The SEED Foundation
http://www.seedfoundation.com/
1712 Eye St., NW
Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
202-785-4123

Founded in 1997

Co-Founders and Managing Directors: Eric Adler and
Rajiv Vinnakota
Foundation Board of Directors: Seventeen directors
Staff: Fifteen
2004 Budget: $1.8M

Mission and History
Former management consultants Eric Adler and Rajiv Vinnakota founded The SEED (Schools for Educational Evolution and Development) Foundation in 1997 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to partnering with urban communities to provide innovative educational opportunities. As a first step toward this mission, The SEED Foundation developed the SEED school model, which integrates academic training with life skills and enrichment to prepare students for college, all the while providing holistic services in a stable and nurturing boarding school environment.

In 1998 the Foundation opened its first school, The SEED School of Washington, DC, based upon the SEED school model. The School opened with 40 seventh-grade students at the Capital Children’s Museum. The Foundation later raised $12 million in donations and secured $14 million through bonds to transform the abandoned Weatherless Elementary School in southeast DC into a four-building campus. The four-acre campus, which is adjacent to federal parkland, comprises boys' and girls' dormitories, an academic building, a student center and gym, playing fields, and a courtyard. Today, The SEED School serves more than 300 children in grades seven through twelve.

SEED is changing previous practice by creating a new service delivery model that harnesses resources from the public and private spheres to build a comprehensive program that provides underserved urban students with the stability and services they need to succeed. The SEED School is a financially sustainable institution and serves as a model for the creation of additional SEED schools in the Washington, DC area and around the country.

Services
The SEED School currently provides 310 students in grades seven through twelve with college preparatory instruction; a boarding program that teaches life skills and personal responsibility; and a college and career counseling program that includes tours of colleges, summer opportunities like international travel and study, wilderness camps, and community service.

SEED's model is unique not only in that it is a boarding school for public school students, but also in that it is located within the students' local community. With the belief that family support is a necessary component of student success, The SEED School was built in southeast DC, accessible and convenient to urban students and their families.

In addition to overseeing The SEED School of Washington, DC, The SEED Foundation undertakes a number of other activities to further its mission of creating a new model for urban education. The SEED Foundation continues to work with senior school staff to refine and support SEED’s academic and boarding programs, with an emphasis on curriculum enhancement, faculty training, and evaluation of program outcomes. The SEED Foundation also sponsors and participates in studies on the development of college preparatory boarding schools for inner-city children and has lead studies analyzing the programs and norms of boarding schools that serve different populations. Lastly, building on the success of The SEED School of Washington, DC, the Foundation seeks to partner with communities in the DC area and around the country to establish additional SEED schools nationwide.