Seeding the Future Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) foundation based in Wilmington, Delaware, established in 2015. The foundation seeds and accelerates high-impact, scalable innovations globally that improve the health of people and the planet, with a primary focus on transforming food systems.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$41.5M
+1.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$1.8M
-5.7% YoY
Grant Count
21
-27.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$87K
+30.2% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Seeding the Future Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.9M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's core mission is to "seed and support the creation and acceleration of human-centered ideas and innovations that have high impact potential at scale on the health of people and the environment."
The foundation's moonshot is sustainable food systems that improve the health of people and the planet. The foundation envisions a sustainable and resilient global food system that provides equitable access to safe and nutritious food for everyone—food that is affordable, appealing, trusted, and improves the health of people and the planet.
Key focus areas include:
- Safe and nutritious food production and accessibility
- Sustainable food production practices
- Food affordability, appeal, and consumer trust
- Food policy innovation and implementation
- Sub-Saharan Africa initiatives addressing hunger, malnutrition, and post-harvest food loss, with particular attention to smallholder farmers and women farmers
The foundation emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration across science, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation to drive transformational food system changes.
Grantmaking
The foundation's primary grantmaking vehicle is the annual **Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge**, launched in 2021 in partnership with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
Average Grant
amount: $72,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation funds globally, with particular emphasis on:
- Primary U.S. focus states: Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania
- International focus: 97+ countries, with special emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa priority: Addressing hunger, malnutrition, and post-harvest food loss affecting smallholder farmers and women farmers
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $41,521,355
- Total revenues: $2,656,795
- Total expenses: $1,996,773
- Total giving: $1,823,513
- Annual charitable disbursements: Approximately $1.9 million
Historical Growth:
- Founded 2015 with initial assets of $376,000
- Assets grew to $40.9 million by 2023
- Annual giving grew from $1.3 million (2020) to $4.4 million (2022)
Grant History:
- 79 grants totaling $5.7 million across available records
- 11 grants made in 2024
- Supported 30 unique organizations
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $41,521,355 | $40,861,333 | $42,484,906 |
| Revenue | $2,656,795 | $436,523 | $1,077,907 |
| Expenses | $1,996,773 | $2,060,096 | $2,361,557 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $1,897,038 | $1,983,752 | $2,277,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,592,460 | $966,167 | $1,008,499 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,937,011 | $1,893,400 | $1,985,354 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
107 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from Seeding the Future Foundation
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge- Growth Grants
Seeding the Future Foundation
Amount
US $100,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge- Seed Grants
Seeding the Future Foundation
Amount
US $25,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge- Seeding the Future Grand Prizes Grant
Seeding the Future Foundation
Amount
US $250,000
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
Among its reported 2024 grants, the largest include National Philanthropic Trust ($250,000), Massachusetts Institute of Technology ($200,000), University of Minnesota Foundation ($200,000).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE GLOBAL BIOE | Support of the Global BioEconomy Summit 2024 | $50,000 |
| DEUTSCHE WELTHUNGERHILFE EV | Promotion of Digital Innovations for Zero Hunger - Part II | $75,000 |
| DEUTSCHE WELTHUNGERHILFE EV | General & Unrestricted | $750 |
| DEUTSCHE WELTHUNGERHILFE EV | InnoLab, Liberia Project and Digital Literacy fund | $185,000 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | FIRST 2024 VIP Networking event | $25,000 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | SEEDING THE FUTURE fund FOR FUN RUN AT IFT FIRST 2024 | $10,000 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | participation fund for of all winners from the Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge at the IFT FIRST event in Chicago | $25,200 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | annual Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge | $150,000 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | Seeding The Future Global Food System Innovation Library Application | $21,500 |
| INSTITUTE OF FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS INC CHICAGO, IL | Data Integration fund | $3,000 |
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Founder & Principal Officer:
- Dr.-Ing. Bernhard van Lengerich — President, Director, Secretary, Treasurer
Dr. van Lengerich is the former Chief Science Officer at General Mills and former acting Chief Technology Officer at Beyond Meat.
Trustees:
- Bernhard van Lengerich
- Annette van Lengerich
The foundation is a family foundation with administrative support from Foundation Source.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annette van Lengerich | Dir, VP | 1 | — |
| Bernhard van Lengerich | Pres, Dir, Sec, Treas | 30 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**2024 Challenge Results:** Seed Grant Winners, Growth Grant winners, and Seeding The Future Grand Prize finalists announced for the $1 million Global Food System Challenge
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge: Finalists**36 Finalists & Semifinalists:** Recently announced for the annual Global Food System Challenge
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge: Finalists**Partnership Expansion:** Challenge now operated by Welthungerhilfe as of 2025
**Co-funding Partnerships:** Works with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) on the Global Food System Challenge
Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge: Finalists**Recent Grants:** Funded Food Systems for the Future ($250,000 grant in December 2022, co-funded with IFT) and Kopernik ($100,000 grant in January 2024, co-funded with IFT)
Seed Grant Winners, Growth Grant and Seeding The Future Grand Prize FinalistsSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Seeding the Future Foundation fund?
The foundation's core mission is to "seed and support the creation and acceleration of human-centered ideas and innovations that have high impact potential at scale on the health of people and the environment." The foundation's moonshot is **sustainable food systems that improve the health of people and the planet**. The foundation envisions a sustainable and resilient global food system that provides equitable access to safe and nutritious food for everyone—food that is affordable, appealing, …
How do I apply for a grant from Seeding the Future Foundation?
The foundation's primary grantmaking vehicle is the annual **Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge**, launched in 2021 in partnership with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). **Challenge Structure:** • **Total annual awards:** $1 million in competitive grants and prizes • **Award categories:** • Seed Grants • Growth Grants • Seeding the Future Grand Prizes • **Scope:** Global competition seeking creative, diverse, and multidisciplinary teams to create game-changing innovations …
Where does Seeding the Future Foundation make grants?
The foundation funds globally, with particular emphasis on: • **Primary U.S. focus states:** Illinois, Massachusetts, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania • **International focus:** 97+ countries, with special emphasis on Sub-Saharan Africa • **Sub-Saharan Africa priority:** Addressing hunger, malnutrition, and post-harvest food loss affecting smallholder farmers and women farmers
What size grants does Seeding the Future Foundation award?
In 2024, Seeding the Future Foundation awarded 21 grants totaling $1.8M — an average of about $87K per grant, based on its IRS Form 990 filings.
How much is Seeding the Future Foundation required to give away each year?
Private foundations must generally distribute about 5% of their assets annually. For 2024, Seeding the Future Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.9M on its IRS Form 990-PF — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
What is Seeding the Future Foundation's EIN?
Seeding the Future Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-4718771. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Seeding the Future Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Data last updated June 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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