CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) DJAMES@STXFOUNDATION.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 10, 2018
The St. Croix Foundation is hosting a small delegation of Board members from the Southern Partners Fund from July 11th -15th. Southern Partners Fund is a 501(c)(3) public foundation serving grassroots organizations in rural communities across 12 states; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Their visit to St. Croix serves to help the Foundation make a case for expanding SPF’s funding map to include the Territory.
As an extension of the Foundation’s Nonprofit consortium, which was launched in the summer of 2016 to build capacity and nurture dynamic collaborations among local nonprofits, SPF’s visit represents the 3rd philanthropic convening hosted by the Foundation over the past year.
With a commitment to “giving voice and opportunity to marginalized and underserved communities and families in the rural south, SPF’s mission is to support rural Southern communities and organizations seeking social, economic, and environmental justice by providing them with financial resources, technical assistance and training, and access to systems of information and power to shift the balance of power in their communities.”
Likewise, St. Croix Foundation has been committed to supporting local nonprofits, serving as a fiscal sponsor for over 200 nonprofit organizations and grassroots community projects over the past 27 years. More recently, the Foundation has deepened its commitment to building capacity and nurturing civic leadership within the nonprofit sector. Since the hurricanes, the Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in strategic grants to local nonprofits through their CARE Fund, seeking to stabilize their civic sector so that vital nonprofit organizations can become powerful advocates and champions of social justice as well as an organized political power base.
During SPF’s visit, the Foundation will be convening intimate meetings with local nonprofit executives primarily those representing organizations committed to advocacy and social justice. SPF Board members will also conduct site visits to local nonprofits and will attend a slow down dinner at Ridge to Reef Farm entirely sourced by local farmers and fishermen to advance the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the St. Croix agricultural industry and advocacy for food sovereignty.
According to St. Croix Foundation Executive Director, Deanna James, “One of the primary goals of the Foundation moving forward is to expand opportunities to get the Territory ‘on the map’ and recognized as a relevant and legitimate funding priority for national funders.” “We fundamentally believe that one of the critical components of civil society is advocacy power. And as it currently stands far too many of our civic organizations are too dependent on government subsidies to exert the level of political power necessary to ensure social justice for the consistuents they serve and the missions they drive.” James continued.
The Foundation, through their Nonprofit Consortium, is working to elevate the efficacy and force of the nonprofit sector and in turn build a model for other communities’ recovery and sustainability efforts.
Toward that end, SPF has already made a commitment to support the work of St. Croix nonprofits through several grant awards in partnership with St. Croix Foundation. The shared history of social and economic oppression has been a compelling case and rationale for SPF exploring ways to deepen their engagement with the VI. They join St. Croix Foundation’s growing network of national philanthropic partners along with the Southeastern Council of Foundations which, in March, invited the Foundation to be the first organization outside the contiguous U.S. to join its 300 member foundation association.
In the upcoming weeks, the Foundation will be sponsoring additional convenings around the issues of civic leadership, collaboration and community vision building.
St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to Southern Partners Fund, to St. Croix’s nonprofits who continue to provide vital services to our community, and to the many corporate, foundation, and individual contributors who make St. Croix Foundation Nonprofit Consortium and CARE Fund possible.
For more information on Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium please visit www.stxfoundation.org or call the St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898.