It Started With a Simple Question!
What if philanthropy didn’t require wealth, and a small amount of money, in the right hands, could create extraordinary change?
Traveling through Africa, I met community leaders, chiefs, parents, elders, women, and young visionaries with powerful ideas for strengthening their communities – ideas that could uplift women, protect children, improve heath, and build resilience to combat climate change. Yet, again and again, I encountered the same barrier: Funding.
When I asked what it would take to bring these ideas to life, the answer often surprised me: $500 – $5,000.
I remember thinking “You can change the entirety trajectory of your community with just $5,000?” Immediately followed by “I wish I could just give everyone the money, but I don’t have it like that.”
These weren’t million-dollar projects waiting for massive investment. They were locally led solutions with the potential to create meaningful change – yet even relatively small amounts of funding remained out of reach.
The realization stayed with me – you don’t need to be wealthy to be a philanthropist. There are people who want to do good but may not have much to give. This led to a simple question:
What if we could bring enough people together to help close that gap?
The Conversation That Changed Everything
What would you do if you won the lottery?
The answer to that simple, opening question began taking shape in an unexpected place: a conversation with my kids.
When asked what I would do if I won the lottery, my response was simple: I’d give away 80% of the money to people and communities around the world who could use it to create something meaningful and keep 20% to take care of family.
Generosity has always been more than giving. It’s recognizing that we’ve been blessed and choosing to sow into the lives of others is great stewardship and servitude.
That conversation became the foundation of the 80/20 philosophy: 80% to sow directly into communities and 20% to grow and sustain the organization.
Meet our Founder
Antoine B. Richards, DSc(c), MPH, CNP
“Because Giving is a Calling and Because God Said So(w)”
Antoine B. Richards is an Emmy and Telly Award-winning global philanthropist, public health professional, and emergency management practitioner with nearly two decades of experience advancing community-centered solutions across the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean.
His career spans philanthropy, public health, emergency management, global development, and nonprofit leadership. Richards has helped secure and steward millions of dollars in federal and philanthropic funding, built more than 100 cross-sector partnerships, supported international resilience initiatives, and contributed to research and policy addressing health equity, climate vulnerability, and disaster resilience.
His work has informed congressional dialogue and national policy, including testimony before the U.S. House of Representative. He has been recognized by Forbes for his contributions to DEI in scientific research and is a Morehouse School of Medicine Top 10 Under 40 and IAEM Top 40 Under 40 recipient.
Richards holds a Master of Public Health from Morehouse School of Medicine and is completing a Doctor of Science in Emergency Management at Jacksonville State University.
He founded Seed Change Collective around a simple belief: meaningful philanthropy shouldn’t be reserved for those with extraordinary wealth. By connecting everyday generosity with locally led solutions, he is working to make giving more accessible, transparent, and capable of creating lasting community impact.
