A comprehensive plan seeks to put residents of Black and Brown communities on the path towards upward mobility by connecting them with a network of resources focused on economic development, education, and more
Jamilica Burke, president of Seeding Success, refers to her organization as one that brings different community stakeholders together to form a shared vision on Memphis’ future through collective impact. Stakeholders include nonprofits, faith-based groups, and community organizations.
“Our methodology has always been that we’re not a direct service provider,” Burke says. “We’re not the ones working directly with families, but we want to strengthen the capacity and capability of the organizations that are.”
To enhance this, Seeding Success worked with community partners to develop the More for Memphis plan. The blueprint seeks to improve circumstances for Shelby County residents by increasing access to services with a “particular focus on improving opportunities for Black and Brown communities.”
“More for Memphis is a county-wide plan to improve the quality of life for all residents by ensuring everyone has access to the essential services and resources they need to thrive,” the organization said in a statement.
Burke says that at its inception, the plan was a major undertaking and would need about $1.4 billion to bring the project to scale. She saw that amount as a small investment, given the money distributed to communities through different sectors.
The discussions led Burke to think deeper about what this meant for specific communities, which led to a partnership with the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, which manages funding and supports “collaborative efforts” in South Memphis. After seeing the work being done by the organization, Burke was prompted to see how her team could complement existing work.
That work is referred to as place-based, birthing an emphasis on the South Memphis zone of the More for Memphis plan, focusing on zip codes 38126, 38106, and parts of 38109 and 38114.
An enhanced focus on South Memphis began in the Spring of 2025, following conversations about how to address early childhood, K-12, and workforce development. Burke says Seeding Success serves as the “backbone coordinator” or “quarterback” to help different partners align their resources with South Memphis residents.
Burke’s team awards funding to different partners to help scale their work. Seeding Success has been able to build a strategic network of partnerships to provide resources for South Memphis through the More for Memphis plan. It’s helped community partners to focus on a common vision and goal, and examine their role in bringing this into fruition.
“It hasn’t been us just asking partners and organizations to join,” Burke said. “We’ve been able to provide them resources and grants to do this.”
She explains that mobility for Seeding Success is defined by what opportunity looks like for a child moving from the bottom to the top, taking a look into how systemic inequities such as intergenerational poverty shape the child’s life year-to-year and how they can “crack the code.”
“Our ultimate goal in that work is can we move at least 10,000 young people on a pathway of mobility.” Burke says.
The organization looks at a number of key indicators to measure success such as kindergarten readiness, third-grade readiness, high school graduation, and enrollment in post-secondary opportunities.
Burke says their organization looks at how the families they support are impacted by an increased focus on these topics and sustainable workforce development. This gives them a holistic view of the health of their community.
Seeding Success and its partner organizations are not the only groups at the table when it comes to decision-making. Burke says they’ve put together the More for Memphis Governance Board, which is made up of residents, youth, and city and business leaders to measure the sustainability of their plan.
“As we’re making these funding decisions and resource allocations,” Burke says, “regardless of where they are, we have a neutral party that is helping to govern and make decisions.”