Every element carries meaning. Nothing is decoration.
The seal reads as an institution the moment you see it — and rewards the reader who looks closer.
The Motto
SEMINA · LUCIS · OMNIBUS
Latin, three words, one meaning: Seeds · of Light · for All. Semina is cultivation itself. Lucis is education as illumination. Omnibus is the free-forever, for-every-family promise. Paired with the date MMXXVI — the year the Foundation was formed.
The Visible Reading
Every element, on purpose.
The outer inscription
The motto ring
SEMINA · LUCIS · OMNIBUS along the top arc. THE CULTIVATION FOUNDATION · MMXXVI along the bottom arc. The two arcs together form the identity ring — who we are, when we began, and what we believe.
The inner belt
Roman numerals I · II · III · IV · V
The five tiers of the C.U.L.T. Life platform, in Roman numerals. I is Sparks (ages 3–6). II is Chispas (ages 3–6, Spanish-first). III is Kids (ages 7–12). IV is Teens (ages 13–17). V is Adult (18+). Every level the Foundation supports, cast into the seal itself.
Twin Doric columns
The architectural frame
Two columns flanking the medallion. Unpretentious, load-bearing, symmetrical. They stand for the Bylaws and the Board — the two structural elements holding the Foundation upright.
The open book
Knowledge as substrate
At the base of the medallion, an open book. Not decoration — the ground everything grows from. Every plant needs soil; every learner needs a book. The Foundation exists to fund what grows out of it.
The sprout & flame
Cultivation, toward light
A single stem rises from the book with a small flame at its peak. This is Lucis made visible — growth from knowledge toward light. The stem is short and the flame sits close to the book because the source and the destination are never far apart.
The three stars
The three directors
Three stars arranged in a gentle arc high above the flame. The stars are the three members of the Board of Directors. The Independent Director sits center-highest — the load-bearing seat.
The roots below
Buried permanence
Beneath the book, delicate roots extend downward into the parchment. What is buried is not what shows — it is what holds. The roots stand for the Foundation's endowment logic: the part a donor invests in even when they cannot see it.
The Hidden Reading
One mark for the reader who looks close.
Inside the triangular open-page space at the top of the book, in italic serif small enough to read only on close inspection, one word is inscribed: YOU.
Every C.U.L.T. tier the Foundation supports — from Sparks through Adult — opens on the same first question: who are you. Before a child can become a leader for others, before a family can become a fixture of a community, before a community can become part of something larger — the child has to know themselves. The Foundation exists to keep that knowing free forever, for every child, regardless of family means.
The reader who finds the inscription has already learned the mission.
The Purpose
Century-old institutional weight.
The seal is designed to read as a century-old university crest, a state department imprimatur, a foundation stamp of permanence. It is suitable for grant applications, IRS correspondence, board minutes, letterhead, book plates — and, when converted to a single-color transfer, for a physical wax or ink stamp on paper documents.
Every element has a reason. Nothing is filler. If you were to take one element out, you would take one meaning out with it.
The Other Seal
One seal we designed. One we had to earn.
Transparency
2026 Candid.
On 10 September 2026 the Foundation was awarded the 2026 Silver Seal of Transparency by Candid — the organisation formerly known as GuideStar, and the registry most funders check first.
The seal is not bought and it is not applied for. It is earned by publishing the organisation's governance, leadership, finances and programs where anyone can read them, and it is verified against the IRS record.
The crest above says what the Foundation believes. This one says a third party checked. Both are on this page on purpose.
One seal we designed. One we earned. Both are promises to keep.
Transparency costs nothing to publish and everything to live up to. Contributions are tax-deductible under IRC §170. EIN 42-3558347.
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