SEED20 2025 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.    

This year 10 mission driven nonprofits will go through a yearlong program that begins with three months of coaching and marketing culminating in SEED20 OnStage on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, where they will pitch their innovative programs to Charlotte-area donors and community leaders.  Beyond the stage, these nonprofits will participate in an alumni enrichment program with skill building workshops, networking events and more to help them grow their organization's capacity and expand their impact.

The focus of our 2025 program features a variety of diverse and very worthy organizations, so there is something for everyone!

• Connective Inc. empowers underserved youth through programs that provide dynamic, hands-on curriculum and real-world opportunities. The Earn Your Stripes program is a 6-week course on refereeing, which not only provides students with training and internships, but also exposes them to Connective’s more comprehensive self-development and career preparation toolkit. Students are equipped with the skills they need to succeed both on and off the court.
• Despierta addresses the critical lack of access to culturally competent mental health care and social support for Latinas in the Charlotte area. Many Latinas face significant barriers, such as language access, financial limitations, and lack of awareness about available services, that prevent them from seeking mental health support. By providing counseling, educational workshops, support groups, and cohort-based programs, Despierta helps participants foster resilience, navigate challenges, and thrive. 
• The Katie Blessing Foundation Each month, on average there are over 150 children in Mecklenburg County and the surrounding areas awaiting beds for mental health treatment. The Katie Blessing Center is a 72-bed behavioral health facility in Charlotte serving children ages 5-17 and is the largest facility of its kind in North Carolina. This facility will provide access to life-saving treatments for children, cutting the monthly bed shortage by close to 50%. 
• Kika’s House West Charlotte faces disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. These health issues can be exacerbated by financial stress due to low income, poor credit and lack of financial literacy. Kika's House addresses these intertwined health and financial issues by offering an integrated “Fight for Your Life” program that combines physical fitness, nutrition and financial literacy education designed to overcome these challenges. 
• Next Step Clubhouse (NSC) provides a facility for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to meet regularly and foster meaningful relationships with their peers and community. NSC’s programming assists its members in combating isolation and sedentary lifestyles by promoting healthy living, fostering friendships and giving back to the community. NSC assist caregivers through cost-conscious fees and by developing skills that promote self-sufficiency. 
• Project Outpour provides free mobile shower access and hygiene services to individuals who are moving through homelessness. The Project Outpour staff are passionate about helping our neighbors in need. The services Project Outpour provides are crucial because they foster dignity; the dignity that comes with being and feeling clean is a human right, and a need that every person desires and deserves to have met.
• S.T.A.R.S. Math & English Academy will prevent summer learning loss by providing a free research-based and engaging summer camp for 50 students rising to 3-9 grades. The Summer Institute offers language arts and math enrichment, soft skills and exposure programs such as culinary arts, coding, taekwondo, weekly educational or recreational field trips, and breakfast and lunch. The Summer Institute builds self-confidence and encourages teamwork. 
• The Election Hub from The Charlotte Ledger is a free, non-partisan resource that empowers voters with unbiased information about statewide and local races, using social media, community partnerships, a website, podcasts, videos, events, and local media. By making it easier to research candidates and understand issues, the Hub combats misinformation, promotes democratic participation and helps hold public officials accountable, ensuring voters can make informed choices that strengthen transparency and trust in government.
• Transit First Charlotte addresses Charlotte’s overwhelming car dependency, which leads to traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and inequitable access to transportation. Charlotte’s sprawling development prioritizes cars, leaving residents without access to vehicles struggling to move around efficiently. Transit First Charlotte prioritizes boosting bus frequency, building dedicated bike and bus lanes, expanding transit access for all, and breaking the stigma around public transportation for a more connected, sustainable future. 
• Upcycle Arts Creative supplies are expensive for artists, schools and organizations while large amounts of unwanted arts and crafts supplies go unused or to the landfill because there is no way to recycle them. Upcycle Arts addresses both problems with its creative reuse center that connects unwanted supplies with those who can use them. Upcycle Arts also provides education on the creative, environmental and economic power of reuse.