Transparency & Accountability
Cumulative Impact
Audit Report
A complete, source-by-source account of SeedMoney’s verified impact from 2012 through 2025.
Last Updated March 2026 · All Programs
Explore Our Impact MapPurpose of This Document
This document provides a complete, source-by-source account of how SeedMoney arrived at its cumulative impact figures. It is intended for funders, partners, and the public who want to understand not just what was accomplished, but exactly how each number was derived and verified.
This document reflects a comprehensive data review incorporating the following methodology decisions: SeedMoney’s master project database as the single canonical data source; a $100 minimum threshold for project inclusion; and corrected geographic data for international projects through comprehensive geocoding.
Metrics Defined
2.1 Gardens Funded
A “garden funded” is any community food garden that received a SeedMoney grant, raised crowdfunds through SeedMoney’s platform, or both — with a minimum of $100 in combined support.
2.2 Total Funds Mobilized
The total dollars flowing to funded gardens: for the crowdgrant program, this includes crowdfunds raised through SeedMoney’s platform plus all SeedMoney grants awarded. For Sow it Forward and ABO Organic, this reflects SeedMoney grant dollars only, as those programs had no crowdfunding component.
2.3 SeedMoney Grants Awarded
The subset of total funds mobilized representing dollars awarded directly by SeedMoney (challenge grants, strong start grants, merit grants, and geographic interest grants). This is SeedMoney’s direct financial contribution, distinct from the crowdfunds raised by projects themselves.
2.4 People Reached
Estimated as the number of funded gardens multiplied by 300 people per project. This multiplier is validated by self-reported data: the median self-reported reach across 3,191 projects with data is 276 people, closely supporting the 300 estimate. The 300 figure is applied uniformly to all projects as a conservative whole-program estimate.
2.5 Servings of Produce Grown
Estimated as the number of funded gardens multiplied by 2,000 servings per project. Derived from a median garden size of approximately 2,400 sq ft, an assumed yield of 0.5 lbs per sq ft, and 2 servings per pound. Methodology validated by Rutgers NJAES research.
2.6 Geographic Reach
U.S. reach is the number of distinct states, territories, and D.C. represented among funded gardens (52). International reach is the number of distinct countries, including the U.S. (65).
All-Programs Summary
SeedMoney has operated three grant programs since 2012. Community investment (crowdfunds + SM grants) applies to the crowdgrant program only. SIF and ABO figures reflect grants only.
Crowdgrant Program
2015 – 2025Sow it Forward
2012 – 2014ABO Organic
2020 – 2022For every $1 SeedMoney granted through the crowdgrant program, $5.50 in total community investment flowed to food garden projects — rising to 6.2× in 2025, the highest funding multiplier in the program’s history.
Year-by-Year Breakdown — Crowdgrant Program
Source: SeedMoney master project database. A garden is counted as funded if it received a grant or raised ≥$100 through SeedMoney’s platform.
| Year | Gardens | Community Investment | SM Grants | Multiplier | People Reached* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 283 | $187,147 | $38,000 | 4.9× | 84,900 |
| 2016 | 274 | $241,378 | $55,100 | 4.4× | 82,200 |
| 2017 | 252 | $239,712 | $32,040 | 7.5× | 75,600 |
| 2018 | 194 | $191,077 | $33,200 | 5.8× | 58,200 |
| 2019 | 196 | $204,890 | $40,100 | 5.1× | 58,800 |
| 2020 | 316 | $381,851 | $71,130 | 5.4× | 94,800 |
| 2021 | 405 | $431,996 | $79,775 | 5.4× | 121,500 |
| 2022 | 321 | $465,336 | $96,395 | 4.8× | 96,300 |
| 2023 | 312 | $457,875 | $77,300 | 5.9× | 93,600 |
| 2024 | 319 | $471,807 | $81,700 | 5.8× | 95,700 |
| 2025 | 327 | $519,443 | $83,800 | 6.2× | 98,100 |
| TOTAL | 3,199 | $3,792,512 | $688,540 | 5.5× | 959,700 |
* People reached estimated at 300 per garden. Applies uniformly across all years.
Self-Reported Project Data
As part of the grant application, projects report the number of people they expect to reach and the size of the garden. This self-reported data serves as an independent validation of SeedMoney’s estimated multipliers.
| Metric | Self-Reported Total | Median per Project | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| People Reached | 2,823,599 | 276 | 3,191 of 3,199 projects (99.7%) |
| Garden Size | 63,997,226 sq ft (1,469 acres) | 2,400 sq ft | 3,192 of 3,199 projects (99.8%) |
The self-reported median of 276 people per project closely validates the 300/project multiplier used in SeedMoney’s headline estimates. Values are capped at 10,000 per project to control for outliers; 52 projects were affected by this cap.
Maine Impact Summary
Maine figures compiled across all three programs: 266 crowdgrant gardens (2015–2025), 106 Sow it Forward gardens (2013–2015), and 2 ABO Organic gardens (2021–2022).
Maine at a Glance
Community investment figure reflects crowdgrant program only ($231,795 community funds raised + $103,625 in SM grants). Self-reported people reached: 190,508.
Data Sources
Data Limitations & Notes
- Community investment scope: The $3,792,512 community investment figure covers the crowdgrant program (2015–2025) only. SIF and ABO were traditional grant programs with no crowdfunding component.
- Accounting corroboration: The accounting total ($3,295,321 Wave + QBO combined) intentionally excludes 2025 grant disbursements, which were still in progress at the time of the February 2026 audit. Removing 2025 from the project data ($3,792,512 − $519,443 = $3,273,069) brings the two figures to within approximately $22,000 of each other — a reconciliation gap of less than 1%.
- Self-reported outlier treatment: People reached values are capped at 10,000 per project (52 projects affected). Garden size values are capped at 435,600 sq ft / 10 acres (36 projects affected).
- Geographic data: Country data was comprehensively geocoded to correct for the previously underpopulated Country field, bringing international coverage to 64 countries outside the U.S. (65 total including the U.S.).