The recipient entity's physical address:
           2941 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70117

The recipient entity's mailing address (if different):
           56 Yellowstone Dr., New Orleans, LA 70131

Type of Entity (for instance, a nonprofit corporation):  Non-Profit Corporation

If the entity is a corporation, list the names of the incorporators:
          Cheyenne Moseley

The last four digits of the entity's taxpayer ID number:  9102

What is the dollar amount of the request?  $500,000

What type of request is this?  Both

Is this entity in good standing with the Secretary of State?  Yes

Provide the name of each member of the recipient entity's governing board and officers:
           Governing Board/ Officers:
Brandan Odums, 56 Yellowstone Dr., New Orleans, LA 70131
Edward Odums Jr., 2425 Piazza Pl, Leander, TX 78641
Nicole Robinson, 6328 Dover Place, New Orleans, LA 70131

Executive Director/ CEO - Brandan Odums, 56 Yellowstone Dr., New Orleans, LA 70131
CFO - Edward Odums Jr., 2425 Piazza Pl, Leander, TX 78641
Managing Director - Elizabeth LeFrere, 2941 Royal St., New Orleans, LA 70117

Provide a summary of the project or program:
           Over the last decade, Brandan ‘BMike’ Odums and the StudioBE team transformed a vacant warehouse into a landmark and cultural destination in New Orleans. A product of alchemy and a space for artists and the things they create, StudioBE has served as a sanctuary for New Orleanians and a welcoming space for visitors from around the world.
In 2020, BMike and the StudioBE team founded Eternal Seeds, a nonprofit organization that serves the artists and culture bearers of New Orleans. Eternal Seeds provides young and emerging artists with tools they need to become the revolutionary leaders and shapers of a more equitable and artful world. We do this through our three-part programmatic model: Inspire, Educate, and Empower.

Eternal Seeds is seeking funding to strengthen and scale our core youth arts and leadership programs while building the internal capacity needed to capture, communicate, and grow our impact.

Our year-round Creative Leadership model and our flagship summer program currently operate near maximum enrollment. Across three layers of development: introductory collective work, individual artistic identity-building, and a young-adult fellowship with paid opportunities, our programs engage approximately 60 young people each summer and maintain steady participation throughout the year. Each of our classrooms can comfortably host up to 25 students at a time. Funding support will allow us to stabilize our core operations, ensure adequate instructional staffing, and prepare for responsible expansion as our facility improvements continue to ensue.

We are working to expand our reach beyond StudioBE’s physical space through school-site partnerships. These collaborations will decentralize capacity limits, create paid teaching opportunities for program alumni and additional New Orleans talent, and introduce more young people to creative practice, cultural identity, and civic leadership. Funding will help us strengthen these partnerships, refine curriculum, and develop pathways that support students as they move from participant to artist to community leader.

This funding will allow us to do our work of producing high-quality creative programming, invest in our people and infrastructure, and deepen the stories and outcomes emerging from our work with New Orleans youth.

What is the budget relative to the project for which funding is requested?:
          Salaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . $75,000
          Professional Services. . . $75,000
          Contracts . . . . . . . . . . . $0
          Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . $20,000
          Major Repairs . . . . . . . $150,000
          Operating Services. . . . $200,000
          Other Charges. . . . . . . $0

Does your organization have any outstanding audit issues or findings?  No

If 'Yes' is your organization working with the appropriate governmental agencies to resolve those issues or findings?
          Not Applicable

What is the entity's public purpose, sought to be achieved through the use of state monies?
          Eternal Seeds empowers young and emerging artists with the tools to become leaders and visionaries for a more equitable and creative world. Our three-part model—Inspire, Educate, and Empower—guides our programs, workshops, exhibitions, and other offerings. We are committed to providing culturally responsive, accessible, and equitable resources rooted in the belief that a better tomorrow lives within our collective imagination.

Our initiatives are designed to foster economic mobility through creative engagement, revitalizing arts education in New Orleans while creating job opportunities for local creators. By addressing systemic inequities through skill development, entrepreneurship, and cultural representation, our work aims to make a lasting impact on the New Orleans community.

What are the goals and objectives for achieving such purpose?
          Goal 1: Strengthen organizational capacity to sustainably serve artists and the broader community.

Objective 1.1: Sustain and expand internal infrastructure to improve program delivery and organizational effectiveness.

Objective 1.2: Increase the number of artists and cultural practitioners supported by at least 30% through enhanced operational stability and resource allocation.

Goal 2: Expand access to high-quality arts education for youth.

Objective 2.1: Provide structured, high-quality arts education programming to at least 200 youth participants.

Objective 2.2: Ensure programming supports skill development, creative expression, and exposure to career pathways in the arts.

Goal 3: Contribute to community revitalization through public art and cultural production.

Objective 3.1: Facilitate the creation of at least (2) public art projects that reflect community identity and enhance shared spaces.

Objective 3.2: Engage local artists and community members in the design and implementation of these projects.

Goal 4: Promote economic mobility through creative workforce development.

Objective 4.1: Create paid opportunities for artists and program participants through project-based employment and commissions.

Objective 4.2: Support entrepreneurial pathways by providing access to skill-building, mentorship, and real-world creative opportunities.

What is the proposed length of time estimated by the entity to accomplish the purpose?
           24 Months

If any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official is an officer, director, trustee, or employee of the recipient entity who receives compensation or holds any ownership interest therein:
     (a) If an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of the official and the office held by such person:
                 N/A
    
     (b) If an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official, the name and address of such person; the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related; and the nature of the relationship:
                 N/A

     (c) The percentage of the official's or immediate family member's ownership interest in the recipient entity, if any:
                 N/A

     (d) The position, if any, held by the official or immediate family member in the recipient entity:
                  N/A

If the recipient entity has a contract with any elected or appointed state official or an immediate family member of such an official or with the state or any political subdivision of the state:
(a) If the contract is with an elected or appointed state official, provide the name and address of the official and the office held by such person: 
               N/A

(b) If the contract is with an immediate family member of an elected or appointed state official:
          Provide the name and address of such person:
               N/A

          Provide the name, address, and office of the official to whom the person is related:
                N/A

          What is the nature of the relationship?  N/A

(c) If the contract is with the state or a political subdivision of the state, provide the name and address of the state entity or political subdivision of the state:
                 N/A

(d) The nature of the contract, including a description of the goods or services provided or to be provided pursuant to the contract:
               N/A


Contact Information
name:  Brandan Odums 
                                       address:  56 Yellowstone Dr., New Orleans, LA 70131
                                       phone:  504-330-6231
                                       fax: 
                                       e-mail:  info@eternalseeds.com
                                       relationship to entity:  President and Executive Director