THE POLLINATION PROJECT FOUNDATION
Empowering Visionary Changemakers with Seed Funding for Global Transformation.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Many small groups of people are doing their best to improve the world. We aim to support them with guidance and small grants.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Seed Grants
We make $1000 seed grants to individual changemakers all over the world, helping them launch and expand grassroots social change projects.
Philanthropic Education
We provide educational events, writing and presentations on the topic of innovations in philanthropy.
Grantee Capacity Building
We provide an assortment of tools, resources, coaching, training, p/r and more to support our grantees in growing their leadership and building their project, far beyond what our seed grant of $1000 provides.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Seed Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of countries where we have given grants.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Seed Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Seed Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Seed Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Applications Received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Seed Grants
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1) To provide impactful, meaningful seed funding and moral support to a minimum of 365 start up social change projects each year.
2) To support grantees in taking their work to its next level of impact.
3) To transform the conversation around giving, generosity and philanthropy from one where power is centralized among those with the money; to one of innovation, shared power, respect for all applicants, and authentic partnerships among grantees and funders.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1) An open, encouraging and friendly application process that welcomes and respects first time grant seekers.
2) A diverse grantee-driven grantmaking decision process where grantees and other true issue area experts make the decisions around who gets funded. (Not executives who are out of touch with what is happening on the ground)
3) Taking risks and funding people early, before anyone else has!
4) Sharing our story widely and openly with other philanthropic institutions and groups.
5) Providing cross pollination opportunities among and between grantees and funders.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have an exceptional international network of organizational partners, grantees, ambassadors and advisors who identify much needed but overlooked projects that aren't on the radar of institutionalized philanthropy.
We are experts in "pushing power to the edges" of our network, meaning we find ways to share power among and between people, including our grantees, not just a small group of board members who make the decisions that matter most.
We are experts in funding individuals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
As of summer, 2015 we will have made 1000 seed grants and distributed nearly $100K in second tier funding (grants of up to $5K each) to exceptional projects.
We have hosted in 10 in person conversations among donors and other givers as a means of increasing generosity in the world. We produced and hosted a virtual challenge around increasing "true wealth" in the world (nonmonetary forms of wealth).
We have identified nearly 50 high level, superstar grantees who have won international awards and received international media attention.
We have handled over 4,000 grant applications in a personal, considerate and encouraging manner, regardless of whether we funded a project.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
THE POLLINATION PROJECT FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 01/19/2024
Ariel Nessel
Stephanie Klempner
Birju Pandya
Ariel Nessel
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data