How We Work

Seedco looks for promising ideas for creating economic opportunity for people who are struggling to move out of poverty. Our extensive experience allows us to move efficiently to turn those ideas into programs, using the latest research to shape our work. In doing so, we typically follow these steps:

• We identify local partners who share our goals, and we join them in community-focused alliances. Our partnerships include employers in need of qualified workers or community-based organizations that can respond effectively to local challenges. In many areas, we work with Seedco Financial, a national leader in community development financing.
  
  
• We move aggressively to secure resources and funding from many sources - foundations, local organizations, the private sector and government agencies - that we leverage to secure other community resources.
  
  
• With partnerships established, we launch and operate model programs. Seedco serves as a management services intermediary, providing funding, management support, fiscal management, performance analysis, and technical assistance to its community-based partners. Our partners in turn provide direct services to clients.
  
  
• At every step, we use data to measure and improve our performance. Over time, our results become a critical tool for holding ourselves and our partners accountable.
  
  
• Finally, we share our lessons and expertise with other nonprofits, policy makers and service providers - providing technical assistance to local groups around the country, taking part in policy discussions and issuing expert reports through the Seedco policy and research department. A key goal is to identify market-tested programs that can be replicated locally and nationally.