The work to form SchoolSeed Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, began in 2006 and was officially established as an independent intermediary supported by the Memphis Board. SchoolSeed became the fiscal agent of the historic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's $90 million grant to support the Memphis City Schools District Teacher Effectiveness Initiative. This effort was also funded by numerous local and national philanthropic organizations. Since inception, we have been an established and trusted intermediary organization. We are razor-focused on delivering and improving outcomes by managing a variety of services and programs for the benefit of schools, educators, students, parents and the community.

SchoolSeed has added to its mission to create and support programs that extend beyond the classroom which impact families in the community. By strengthening families, it strengthens the community, which in turn strengthens schools. This expanded mission includes addressing youth homelessness through its YHDP Navigation Program, providing counseling support at our Kindred Place facility to parents, children, and others dealing with traumatic issues affecting their mental health, and offering an Equestrian Program that gives inner-city middle schoolers the opportunity to be fully immersed in the equestrian world through its Bridge Up Giddy Up Program. Additionally, SchoolSeed works closely with the school system to provide food pantries in select locations to support children and families. Our mission at SchoolSeed is to secure and manage private resources for the benefit of public education, and community efforts impacting children, and to facilitate funding, operate and support programs in schools dedicated to accelerating student achievement.

Our body of work includes, but is not limited to: fiscal management of private support for public education; teacher retention and recognition projects; school-based projects that support students, teachers, and administrators; publication of a Resource Guide for Parents; supports for effective teaching; leadership training; and special projects that attend to emerging needs. Our theory of change is predicated on the idea that capacity building in schools, support for teachers and leaders, rigorous curriculum, target setting, ongoing improvement of curriculum and instruction, and promoting effective practice will accelerate student and school achievement. Our theory of action calls for building and sustaining collaborative partnerships with school districts and their school-based leadership; the philanthropic and business community; providing supplementary supports to students, teachers, and administrators; and tracking and monitoring the progress of projects. Ultimately, we seek to increase college attendance and graduation rates—a matter of equity, access, and community development.