALABLE NETWORK INITIATIVES AND SYSTEMS THAT PROVIDE A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR SCHOOL OPERATIONS, DATA MANAGEMENT, AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT ACROSS THE NETWORK.-PEOPLE WORK: THE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM PRIORITIZES BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF STAFF AND LEADERS WITHIN THE NETWORK BY PROVIDING TRAINING AND RESOURCES AS WELL AS FOSTERING A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND SHARED EXPERTISE.THE SCHOOL SUPPORT TEAM'S LEADS AND SUPPORTS VARIOUS INITIATIVES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE SEED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PROCESS, ANNUAL SCHOOL REVIEWS, NETWORK ASSESSMENTS, COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE, DEFINING, TRACKING, AND REPORTING ON KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (SEED NETWORK SUCCESS MEASURES), FACILITATING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND LEADING THE ANNUAL SEED SUMMIT.
  3. $3.9 million spent. THE SEED FOUNDATION CONTINUES TO MANAGE THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SEED NETWORK OF SCHOOLS, WHICH INCLUDES THE SEED SCHOOL OF WASHINGTON, DC, THE SEED SCHOOL OF MARYLAND, THE SEED SCHOOL OF MIAMI AND THE SEED SCHOOL OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY. IN ADDITION, THE SEED FOUNDATION CONTINUES TO EXPLORE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
  4. TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF FIDELITY TO THE SEED MODEL AT SEED SCHOOLS, SUPPORT TO SCHOOL LEADERS, PROFESSIONAL AND SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AT SEED SCHOOLS, IN ADDITION TO OTHER FORMS OF PROGRAMMATIC SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since November 1997.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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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