Second Cycle of Foundation’s CARE Grant Opens June 18

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) DJAMES@STXFOUNDATION.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 14, 2018

St. Croix, USVI- St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce the opening of the second cycle of its Hurricane Recovery CARE Grant, which will provide strategic grants to St. Croix-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations and charitable initiatives that offer programs and direct services targeting the most vulnerable and underserved populations affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

From June 18 to July 23, 2018, St. Croix Foundation will be accepting applications for projects that will support nonprofit organizations as they strive to return their operations to pre-hurricane conditions. Grants will target nonprofits that serve the most vulnerable populations and which were directly impacted by recent storms. The second cycle of the CARE Fund will award competitive grants that address needs directly related to hurricane victims/recovery in the following priority areas:

  • Existing services and/or programs
  • Capacity building to allow expansion of existing services
  • Reconstruction of facilities necessary for conducting programs that directly relates to needs of hurricane victims or recovery

Eligible applicants include 501 (c)3 nonprofit/civic organizations on St. Croix or those who are the sponsored project of a 501(c)3 organization. Projects must be completed within one year with a minimum budget of $1000. Priority is given to those organizations who are leveraging their work and resources for greater impact through collaboration with a partnering organization. The Foundation has also developed strict reporting guidelines to ensure the highest degree of accountability and focus in meeting outlined goals and timelines. All applications will be reviewed by St. Croix Foundation’s Grants Review Committee and final award decisions will be announced August 31, 2018.

Launched immediately following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the CARE (Caribbean Assistance and Relief Effort) Fund is providing direct support to front-line relief and long-term recovery efforts on St. Croix and throughout the US Virgin Islands. Grounded in a commitment to accountability, St. Croix Foundation is doing what they do best through the CARE Fund: supporting a holistic approach to community development while also ensuring real equity for St. Croix and resilience for our Territory.

In its first cycle in March of 2018, the Foundation’s CARE Grant awarded over $275,000 in grants to 16 nonprofit organizations. With 8 of 13 public schools on St. Croix having been condemned, the Foundation’s grants focused particularly on youth programs that are filling critical gaps for families and our young people. Grants ranging from $7,500 to $50,000 were awarded to the following organizations: AZ Academy’s Summer STEM Project, Caribbean Center for Boys & Girls -Fueling the Youth, Choices Basketball Association -Summer Training Camp, Christiansted Lighthouse Mission, CMCArts, Inc., Cruzan Cowgirls Horse Rescue, Frederiksted Health Care, Men’s Coalition -Developing Youth Resiliency, Onyx Opera, Music in Motion (at right) Good Hope Country Day School -Summer Theater Camp, St. Croix Walls Project, USVI Soccer Association, VI Perinatal, and World Ocean School. Additionally, focusing on sustainability, the Foundation has provided grants to Sejah Farms, the University of the Virgin Islands’ VI Literary Festival, Music in Motion, Caribbean Dance, Claude O. Markoe Elementary School, and the St. Patrick Alumni Association for its summer academic and steel pan program (in partnership with DIAM Management).

According to the Foundation’s Executive Director, Deanna James, The Virgin Islands has a long road of rebuilding ahead of us. And, as an operating foundation, St. Croix Foundation is utilizing a data driven approach to sustainable recovery by providing strategic grantmaking and direct services designed to leverage scarce community resources and ensure deep measurable outcomes.” “Taking into consideration the demographic realities of St. Croix, with higher poverty rates and fewer economic resources,” James continued, “St. Croix Foundation’s CARE Fund is supporting St. Croix nonprofits, targeting those that are filling critical social service gaps with fewer financial resources.”

CARE Grant Guidelines & Criteria as well as the online application can be found on the Foundation’s website at www.stxfoundation.org. The deadline for submitting grant proposals is July 23, 2018.

St. Croix Foundation wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the countless national foundations, corporations and individual donors who have made the CARE Fund and these grants possible.

St. Croix Foundation invites Donors and community partners to contact the Foundation at 340.773.9898 or visit their website at www.stxfoundation.org for more information on how to support the Foundation’s rebuilding efforts through the CARE Fund.