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Many SixSeeds families allocate some of their own family’s overall giving towards this philanthropic vehicle, acquiring “shares” in a pooled giving fund. The shares fund grants made by SixSeeds leadership with periodic input from the contributing shareholders. 100% of the amount raised by the shares goes directly towards grant recipients. SixSeeds operating costs are borne by the founding families of the partnership.
To date, SixSeeds has distributed over $500,000 in grants to places ranging from Afghanistan to Darfur to Boston. It has made a difference in issues ranging from AIDS orphans to medical relief work to disaster relief. Consider joining this effort by becoming a shareholder and participating in our Grants!.
Here’s Six Ways that families could benefit from participating in SixSeeds Grants:
1. Get creative
SixSeeds Grants rarely are about just “writing a check.” We deliberately structure our grants to demonstrate creative giving practices. Check out each description of a grant and you’ll find a suggestion for how to grow as a thoughtful giver to organizations close to your own heart.
2. Get curriculum
SixSeeds chooses our grants to give your family the opportunity to engage with some of the especially pressing needs of the day. We are developing web based resources associated with many of grants. These resources, formed by a child educational specialist, are designed to help parents and kids learn together in an interactive fashion. Check out one example of how to teach your kids (and learn yourself) about the Darfur crisis.
3. Get someone else’s work
You may wish your family could support suffering people in war-torn lands like Afghanistan. But what are the best organizations working there? What are the real needs? Doing all the research by yourself can be so daunting as to discourage any action. SixSeeds Grants address those challenges by sharing in the effort. It does the work of research and relationship building with organizations to identify wise giving opportunities.
4. Get a bigger impact
Small one time checks are certainly appreciated by nonprofits. But what they especially long for are partners who will support them in larger amounts, over the long term, and for strategic initiatives. By joining your funds with those of other SixSeeds families, you can be that kind of a partner.
5. Get involved
SixSeeds Grants don’t just go to “professional” service organizations. We also give to service projects initiated by SixSeeds families. They are usually fairly home-grown affairs that need startup funding. You can help provide that key momentum. And we feel that’s the way it should be: families supporting other families to serve those in need.
6. Get influence
We want to hear from our shareholders. Be our eyes and ears and suggest giving opportunities that fit the SixSeeds concept and approach. You may end up directing a lot of money to your favorite organization!
We’d love for you to join us in this fun and innovative initiative. Consider becoming a shareholder and participating in SixSeeds Grants!
For organizations seeking funding:
Please note that we do not currently take formal applications for funding. If you would like to tell us about your organization’s work, feel free to send us a brief (no longer than a page please) e-mail describing yourself. Make sure you tell us how you heard about SixSeeds. You can email your information to info@sixseeds.org.
Please note that we cannot guarantee that we will respond in any way. But we always appreciate hearing about what is happening out there!
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