ROOTED IN COMMUNITY.
GROWING TOGETHER.
Advancing social & economic mobility in SHELBY COUNTY.
Seeding Success works to improve outcomes for every child, from cradle to career, by improving the way institutions, community organizations, policies, and resources work together to support our community.
We measure our impact based on four shared community goals:
Every child is prepared for success in school.
Every student graduates ready for college, career, and success in life.
Every youth who is not in school is reconnected to education, training, or employment opportunities.
Every young adult has access to a postsecondary opportunity or career that can improve their economic and social mobility.
WHAT WE DO
Our work aligns strategy, policy, and funding to ensure every family has the resources they need to succeed. To truly improve the systems that currently exist in our community, we bring together leaders and organizations from all sectors to analyze the data, identify opportunities, and work toward a common goal.
CONVENE. DEVELOP. ADVOCATE.
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CONVENE
Based on data and feedback from partners, we convene and facilitate sessions to work on a common goal.
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DEVELOP
We provide training ranging from data use and literacy to project management and meeting facilitation. We also help incubate initiatives our community needs.
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ADVOCATE
We collaborate with a diverse public policy committee and cross-sector partners to create an annual agenda that drives our advocacy efforts both locally and at the state level.
Over a Decade of Progress
For more than ten years, we’ve worked together to build stronger systems that help every child in Shelby County thrive—from cradle to career.
Investing in Education
Seeding Success has worked since its inception to support adequate and effective education investments. This has looked like advocating for the most effective investments in annual budget processes and supporting the passage of the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) in 2022.
Transforming Early Childhood
We helped secure and align millions in Pre-K funding and launched First 8 Memphis, creating a coordinated early childhood system that serves children from prenatal care through age 8.
Driving Student Success
Our partnerships have led to measurable gains—early grade literacy, higher school readiness, reduced absenteeism and learning loss, and improved graduation, FAFSA completion, and postsecondary persistence.
Building Stronger Nonprofits
Through training and initiatives like Beyond the Classroom, we’ve equipped hundreds of nonprofit leaders to tackle out-of-school barriers and strengthen community support for students.
Seeding Success maintains a master data-sharing agreement with MSCS, enabling partner organizations to access student data to inform and refine their operational strategies through a continuous improvement process.
Empowering Educators
S2 worked with Memphis-Shelby County Schools and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve student outcomes (including achievement, graduation, and college-going) by increasing overall teacher and leader effectiveness. We supported the district in instituting reforms to evaluation methods, instructional coaching, teacher recruitment and recognition programs, and improving data and performance management capacity.
Improving State Policies
S2 helped to develop and advocate for legislation to improve outcomes for students and families, including the Pre-K Improvement Act, the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement funding formula, and the TN Opportunity Act to address the state’s TANF surplus. Combined, these efforts brought more than $300M in additional resources to Memphis and Shelby County.
Creating Lasting Partnerships
From First 8 Memphis to More for Memphis, our collaborations have united organizations and resources to deliver lasting impact for children and families across Shelby County.
We are better together.
By transforming the way we work together, we can design, build, manage, and sustain systems of opportunity.