Career Program Class Gift

SEO Career Program interns have played an important role in building upon the collaborative philanthropic initiatives of SEO's SIRV initiative and demonstrating their commitment to giving back.

For many years, interns donated towards a Class Gift to support SEO.  In 2003, that tradition moved to another level when 80 percent of the 285 interns contributed toward an effort that raised $26,000 for the SEO Scholars Program - by far a record.  Building upon that success, in 2004, 99 percent of the 332 interns contributed nearly $42,000. This effort introduced a new feature that drew upon the grantmaking practices of the SEO Community Assistance Fund and Donor-advised Pooled Fund.  Students participating in SEO's Philanthropy (now "Nonprofit") internship program worked together to learn about community needs, develop a set of funding criteria, research various programs, conduct site visits at organizations throughout New York City and present suggested recipients to the entire class. The class voted to award $5,000 each to four other organizations serving youth, and donated the remainder of the gift to SEO's founding program, the Scholars Program.

The 2004 recipients were:

Harlem RBI, Inc.
Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning
New York Youth at Risk
Youth Organizers United


In 2005, 99% of SEO interns contributed more than $44,000 and awarded $6,000 each to the following organizations:

Andrew Glover Youth Program
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services
Global Action Project
Redhawk Native American Arts Council


In 2006, 100% of SEO interns contributed nearly $53,000 and awarded $7,000 each to:

The Albert G. Oliver Program
Friends of Island Academy
Global Kids
Groove With Me


In 2007, 100% of SEO interns contributed more than $68,000 and awarded $7,000 each to:

Amethyst Women's Project
Andrew Glover Youth Program
Child Welfare Organizing Project
Keep Rising to the Top, Inc.
Sistas on the Rise


In 2008, 97% of SEO interns contributed more than $75,000 and awarded $7,500 each to:

The Brooklyn Young Mothers' Collective
Fresh Youth Initiatives
Friends of the Children New York
New Immigrant Community Empowerment
New York Youth at Risk


In 2009, 94% of SEO interns contributed nearly $34,000 and awarded $4,170 each to:

The Ali Forney Center
The Andrew Glover Youth Program
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS)
The Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative

In 2010, 97% of SEO interns contributed more than $57,000 and awarded $5,500 each to: 

America SCORES
The Andrew Glover Youth Program
Breakthrough New York
Citizen Schools
Reading Excellence and Discovery (READ) Foundation

In 2011, 97% of SEO interns contributed more than $70,000 and awarded $5,000 each  to:

Advocates for the Children of New York
America SCORES
Blue Engine
DonorsChoose
East Harlem Tutorial Program
Everybody WINS!
Global Action Project