Press Releases

The Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Initiative

September 12, 2006

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Initiative is accepting applications for its second biennial global SEED Award until October 15, 2006.  The awards publicly recognize five of the most worthy, nascent partnerships and provide targeted capacity building assistance as a means to help these initiatives succeed and scale up.  The five winners will be announced at and will participate in a May 2007 high level event in New York during the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.

SEED is itself a partnership comprised of governments (Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States), international organizations (IUCN, UNDP, and UNEP), multi-stakeholder initiatives (UN Global Compact), and the private sector (Swiss Re and Global Giving).  The United States joined the SEED Initiative in 2004 and will become the Chairman of its Board of Directors in December 2006.  

The applicant’s initiatives must meet the following criteria:

• Involves at least three partner organizations from different stakeholder groups such as small, medium or large businesses; community-based organizations; local or international NGOs; labor unions; women's groups; indigenous peoples organizations; research  institutions; public authorities; international agencies;

• Relates to the three pillars of sustainable development: environmental, social, and economic in an integrated manner;

• Has the potential to contribute towards the internationally agreed goals of the Millennium Declaration and/or the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation;

• Displays entrepreneurship in its broadest sense, and is driven by local actors;

• Helps to demonstrate innovative ways of doing business through partnerships - business as unusual - and has the potential to serve as inspiration to others; and/or

• Has a draft business plan and has partners that have already agreed in principle to work together.

The initiative recommends early submission, as this may allow initial feedback to be given to help applicants improve their applications.  Late submissions will not be considered.  The on-line application as well as a fact sheet about the SEED Initiative can be found on the U.S. Government's Sustainable Development Partnership website at www.sdp.gov.