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Source: Curious Plot news release
MINNEAPOLIS – Seed to Succeed is turning 15, and Curious Plot is giving the presents to three 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in the agriculture, food and companion animal care sectors.
In a special 15th-anniversary celebration of “Seed to Succeed”, Curious Plot has named We Sow We Grow, Global Child Nutrition Foundation and PrideVMC as recipients of in-kind marketing services to support each organization’s mission. Each group is uniquely focused on driving equity and inclusion among the communities each serves.
“This is a big year for Seed to Succeed, and we wanted to mark this anniversary by not only honoring three organizations in our focus sectors of agriculture, food and companion animal care but also to support the critically important work of community equity and inclusion,” said Laurie Fleck, CEO of Curious Plot. “While some organizations have stepped back from their equity commitments, we remain steadfast in recognizing and supporting this vital work in 2025.”
For 15 years, Curious Plot has named a single nonprofit as recipient of its annual Seed to Succeed grant. Past recipients include American Agri-Women, American Farmland Trust, Rural Minds, Produce for Better Health Foundation, Grow North MN, Project Evergreen, Farm Journal Foundation, Southern Peanut Growers and Partnership for Food Safety Education.
We Sow We Grow: Driving ag understanding in urban communities…for more click here
Founded in 2015, We Sow We Grow is a Chicago-based nonprofit that focuses on empowering communities through urban agriculture and food justice initiatives. The organization aims to promote sustainable farming practices, enhance access to fresh produce and educate individuals about healthy eating and gardening.
“The Seed to Succeed grant represents being able to properly get our message out to the masses, with the help of an agency vetted in supporting food and ag spaces,” said Natasha Nicholes, founder and executive director of We Sow We Grow.
Nicholes noted the organization, which operates an urban educational farm in its Pullman neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, has focused its work in several areas:
โขUrban agriculture initiatives;
โขEducation and training programs;
โขCommunity engagement;
โขPartnerships; and
โขAdvocacy for food justice, including efforts aimed at addressing systemic issues related to food access and equity in urban areas.
GCNF: Strengthening school meals with knowledge and collaboration…for more click here
Global Child Nutrition Foundation is a Seattle, Washington-based non-profit that provides governments and their partners with knowledge, tools, and connections to build high-quality school meal programs that support all children and contribute to national educational, agricultural, economic, social protection, health, and nutrition goals. GCNF offers partnerships in research, technical assistance, and advocacy to ensure every child has access to nutritious meals at school.
“Receiving the 2025 Seed to Succeed honor has been both rewarding and inspiring,” said Arlene Mitchell, GCNF’s executive director. “For more than 20 years, we have provided tools, knowledge and connections to ensure every child around the world has access to high-quality meals at school through programs implemented by their governments and partner organizations. We have also compiled a wealth of information from 167 countries about these programs. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Curious Plot to have greater impact as we put our experience and data to good use.”
GCNF leads two flagship programs:
โขThe Global Survey of School Meal Programs ยฉ addresses a critical data gap, producing the world’s most comprehensive data resource on national and large-scale school meal programs, with information from 167 countries to date.
โขThe Global Child Nutrition Forum unites representatives from governments, businesses, international organizations, NGOs, and academic institutions to share knowledge and strategies for improving school feeding and child nutrition.
PrideVMC: Creating a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community…for more click here.
PrideVMC (Pride Veterinary Medical Community) is an organization dedicated to promoting inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ individuals within the veterinary profession. It aims to create a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ veterinarians, veterinary technicians, all members of the veterinary healthcare team, students and allies.
“PrideVMC is honored to be selected for Curious Plot’s 2025 Seed to Succeed program,” said Omar Farรญas, VMD and president of PrideVMC. “We deeply align with their commitment to inclusion and their mission of being a team of curious experts who look closer, see further and use diverse thinking to elevate ideas from good to extraordinary. We’re also grateful to the Curious Plot team for their leadership as an organizational signatory of the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR).”
PrideVMC’s key objectives include:
โขEducation and advocacy through the lens of antiracism and intersectionality;
โขStudent empowerment;
โขMember support; and
โขStrategic partnerships and collaboration
Seed to Succeed: 15 years of impact
Curious Plot’s commitment to philanthropy and community giving in the markets it serves spans three decades. Since 2009, the Seed to Succeed pro bono grant program has provided marketing support to nonprofits within the food, agriculture and companion animal care sectors that work for positive change on limited budgets.
“Our investments in these organizations and the communities they support has totaled more than $800,000 over the past 15 years,” Fleck said, adding that one of the agency’s priorities is to honor the inherent sustainability of food, agriculture and companion animal care by giving back to the industry that enables its success.
“We are incredibly proud to add We Sow We Grow, GCNF and PrideVMC to the list of organizations we have been so honored to support,” she said.
About We Sow We Grow
The We Sow We Grow Project is dedicated to the furtherance of gardening and farming in an urban landscape through education and service. Fresh fruits and vegetables are possible to grow for all and we seek to remove the fear and reservations of growing your own food through community-powered assistance in an urban ag safe space. We seek to connect growers from all over on any and every level.
About Global Child Nutrition Foundation
Global Child Nutrition Foundation is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2006 that envisions a future where school meals sustainably nourish all children and help them, their families, communities and nations to thrive. We provide governments and their partners with knowledge, tools and connections so all children can access high-quality school meal programs that contribute to national educational, agricultural, economic, social protection, health and nutrition goals. Learn more at GCNF.org. Follow us on LinkedIn @global-child-nutrition-foundation and on X @GCNFoundation.
About Pride VMC
The mission of the Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC), formed in 1993, is to create a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community. We do so by striving to foster acceptance, inclusivity, and belonging for people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender presentations within the veterinary medical profession and community. We fight discrimination, build collaborative networks, and support LGBTQ+ veterinary students through mentorship and scholarship programs. PrideVMC membership is open to the entire animal health and veterinary community regardless of role, race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship status, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability or military status. Allies are welcome!
About Curious Plot
Curious Plot is a marketing, communications and consulting agency driven to find what’s next for food, agriculture and animal care. With headquarters in Minneapolis and a presence in Indianapolis and Portland, Ore., the agency’s 125+ employees provide services including public relations, creative and experience, digital/martech and consulting. Online at CuriousPlot.agency.
