T.W. Lewis Foundation Provides Grant to SEED SPOT to Fund New Development Director Position

T.W. Lewis Foundation March 13, 2015

T.W. Lewis Foundation announces a $25,000 grbranscomeant to Seed Spot, a nonprofit social incubator based in Phoenix, to fund the creation of a new development director position. T.W. Lewis Foundation’s grant was matched by Mike and Cindy Watts, with an additional match in funding contributed by Seed Spot. Seed Spot has already filled the new position, and Tabitha Branscome is its development director.

Since it launched in 2012, Seed Spot has grown rapidly as the only social impact incubator in Arizona, which supports entrepreneurs who are committed to solving important societal issues. Seed Spot runs two program cycles per year, along with a summer high school program, and is currently in the midst of its fifth class of startup entrepreneurs. Although it is poised for expansion, not having a development director on staff has severely limited Seed Spot’s growth capacity. Made possible in part by the grant from T.W. Lewis Foundation, the new development director position will enable Seed Spot to pursue untapped earned revenue, and ultimately expand to other U.S. cities.

“Being able to hire Tabitha is a complete game-changer for us,” said Courtney Klein, co-founder and CEO of Seed Spot. “I knew within six minutes of meeting her that she was the right person for the job and that our future was about to change. She really is going to raise the bar for Seed Spot and enable us to do more good work for the community.”

Branscome brings extensive fundraising and corporate giving experience to her new position. Most recently employed as the development manager at Arizona Humane Society and major gifts officer at Valley of the Sun United Way, Branscome is well-versed in donor relations and has a proven track record of establishing high-value community partnerships across various development programs. She will be charged with increasing Seed Spot’s revenue through corporate gifts, foundation grants and individual donor contributions.

“T.W. Lewis Foundation shares Seed Spot’s values of investing in the local community and helping budding entrepreneurs succeed,” said Tom Lewis, owner and CEO of T.W. Lewis Company and founder, with his wife Jan, of the T.W. Lewis Foundation. “Our grant to Seed Spot has already been put to great use and we know they will only continue to expand their positive impact on the community with a development director now in place.”

Tom and Jan Lewis established the T.W. Lewis Foundation in 2001 to support higher education, children and families in need, as well as other Arizona based cultural and environmental organizations. Currently, T.W. Lewis Foundation supports a wide array of family-focused non-profit organizations that strengthen the community. Tom Lewis is the founder and CEO of T.W. Lewis Company, which was established in 1991.

Seed Spot is a nonprofit incubator designed to support the dreams of passionate social entrepreneurs who are committed to solving important societal problems. Seed Spot works with for-profit and nonprofit ventures developing products, services, or technologies that improves lives.

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