The Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability (SEEDS) program began in 1996 as a collaborative effort to work towards increasing the number of minorities in the field of ecology. SEEDS has shown to be an effective model for stimulating interest in pursuing ecology, providing professional development to aid science faculty in creating new ecology offerings, and taking new steps to increase cultural diversity within the Ecological Society of America. The SEEDS program operates via two major program components: Program Activity Grants and Project-Wide Initiatives.

Program Activity Grants continue with the tradition of the original SEEDS program and the collaboration of ESA with the United Negro College Fund to award program activity grants to UNCF member schools.

Project-Wide Initiatives promote ecology by supporting field trips, campus ecology chapters, summer fellowships, and ESA Annual Meeting travel scholarships.