What We Do
The Tiny Seed is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the lives of children by making their schools better places of learning. We aim to build up the standard of facilities and tools available in schools for quality learning and the holistic development of children. Our support to projects across Infrastructure, Health & Nutrition, and Student & Teacher Training and Development seeks to foster an environment that creates a new generation of empowered and socially responsible citizens.
We operate as a donation platform, channelling funds and resources to specific project requirements of needy and deserving schools. We list information related to these on our website. In this way, we help bridge the gap between the needs of a school as well as that of an interested donor.
Covid-19 and its aftermath has changed things up for schools in ways that they and we are still grappling with. Lockdowns led to survival issues. Online school posed technological problems. With schools reopening soon, needs are doubly complex and solutions even more so. While a school might have previously struggled with inadequate toilets, experts now highlight the crying need for well maintained and hygienic toilets. How best can we support children and their families in these difficult times? How do we tackle increased drop out rates, while also focusing on catching students up on basic concepts that they've missed out on over the past two years? How can we better support teachers in this crucial role they play at this most critical juncture in our history, present and future?
We welcome your support, your encouragement, and your patience as well, as we navigate through these times, trying to provide unique and necessary intervention. We also continue to welcome your contribution by way of donations to individual projects, or to our general fund, for the benefit of our schools. We look forward to you being a part of our journey.
Our Journey
Total Number of Projects Open |
19 |
Total Number of Completed Projects |
154 |
Number of Schools Supported |
15 |
5138 students impacted! |
View more about our projects here |
Our Partners & Team
Malini Mathew Varughese Chairman & Co-Founder |
Ashika Anna Mathew Executive Trustee & Co-Founder |
Mariam Mammen Mathew Trustee & Co-Founder |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Does The Tiny Seed work?
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The Tiny Seed lists project requests of schools on the website for interested donors like you to choose from and contribute to.
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All projects listed are specific to the needs and requirements of each school. Corresponding project costs have been verified by The Tiny Seed.
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Donors can choose their projects and donate (via website/bank transfer). We encourage contributions of any amount (small or big) towards a particular project.
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Donations made to us are routed to the school for their action.
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Checks are conducted at our end to ensure honest and efficient implementation of the project by the school.
We also provide the option to donate to our general corpus (The Big Bag of Seeds) from which allocations are made to school projects at the discretion of The Tiny Seed according to the need of the hour.
What we do?
The Tiny Seed is a non-profit organization dedicated to changing the lives of children by making their schools better places of learning. We aim to build up the standard of facilities and tools available in schools for quality learning and the holistic development of children. Our support to projects across Infrastructure, Health & Nutrition, and Student & Teacher Training and Development seeks to foster an environment that creates a new generation of empowered and socially responsible citizens. Our Mission is -
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To build capacity, knowledge and expertise as an organization, with specific reference to bringing about systemic educational change in the Kerala context.
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To support disadvantaged schools, students and communities by way of building enhanced learning platforms, and better student-teacher engagement and training.
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To provide our schools with a competing platform, by assisting, equipping and empowering teachers, and local educational and school authorities to find novel and innovative ways to meet their needs.
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To transform schools in a sustainable manner, with an output of measurable differences such as increased student attendance and enrolment, reduced drop out rates, higher achievement scores, more balanced pass-fail rates, and an improved image of the school in society
We work directly with schools and educational administrative authorities to understand their individual and collective requirements. We ensure that our efforts neither overlap with, nor duplicate those of the Govt. and its various school related schemes and programmes. By listing these details on our website, we help bridge the gap between the needs of a school as well as that of an interested donor.
We welcome your contribution by way of donations to individual projects, or to our general fund.
Whom do you support?
We support schools that cater to children who do not have the opportunities to, nor can afford to attend good private schools in the state of Kerala, India. These include Government Schools primarily as well as Aided and low-cost Private schools.
These schools get minimal or insufficient funding from the government, and yet can take nil or minimal fees from students. There is a chronic shortage of funds, low student and staff engagement, a lack of parental support structure, and often a lack of vision or direction among school heads and administrators. This curtails them from being able to provide a quality educational environment and learning experience for students.
The schools we support are carefully selected, with the top criteria being that the school must be run by a team of dedicated and qualified teachers. In many of these schools, the teachers contribute money from their own pockets & limited resources to meet the school’s needs.
View the list of schools we support here.
How do you ensure transparency?
We vet all project requests and costs before putting them up on the website. While donations are routed through us, the responsibility of implementation rests with the individual school; we thereafter ensure checks and visits to schools for follow up, on a periodic basis. We provide 80G receipts on donations we receive, and maintain transparent accounts, and all necessary legal filings and records.
Is there a minimum amount for donations?
Yes, Rs. 100 is the minimum amount set for online giving.
Are donations tax deductible?
Donations made to The Tiny Seed will be eligible to the benefit of deduction under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. You can view a copy of our Govt. Order here.
The Tiny Seed also falls under the eligible category of donation under the government's corporate giving (CSR) rules.
What happens if a project does not reach its funding goal?
The Tiny Seed allows partial funding of projects to ensure that everyone can contribute the tiniest amount to a good cause. However, on occasion, a project may not reach full funding. In this case, the donations already made will be rerouted to the Big Bag of Seeds (the General Fund). Donations from this will be allocated to other projects based on urgency of need, at the discretion of The Tiny Seed.
How long does a project remain open for funding?
This differs from project to project, based on the size and cost. An outer limit of 4-6 months is currently the norm.
Can donations be made in kind?
We encourage online donations primarily, but you could write to us at info@thetinyseed.org, and we could discuss what you have in mind.