Potato Seeds FAQ

General

  • A culture shift is a change-- big or small-- in people’s beliefs, behaviors, expectations, and views of the world. We envision a culture shift to one of love and wholeness, where our human differences are seen and celebrated. This can be created through actively including/outreaching people from marginalized communities, or by simply ensuring your project has a positive and inclusive outlook.

  • We are calling it a “pilot” program since we are doing a test run. We are seeing if this could work as our marquee offering as a non-profit and also what we can do differently in the future to make the program better. Youth who are accepted will be getting the full Potato Seeds program experience and will be helping lay crucial groundwork for its future success.

Age Requirement

  • As long as you are 24 before the submission due date feel free to apply!

  • You must be 13 to submit an application. If you turn 13 while applications are still open, then you can apply.

Application

  • Sadly, we are not accepting applications outside the United States for the pilot program at this time. We are exploring options for international applicants in future. In the meantime, our public resources and Discord are available for anyone interested.

  • Yes! You can apply as long as you are within the age limit and are not currently being funded by the foundation already.

  • Not at all! If you are running a project with more than one youth involved, you may apply with one person submitting an application for the entire project. Funding will be by project rather than by person. The person submitting the application must be within the age range required, and groups with people outside this age range will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

  • No, please only submit one project. However, if you don’t get accepted you can submit an application for a similar or different project in the future.

  • No. However, we are exploring options for an alumni application.

  • Some examples include:

    • Drives (food, toiletries, etc).

    • Running events for a community (this could be a local community or a digital one).

    • Websites and/or digital spaces.

    • Organizing an initiative with your school

    However, please get creative! There are problems all over the world that can be solved with unique solutions. Get inspired by others and then utilize your own ingenuity to make positive change in your community. You got this!

  • A narrative budget would be a written description of how much money you would spend on various aspects of a project.

    Here is an example based on starting a community online forum: “Expenses for this project include a web domain ($10), design and coding of the forum website ($100) and server upkeep for the first six months ($50). The requested amount of $160 will go toward these expenses. Additional funding may be sought from other sources for further project expansion.”

    A narrative budget doesn’t need to follow this exact format, but it should include the estimated costs of the project’s components, the requested amount of money, and please mention if you have in place or plan to seek other forms of funding. You can also mention if you have in-kind or pro bono support for any of your expenses.

  • You will be contacted whether you are accepted or rejected. Once applications have closed, we will keep you updated on the status of the evaluation process. We will know how long this will take once we have seen the number of applications!

Evaluation

  • Projects will be scored with this rubric.

  • We are looking for projects that will generate positive change in a community and align with our values. For more information, please read the program overview on the main page.

  • Unfortunately, we can’t give an exact number because of multiple factors, including how many applications we receive and what capacity of recipients our volunteer/staff can handle.

Mentorship & Support

  • Your mentor will work with you to develop personalized goals based on your needs and help answer any questions you have as you work on your project. They are there to help you succeed and lead.

  • We will make every effort to ensure all applicants and program recipients have full access to materials and resources. We encourage you to share with us if you need any accommodations.

  • There is no “fail” or “succeed” with any of your projects. All projects are valuable because they create a butterfly effect of positive change, altering many lives whether or not the outcome is as large as you expected. All positive change is valuable no matter how small. Thus, payment is not dependent on any "status" of your project. If you are accepted as a recipient, you will receive the funding.

  • Once your 6 months are done we would like to see a simple report of your project's impact as well as your thoughts on the Potato Seeds Program as a whole. We also plan on having opportunities to keep alumni involved with the foundation in the future. These opportunities are still in a developmental stage, as such it might be a while before we can announce them. We’ll make sure to keep you updated as these ideas progress.

  • Your project is your own project and will continue as long as you are willing to maintain it. We will provide resources on looking for other sources of funding, transferring leadership, and creating a sustainable project.

Social Media & Communication

  • Discord is a platform that allows for global communication through voice and text channels. This enables us to give not only money, but also provide a platform of support which includes a peer support group and mentorship access. For those who don’t receive funding or don’t apply, we also have a public discord server that includes the same master document of resources the recipients will access as well as limited bimonthly access to project examples and mentors. A Discord account is required to participate.

  • Yes! We will ask all funded applicants to fill out a form that either allows One of Us Foundation to feature their project on social media or provides an opportunity to opt out. Your privacy is fully respected.