SEED20 2024 Support

Created by Social Venture Partners (SVP) Charlotte, the annual SEED20 program identifies, highlights, and connects the community to our region’s most innovative ideas for tackling pressing social challenges. These innovations can be developed by an individual or start-up, an emerging nonprofit, or a well-established nonprofit.    

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 10 mission-driven nonprofits will take to the stage to pitch their innovative nonprofit programs to Charlotte-area investors, donors, and community leaders. The focus of our 2024 program participants includes upward mobility, racial justice, and education. 

Class of 2024 SEED20 participants:  

A Brighter Day Outreach in existence for 16 years, focuses on driving positive social change through place-based initiatives, advocacy, youth development, and parental support in the Historic Hoskins Community. The most impactful effort, the Break Every Chain Program, started in 2023 to provide programs that help our community's youth develop de-escalation and communication strategies with the goal of disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline.

Arin's Good Girl Dog Treats creates meaningful careers and empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Overcoming barriers prevalent in traditional job markets, team members craft top-tier dog treats in an adaptive work environment guided by Universal Design Principles. The organization provides adaptable employment opportunities that leverage the resilience and abilities of each individual, contributing to the formation of a stronger, more integrated community.

Books with Color increases the accessibility of inclusive and bilingual children's reading materials for students. They provide classrooms with children's books written by diversity-driven authors, as well as bring those authors in for in-person and virtual Live Author Read-Alouds. This gives students the chance to see (often for the first time) authors and books that look like them. Representation matters!

BreatheINK is a youth poetry-focused organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for young artists. Through writing workshops and performance opportunities, teenagers engage with poetry in innovative ways that allow them to personally connect with the art. BreatheINK also provides creative spaces for students from different racial and socio-economic backgrounds, who would not likely otherwise meet, to share experiences and learn from each other.

Day Services Program at Children's Attention Home bridges the gap for youth in foster care without long-term placement. Instead of spending their days waiting in offices, this daytime program ensures children receive basic needs and the individualized attention they deserve while waiting for a home. For over five decades, the Home has provided individualized, compassionate care for over 8,500 youth in need.

Freedom Fighting Missionaries provides services and resources to individuals and families who are formerly incarcerated or justice involved. Their goal is for those that they serve to have a path to self-sufficiency. They utilize collaborations with community-based organizations, government, employers, and healthcare providers to provide four key basic need services, which are Identifications, Healthcare, Employment, and Housing.

Our Daily Bread Foundation is a movement, utilizing a holistic and trauma-informed approach to empower boys of color aged 13-15. Seeking to reimagine family structures, ODBF bridges the gaps between racial, social, and economic disparities. ODBF envisions a world in which all boys of color reap the benefits of loving relationships, a sense of purpose, and a culture of belonging.

Resound Educators Every student deserves to know a teacher who speaks their language. Our mission is to inspire and empower future teachers who represent the linguistic diversity of the students in our schools. When bilingual high school and college students are connected to professional internships, networking, and mentorship, they can pursue impactful teaching careers and bring dignity to the next generation.

Rooted Hearts Ministries (RHM)provides vital support to families with children recently diagnosed with autism, fostering hope through community, education, and resources. Recognizing the critical delays in therapy initiation that affect an autistic child's communication, social interactions, and safety, RHM empowers caregivers with knowledge and community connections. Rooted Hearts aims to bridge gaps, ensuring timely and comprehensive support for autistic children and their families.

Siloam Educator Institute at the Charlotte Museum of History uses one of Mecklenburg County's oldest remaining African American schoolhouses as a teaching resource. It is a window into aspects of life for rural African American families in Mecklenburg County in the early 20th century – and a prism through which we can better view issues of social justice in the 21st century.