Seeds of change

A BOLD new initiative is taking root in the region with Seed Northern Rivers announcing its flagship program, the Seed Giving Circle.

The program was launched at the recent Wild Imaginings gathering in Byron Bay, which also marked the official renaming of Mullum SEED to Seed Northern Rivers.

Environmental advocate and Seed Northern Rivers director Techa Beaumont said the new name spoke to the organisation’s growth and deepening roots across the region.

“We’re a thriving ecosystem of people and projects, committed to regenerating place, shifting power and building a resilient future together,” she said.

“We believe in a different kind of giving – community-led, fiercely local and unapologetically hopeful.

“By pooling our resources and decisions, we’re creating something far more powerful than traditional philanthropy: a growing circle of support, rooted in care, courage and connection.”

From its base at the Mullumbimby Gardens Eco-Hub, the organisation engages community leaders, convenes cross-sector collaborations and activates the skills, infrastructure and relationships needed for systemic, place-based change.

The collective of changemakers has supported more than 35 grassroots initiatives with mentoring, resources, strategic support and access to vital, shared infrastructure over the past 16 years.

The Seed Giving Circle model invites community members to contribute $10 a week or $500 a year to fund bold, community-led projects.

Half of all contributions support a small grants program for grassroots initiatives, with the other half sustaining the organisation’s ongoing work.

More than $3 billion has been collectively donated by giving circles worldwide since 2017, according to global collective giving initiative, Philanthropy Together.

For more information on how to contribute in the local area, visit seednorthernrivers.org.au