Author: Lilli Cox

St. Croix Foundation Announced as 2022 HUD Secretary’s Award Recipient

Contact: Deanna James, President and Chief Executive Officer   

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – On Thursday, June 23rd, the Council on Foundations (COF) in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) as a recipient of the 2022 HUD Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships! The award was presented by Peter Kahn, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development, during a virtual awards ceremony which briefly showcased the impact of each organization. St. Croix Foundation is one of five organizations from across the nation to receive this honor in 2022. A national partnership between HUD and COF now in its tenth year, the Secretary’s Awards are presented annually and recognize philanthropy’s work with government partners as a community strategy to increase the quality of life for low- and moderate-income residents across America.

St. Croix Foundation was recognized for their investment in Community Resilience Hubs in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. St. Croix Foundation projects, which were highlighted through this award, were a Farm Tienda (container farmstand) Initiative; a Solar-Supported Community Center and Workforce Development Initiative; and the renovation and retrofit of the historic Alexander Theater which is currently underway to transform it into a state-of-the-art performing arts center and a downtown Community Disaster Safe Room capable of housing over 300 people. This work would not be possible without the collaboration of countless nonprofit partners on St. Croix, all working together to nurture resiliency and help our community thrive.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “This award is truly testament to the impact of Place-Based Philanthropy working in full alignment with Civil Society. Through this initiative, SCF continues to fulfill our fundamental role as a convener and bridge-builder, forging strategic partnerships between nonprofit, private, public and philanthropic sectors. The Foundation is especially grateful for our Nonprofit Consortium Partners who continue to inspire us and remind us each day that the real formula for community resilience lies in the power of community-rooted relationships! In fact, it’s our local Nonprofits who are collectively building real competency around how to effectively activate federal and philanthropic investments to serve the most vulnerable and underserved in our Community and who have been our thought partners and collaborators every step of the way.”

During a prepared statement during the award presentation, James extended her deepest appreciation to HUD and the Council on Foundations for the recognition. “Our Community Resilience Hubs were made possible through investments of time, talent and treasure from FEMA, Global Giving, the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA), and numerous other community stakeholders,” said James.

Established in 1990, St. Croix Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the Virgin Islands. With an incomparable track record of successful community development initiatives and national recognition for its work in education reform and small business development, the Foundation has also received international acknowledgment for its community revitalization initiatives and, today, continues directing its focus on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and of course, the broad-based support of nonprofits, including fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

For more information on St. Croix Foundation’s impact and how to support this work, please phone 340.773.9898 or visit www.stxfoundation.org.

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About The St.Croix Foundation: St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) was founded 31 years ago in the wake of Hurricane Hugo. Since its inception, the Foundation has been unflinchingly dedicated to the issues of equity and holistic, rooted community development. SCF is equally committed to advancing a brand of progressive place-based philanthropy, as we direct laser focus on catalyzing systemic change through a myriad of philanthropic strategies including strategic grantmaking, direct services, program administration, and nonprofit capacity building.

St. Croix Foundation & the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund Award $15,000 in Scholarships to St. Croix Students for 2021

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation is pleased to announce $15,000 in scholarships awarded to three St. Croix graduates on Friday, July 23rd, at a virtual presentation at St. Croix Foundation (SCF) headquartered in Sunday Market Square. Scholarships were made possible through the fourth annual cycle for the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund and SCF’s Foundation Scholars Fund.

Three scholarships of $5,000 each were awarded through the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund and the Foundation Scholars Fund to support students who have faced and overcome inordinate challenges. This year’s scholarship recipients persevered despite extraordinary trials throughout their high school journey, including Category Five Hurricanes, a global pandemic, economic uncertainty, as well as the myriad of obstacles young people face today. Despite the trials, they also recognized that education is a pathway to achieving personal and professional success. Applicants were required to meet specific criteria that include being a high school graduate from St. Croix, maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher, demonstrating financial need, and more importantly, submitting personal essays and participating in a formal interview with the Foundation’s Scholarship Committee. Candidates were asked to speak to the reality of their challenges and journey to pursue their dreams. Awards were presented to the following students:

  • Abigail Valery, Temple University, Major: Music
  • Caliyah Helliger, Howard University, Major: Biochemistry
  • Sanaa Burke, University of Delaware, Major: Climatology/Meteorology

The Patrick & Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund was established in 2018 in the aftermath of Hurricanes Maria and Irma by Junior Gaspard, a St. Croix native and graduate of Central High School and John H. Woodson Junior High School. Wishing to honor his grandparents, Patrick and Amelia Williams, Gaspard and his family, alongside the St. Croix Foundation launched the Fund as a vehicle to achieve long-lasting, life-changing impact on the lives of students in the St. Croix community. Gaspard, who presents awards annually to scholarship recipients, stated that “The high level of achievement displayed by our award recipients as they navigated an academic year that was largely virtual, is a testament to their character and perseverance. My family and I are excited to support them as they begin this next chapter of their personal and academic journey.”

Also in attendance at the award presentation were members of the Gaspard family who provided counsel and motivation, telling awardees to “remember you bring the Virgin Islands with you wherever you go,” “We have future leaders here that we are supporting,” “We are part of your tribe and your village. We are here invested in you, in your success”, and from a grandson of Patrick and Amelia Williams, “This is a way to share who they [my grandparents] were, with you … Amelia and Patrick would be very proud.”

To date, the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund has provided a total of $47,000 in scholarships to 11 students who have had to overcome obstacles to continue their education, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and now COVID-19. SCF is also pleased to report that all prior awardees are still pursuing their course of study and members of the Fund’s first cohort of awardees are now preparing to graduate. 2021 scholarship recipient Sanaa Burke, who hopes to shine a light on St. Croix and the Virgin Islands’ vulnerability to climate, expressed her appreciation, stating that “This scholarship will allow me to further my education while not having to extensively worry about where the funds to pay for tuition will come from. This has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders!”

According to St. Croix Foundation Program Officer, Jonathan Williams, “What we know about higher education is that it can provide students with viable pathways toward success. The reality for students in Black and Brown communities is that those opportunities often stay just out of reach. Our goal for the Williams Fund recipients is to provide them with an additional support system on their journey toward discovering their personal and professional path unencumbered. Each year as we work with students through the selection process, we are reminded of how necessary this fund remains.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Gaspard family for their partnership and philanthropic spirit as well as the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee for its engagement. The Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund welcomes gifts to allow for additional students to be provided the chance to pursue their education. St. Croix Foundation would also like to thank the DIAM Fund for its partnership and contributions to the Foundation Scholars Fund.

For more information about the Williams Opportunity Fund and how you can support this special scholarship opportunity and those like it for our young people, please contact St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898 or visit our website at www.stxfoundation.org to learn more.

St. Croix Foundation Solarizes 2nd Community Center, Adds 6000KW of Sustainable Power to Island

St. Croix Foundation Solarizes 2nd Community Center, Adds 6000KW of Sustainable Power to Island

By: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, U.S.V.I. — St. Croix Foundation is pleased to announce the completion of the second phase of its Pilot Solar-Supported Community Center Project and Workforce Development Initiative with the solarization of the senior citizen housing center, Flambouyant Gardens, in November of 2020. This milestone is being memorialized at a presentation on April 14, 2021 with members of St. Croix Foundation Team and Flambouyant Gardens.

The solar initiative was formally launched in June 2019 and continues to build infrastructure around neighborhood resilience, energy independence, and food security. As a multi-layered resilience model, the Foundation graduated the Virgin Islands’ first cohort of local solar installers, providing workforce development opportunities in a field that nurtures energy independence for St. Croix. As part of the students’ on-the-job training, the Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls of the Virgin Islands and, most recently, Flambouyant Gardens Senior Independent Living Center were both solarized and will serve as resilience hubs that fortify neighboring communities in times of crisis. Funded in partnership with the VI Department of Labor, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, GlobalGiving and several local partners, this project is a model of cross-sector collaboration that builds economic, energy, and community resilience through workforce development, energy independence and strategic, innovative grantmaking for nonprofit capacity building.

During the first phase of the Project, 9 students aged 18-28, successfully completed a 6-month course through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) and received intense classroom instruction in NCCER Core Curriculum, Electrical Levels 1-4, and Solar PV Installation. As of June 2020, 100% of the cohort was fully employed in the field and by October, two participants had been promoted to Team Lead, while one is training to specialize in Tesla power walls. At the conclusion of the classroom component of this program, students received on-the-job training installing Solar Photovoltaic Systems by completing the installation of a full solar system on the roof of the Caribbean Center for the Boys and Girls of the Virgin Islands (CCBGVI).In November of 2020, the second center, Flambouyant Gardens, home to 56 senior citizens, was also solarized through this innovative and holistic approach to community development. The solar systems build capacity in targeted community centers serving children, families, and the elderly. Today, the CCBGVI enjoys energy independence and utility savings of up to 40%, and Flambouyant Gardens has received over $500 in savings, thus far.

In testimony to St. Croix Foundation’s commitment to local nonprofits, the initiative is nurturing a culture of resilience by empowering nonprofits to achieve a reduction in utility costs, the savings from which can be reinvested in direct services that benefit the communities and vulnerable populations they serve. In total, the solar system grants provided by the Foundation are benefitting over 160 youth and elderly every day.

“We are grateful for the collaboration of St. Croix Foundation in the solarization of the Flambouyant Gardens senior community center,” stated Junia John-Straker, Chief Executive Officer for Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands. “It is an opportunity for LSSVI to reinforce our social service support to the community and make Flambouyant Gardens a resilient hub during disasters. Having solar means we can provide reliable power for low-income seniors during power outages — helping them keep communication lines open, store their medication safely and maintain access to information available to them,” John-Straker continued.

In addition to the benefits during blue skies, in the event of future disasters, all selected solar-powered community centers have committed to serving as neighborhood hubs for individuals and families in walking proximity. CCBGVI and Flambouyant Gardens will enable residents in the neighborhood to store medication that requires refrigeration, charge electronic devices, and use an internet connection to communicate with family. Community centers will also have the capacity to serve as localized distribution sites from which aid and relief items can be stored and disseminated in the future. To increase the number of neighborhood resilience hubs, St. Croix Foundation has also begun the solarization phase for its Small Agribusiness Recovery and Revitalization Initiative, in which 7 farmers will receive solar systems for their Farm Tienda. Farm Tiendas are eco-friendly container stores that SCF granted to farmers and outfitted with potable water systems, and now a solar PV system.

This will give farmers off-grid energy and connectivity to process payments, provide lighting and cameras for security, refrigeration for produce, and a small fan. Each farmer has pledged (and already begun during Covid-19) to serve as resilience hubs for their communities.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “These initiatives represent model case studies on the power of place-based philanthropy and St. Croix Foundation’s philosophy and multi-pronged approach to philanthropy: catalyze holistic community development that builds capacity in nonprofits, leverages cross-sector collaboration, and directs resources at the intersections of complex social-economic challenges facing marginalized communities.”

The Foundation is deeply grateful for all its community partners for their support and collaboration in making this project a reality including the Department of Labor, Commissioner Gary Molloy and his Team on the Workforce Development Board, Sustainable System and Design International, Lions Den, and course instructors Ian Caesar, Kevin Dubois, Jensen Berkitt, Gregory Christian, and Sana Joseph. For more information, please feel free to contact the Foundation at 340-773-9898 or visit their website www.stxfoundation.org for more information about the Initiative or to support this and other St. Croix Foundation initiatives.

ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION
Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the Virgin Islands. With an incomparable track record of successful community development initiatives and national recognition for its work in education reform and small business development, the Foundation has also received international acknowledgment for its community revitalization initiatives and, today, continues directing its focus on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and of course, the broad-based support of nonprofits, including fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

St. Croix Foundation Celebrates 31 Years of Mission-Driven Service & Impact in the U.S. Virgin Islands

ST. Croix foundation Celebrates 31 Years of mission-driven Service & Impact in the U.S. Virgin Islands

CONTACT: Deanna James, President & Chief Executive Officer
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is celebrating 31 years of service to the U.S. Virgin Islands community on September 24, 2021.

Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation (SCF) has been advancing its mission to encourage greater philanthropic activity, to marshal resources, and to act as a catalyst to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands. As a place-based community foundation established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, SCF’s founders, Philip Gerard and Michael Neuburger, intentionally positioned the organization to support broad-based community development grounded in the civic sector. As a unique model in the field of philanthropy, the Foundation’s portfolio of work and impact includes grantmaking as well as direct programming and fiscal sponsorship. In total, SCF has been the conduit of $43 million into the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For over three decades, the Foundation has served as a catalyst for systemic change, marshaling resources to focus on nonprofit capacity building as the cornerstone of its community development work. As the fiscal sponsor of up to 40 projects at any given time and a total of over 250 charitable projects since its inception, SCF encourages philanthropic activity by allowing projects that do not have formal 501(c)3 status to operate under SCF’s umbrella and apply for and raise critical funding. To date, SCF has been the conduit of over $23 million in funding for projects providing vital community services. The St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is a current sponsored project of the Foundation and an example of the invaluable role of SCF’s Fiscal Sponsorship services. LTRG is a “cooperative body made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within St. Croix to assist individuals and families as they recover from Hurricane Maria.” As a sponsored project, the LTRG, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services, has rebuilt 71 homes housing 141 people, and provided lifesaving case management services for affected residents.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “As with isolated, under-served and under-resourced communities of color around the globe, in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, capacity for organizations to leverage the full power of grantmaking was severely limited. Our Founders understood that the Virgin Islands needed an organization focused solely on strengthening civil society and, today, SCF’s results are evidence of their unconventional approach.”

St. Croix Foundation’s total portfolio also includes over $1 million in grantmaking and scholarships, which provides immediate relief and operational and programmatic support to organizations and individuals – funding that intersects with the Foundation’s own direct programming and its fiscal sponsored projects.

The Foundation’s direct services catalyze change, providing model programs that introduce equitable, new systems to the Territory. Today, serving as a holistic grassroots model for philanthropy in under-resourced communities of color like the Virgin Islands, the Foundation is focusing on a legacy project to completely renovate the Alexander Theater in Sunday Market Square. As a longstanding vision of SCF’s Founders and Board Members, the theater’s renovation is testimony to the Foundation’s collaborative and strategic approach of leveraging and intersecting projects for multiple benefits.

James stated that “SCF is busier than ever, leading some of its most comprehensive initiatives, from our Nonprofit Consortium and the restoration of the Old Alexander Theater to Kids Count USVI data collection. We are oftentimes, quietly, but always intentionally and collaboratively, building new, equitable systems around food security, energy justice, workforce development, nonprofit capacity building – and data collection. With each passing year, as the work of the Foundation expands and deepens, we could not be more grateful for our Founders, our current Board of Directors, our Staff, volunteers, Sponsors, national funders, and thought partners, and of course, our local nonprofits. Together, we are amplifying a truly progressive, high-impact approach to community development.”

The Foundation invites anyone interested in learning more and supporting its current projects to contact SCF’s President, Deanna James, at djames@stxfoundation.org or visit the Foundation’s website at www.stxfoundation.org.

St. Croix Foundation SCF Awards $160,000 in Sustaining Impact Grants through CARE Fund

ST. Croix foundation awards $160,000 in Sustaining Impact Grants through Care Fund

CONTACT: Deanna James, President & Chief Executive Officer
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce that $160,000 in grants were awarded to 11 member organizations of the Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium. Made possible through the Foundation’s CARE Fund and GlobalGiving, the 2021 CARE Sustaining Impact Grant serves to build operational and programmatic capacity among nonprofits as they advance COVID-19 relief efforts.

The CARE Fund, which was established in the immediate aftermath of 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, supports strategic, high-impact investments in the Virgin Islands for disaster recovery and community resilience. Now a permanent Fund of the Foundation’s, in this cycle of grantmaking the CARE Fund prioritized 1) Stabilizing nonprofits serving vulnerable populations through the Open-Door Funding; and 2) Providing direct support to frontline NPOs to build or expand programming.

This 2021 cycle of the CARE Fund was invitation only and offered to St. Croix Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium (NPC) member organizations. A coalition of 25-plus nonprofits, NPC is a progressive civic model that collaborates around four vital sectors including, 1) health and human services, 2) education and youth development, 3) environs (built and natural), and 4) arts, culture, and Crucian heritage. Applications were carefully reviewed by the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee, with the following nonprofits and charitable projects receiving awards between $10,000-$15,000:

  1. Caribbean Center for Girls and Boys of the Virgin Islands: Out-of-School Programming
  2. Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts: Art Ignites!
  3. Diane Hampton Breast Cancer Project: Art Therapy Workshops
  4. FYR is LIT: BLAZE Literacy and Teen Leadership Development
  5. Music in Motion: 39th Dance Season
  6. Croix Environmental Association: Afterschool Environmental Education
  7. Croix Landmarks Society: Junior Preservationists Program
  8. Croix Long Term Recovery Group: Resilience Hub Planning
  9. Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts: Strategic Development Organizational Capacity Building
  10. Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition: Organizational Capacity Building
  11. World Ocean School: Roseway Program Capacity Building

Funding for this round of grants will support programs that collaborate to leverage scarce resources and span literacy skill development, art therapy, and organizational capacity to achieve greater impact. Awards were made possible through a grant award from GlobalGiving, a global crowdfunding platform that connects donors with meaningful causes in over 165 countries and operates on a core principle that “good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time.” In 2020, the GlobalGiving community raised more than $105 million for projects in 169 countries alone.

To date, St. Croix Foundation’s CARE Fund has invested over $1.9 million into the Virgin Islands’ ongoing recovery efforts through innovative and strategic grantmaking, workforce development, energy independence, and food security initiatives. President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated, “With the Virgin Islands continuing to be outside of most national philanthropies’ funding sphere, GlobalGiving’s trust-based approach to grantmaking allows the Foundation to not only keep doors open but build capacity in the civic sector for sustained impact.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to GlobalGiving and to the Virgin Islands nonprofits, national partners and foundations as well as the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee for its engagement.

For more information on how you can support the CARE Fund, or to support the Foundation’s numerous other projects/programs please contact St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898, staff@stxfoundation.org, or visit its website at www.stxfoundation.org.

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ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION
Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the Virgin Islands. With an incomparable track record of successful community development initiatives and national recognition for its work in education reform and small business development, the Foundation has also received international acknowledgment for its community revitalization initiatives and, today, continues directing its focus on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and of course, the broad-based support of nonprofits, including fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

St. Croix Foundation Releases 2021 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book, Building Level Pathways for our Children

St. Croix Foundation Releases the 2021 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) is pleased to announce the release of the 2021 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book on December 15, 2021, at 10:00 AM AST during a Virtual Community Stakeholder Presentation that is open to the public.

A national initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), KIDS COUNT has evolved into one of the largest, long-standing data repositories in the United States focused on the status of children and families. A national network of nonprofits, foundations, and consortia from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, KIDS COUNT is seen as a vital means of providing critical data about child well-being for many federal, state, and local government agencies.

During the virtual presentation on the 15th, SCF’s KIDS COUNT Team will provide an overview of the 2021 Data Book to Government Partners and Community Stakeholders. The 2021 KIDS COUNT Data Book comprehensively reports on U.S. Virgin Islands youth in four primary domains (Family and Community, Education, Health, and Economic Well-being). An electronic copy of the Data Book will be distributed to participants. Parents, educators, nonprofit organizations, policy makers, and public administrators are likely to find the information in this year’s Data Book to be useful. Interested parties may register for the Presentation at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qc-yopj0pE9MQpJnL5GuvsXcFpF3lhjm3. There is no cost to attend and all are welcome.

The KIDS COUNT Data Book includes data for the years 2017 through 2020, collected from the most current available data sources (including Governmental as well as Nonprofit) throughout the Territory. One targeted population that the KIDS COUNT Team seeks to highlight is the often-overlooked subpopulation of our children: adolescents.

President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated: ”From the outset of this work, the Foundation has been affirmed in our belief that data is just the beginning. What our community does with the data is the real task before us. As the territory continues to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, concurrent with a protracted hurricane recovery, our KIDS COUNT USVI Team believes that, collectively, community stakeholders can seize the opportunity to address the inequities that persist in the lives of children and families.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its many local partners from the public, private and civic sectors for their collaboration and commitment to children and families in the Virgin Islands. The Foundation also thanks GlobalGiving for its generous, unwavering support of its work. Questions about the initiative should be directed to President Deanna James of St. Croix Foundation at 340.773.9898 or staff@stxfoundation.org.

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ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION

Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Croix Foundation has a track record of leading impactful community development initiatives and has received national and international recognition for its work in education reform, small business development, and community revitalization. Today, the Foundation is focused on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and providing support and capacity building for nonprofit organizations through fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

St. Croix Foundation Releases the 2021 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) is pleased to announce the release of the 2021 KIDS COUNT USVI Data Book on December 15, 2021, at 10:00 AM AST during a Virtual Community Stakeholder Presentation that is open to the public.

A national initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), KIDS COUNT has evolved into one of the largest, long-standing data repositories in the United States focused on the status of children and families. A national network of nonprofits, foundations, and consortia from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, KIDS COUNT is seen as a vital means of providing critical data about child well-being for many federal, state, and local government agencies.

During the virtual presentation on the 15th, SCF’s KIDS COUNT Team will provide an overview of the 2021 Data Book to Government Partners and Community Stakeholders. The 2021 KIDS COUNT Data Book comprehensively reports on U.S. Virgin Islands youth in four primary domains (Family and Community, Education, Health, and Economic Well-being). An electronic copy of the Data Book will be distributed to participants. Parents, educators, nonprofit organizations, policy makers, and public administrators are likely to find the information in this year’s Data Book to be useful. Interested parties may register for the Presentation at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qc-yopj0pE9MQpJnL5GuvsXcFpF3lhjm3. There is no cost to attend and all are welcome.

The KIDS COUNT Data Book includes data for the years 2017 through 2020, collected from the most current available data sources (including Governmental as well as Nonprofit) throughout the Territory. One targeted population that the KIDS COUNT Team seeks to highlight is the often-overlooked subpopulation of our children: adolescents.

President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated: ”From the outset of this work, the Foundation has been affirmed in our belief that data is just the beginning. What our community does with the data is the real task before us. As the territory continues to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, concurrent with a protracted hurricane recovery, our KIDS COUNT USVI Team believes that, collectively, community stakeholders can seize the opportunity to address the inequities that persist in the lives of children and families.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its many local partners from the public, private and civic sectors for their collaboration and commitment to children and families in the Virgin Islands. The Foundation also thanks GlobalGiving for its generous, unwavering support of its work. Questions about the initiative should be directed to President Deanna James of St. Croix Foundation at 340.773.9898 or staff@stxfoundation.org.

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ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION

Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Croix Foundation has a track record of leading impactful community development initiatives and has received national and international recognition for its work in education reform, small business development, and community revitalization. Today, the Foundation is focused on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and providing support and capacity building for nonprofit organizations through fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

St. Croix Foundation Awards $160,000 in Sustaining Impact Grants through CARE Fund

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce that $160,000 in grants were awarded to 11 member organizations of the Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium. Made possible through the Foundation’s CARE Fund and GlobalGiving, the 2021 CARE Sustaining Impact Grant serves to build operational and programmatic capacity among nonprofits as they advance COVID-19 relief efforts.

The CARE Fund, which was established in the immediate aftermath of 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, supports strategic, high-impact investments in the Virgin Islands for disaster recovery and community resilience. Now a permanent Fund of the Foundation’s, in this cycle of grantmaking the CARE Fund prioritized 1) Stabilizing nonprofits serving vulnerable populations through the Open-Door Funding; and 2) Providing direct support to frontline NPOs to build or expand programming.

This 2021 cycle of the CARE Fund was invitation only and offered to St. Croix Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium (NPC) member organizations. A coalition of 25-plus nonprofits, NPC is a progressive civic model that collaborates around four vital sectors including, 1) health and human services, 2) education and youth development, 3) environs (built and natural), and 4) arts, culture, and Crucian heritage. Applications were carefully reviewed by the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee, with the following nonprofits and charitable projects receiving awards between $10,000-$15,000:

  1. Caribbean Center for Girls and Boys of the Virgin Islands: Out-of-School Programming
  2. Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts: Art Ignites!
  3. Diane Hampton Breast Cancer Project: Art Therapy Workshops
  4. FYR is LIT: BLAZE Literacy and Teen Leadership Development
  5. Music in Motion: 39th Dance Season
  6. Croix Environmental Association: Afterschool Environmental Education
  7. Croix Landmarks Society: Junior Preservationists Program
  8. Croix Long Term Recovery Group: Resilience Hub Planning
  9. Virgin Islands Architecture Center for Built Heritage and Crafts: Strategic Development Organizational Capacity Building
  10. Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition: Organizational Capacity Building
  11. World Ocean School: Roseway Program Capacity Building

Funding for this round of grants will support programs that collaborate to leverage scarce resources and span literacy skill development, art therapy, and organizational capacity to achieve greater impact. Awards were made possible through a grant award from GlobalGiving, a global crowdfunding platform that connects donors with meaningful causes in over 165 countries and operates on a core principle that “good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, at any time.” In 2020, the GlobalGiving community raised more than $105 million for projects in 169 countries alone.

To date, St. Croix Foundation’s CARE Fund has invested over $1.9 million into the Virgin Islands’ ongoing recovery efforts through innovative and strategic grantmaking, workforce development, energy independence, and food security initiatives. President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated, “With the Virgin Islands continuing to be outside of most national philanthropies’ funding sphere, GlobalGiving’s trust-based approach to grantmaking allows the Foundation to not only keep doors open but build capacity in the civic sector for sustained impact.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to GlobalGiving and to the Virgin Islands nonprofits, national partners and foundations as well as the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee for its engagement.

For more information on how you can support the CARE Fund, or to support the Foundation’s numerous other projects/programs please contact St. Croix Foundation at 340-773-9898, staff@stxfoundation.org, or visit its website at www.stxfoundation.org.

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ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION
Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the Virgin Islands. With an incomparable track record of successful community development initiatives and national recognition for its work in education reform and small business development, the Foundation has also received international acknowledgment for its community revitalization initiatives and, today, continues directing its focus on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and of course, the broad-based support of nonprofits, including fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium.

St. Croix Foundation Opens Sprint to Excellence Education Relief Grant for Local Nonprofits

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce the opening of its Sprint to Excellence Education Relief Grant for St. Croix nonprofit organizations effective October 29. The application deadline is November 19. Made possible through funding from the U.S. Federal CARES Act through the U.S. Virgin Islands Office of the Governor, SCF will award grants of up to $100,000 to local nonprofits offering educational enrichment opportunities to youth amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

St. Croix Foundation’s 2021 Sprint to Excellence Grant is designed to provide funding support through the summer of 2022 to nonprofit organizations in the St. Croix district offering educational programs and projects including but not limited to interdisciplinary academic support, social-emotional learning, literacy, bridge programming, before and after school programs, summer programming, tutoring, and/or other interventions which support students and staff in the learning process or improve learning environments. Through the Sprint to Excellence Education Relief Grant, St. Croix Foundation will award nonprofit organizations a maximum of $100,000 each in a competitive application process.

Eligible nonprofits must be currently providing services in the St. Croix District and be a 501(c)3 organization registered with the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) or a charitable effort operating as a sponsored project of a 501(c)3 organization. Applicants must also be a registered nonprofit in the Virgin Islands for three (3) years or more with a current Letter of Good Standing from the Lieutenant Governor’s Office of the U.S. Virgin Islands; OR partner with an organization that meets the above criteria. Grant funds may be used as operational or programmatic funding to sustain or expand educational initiatives on St. Croix that seek to improve student and/or staff success through relevant and rigorous enrichment opportunities through September of 2022. Applicants must also demonstrate collaboration with other nonprofit organizations.

All applications will be carefully reviewed by St. Croix Foundation’s Grants Review Committee. The Foundation has also developed strict reporting guidelines and phased grant award disbursements to ensure the highest degree of accountability and support for successful outcomes. Awards will be announced on December 3, 2021.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “Long before the 2017 hurricanes and the current pandemic, local nonprofits have provided frontline relief, filling critical service gaps for our most underserved and vulnerable populations. Recognizing the unprecedented challenges our youth are facing today, educational programming, outside of school, offers important touchpoints in their lives, which is part of a critical support system during these challenging times. For this reason, the Foundation has taken great care to design holistic application criteria which encompass both academic and psycho-social programming.”

Since its inception, St. Croix Foundation has offered a diverse portfolio of educational grants and scholarships seeking to improve outcomes for teachers, students, and the community as a whole. The 31-year-old Organization has also spearheaded several Territory-wide educational initiatives, such as its Model Schools Initiative, which received recognition from the National School Boards Association. More recently, the Foundation’s work includes education policy research and the KIDS COUNT USVI Initiative.

Organizations that wish to apply for the 2021 Sprint to Excellence Education Relief Grant are invited to visit St. Croix Foundation’s website at https://www.stxfoundation.org/youth-education/grants-scholarships/ to review requirements and instructions for submitting proposals via the Foundation’s online portal. For more information on the 2021 Sprint to Excellence Education Relief Grant, please contact staff@stxfoundation.org.

ABOUT ST. CROIX FOUNDATION:

Established in 1990, the Foundation has served as a conduit for over 42 million dollars in funding for community-based projects throughout the Virgin Islands. With an incomparable track record of successful community development initiatives and national recognition for its work in education reform and small business development, the Foundation has also received international acknowledgment for its community revitalization initiatives and, today, continues directing its focus on energy independence, workforce development, education, youth and families, and of course, the broad-based support of nonprofits, including fiscal sponsorship, grantmaking, and the Nonprofit Consortium. www.stxfoundation.org

St. Croix Foundation Celebrates 31 Years of Mission-Driven Service & Impact in the U.S. Virgin Islands

CONTACT: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) staff@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is celebrating 31 years of service to the U.S. Virgin Islands community on September 24, 2021.

Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation (SCF) has been advancing its mission to encourage greater philanthropic activity, to marshal resources, and to act as a catalyst to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands. As a place-based community foundation established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, SCF’s founders, Philip Gerard and Michael Neuburger, intentionally positioned the organization to support broad-based community development grounded in the civic sector. As a unique model in the field of philanthropy, the Foundation’s portfolio of work and impact includes grantmaking as well as direct programming and fiscal sponsorship. In total, SCF has been the conduit of $43 million into the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For over three decades, the Foundation has served as a catalyst for systemic change, marshaling resources to focus on nonprofit capacity building as the cornerstone of its community development work. As the fiscal sponsor of up to 40 projects at any given time and a total of over 250 charitable projects since its inception, SCF encourages philanthropic activity by allowing projects that do not have formal 501(c)3 status to operate under SCF’s umbrella and apply for and raise critical funding. To date, SCF has been the conduit of over $23 million in funding for projects providing vital community services. The St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) is a current sponsored project of the Foundation and an example of the invaluable role of SCF’s Fiscal Sponsorship services. LTRG is a “cooperative body made up of representatives from faith-based, non-profit, government, business and other organizations working within St. Croix to assist individuals and families as they recover from Hurricane Maria.” As a sponsored project, the LTRG, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services, has rebuilt 71 homes housing 141 people, and provided lifesaving case management services for affected residents.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “As with isolated, under-served and under-resourced communities of color around the globe, in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, capacity for organizations to leverage the full power of grantmaking was severely limited. Our Founders understood that the Virgin Islands needed an organization focused solely on strengthening civil society and, today, SCF’s results are evidence of their unconventional approach.”

St. Croix Foundation’s total portfolio also includes over $1 million in grantmaking and scholarships, which provides immediate relief and operational and programmatic support to organizations and individuals – funding that intersects with the Foundation’s own direct programming and its fiscal sponsored projects.

The Foundation’s direct services catalyze change, providing model programs that introduce equitable, new systems to the Territory. Today, serving as a holistic grassroots model for philanthropy in under-resourced communities of color like the Virgin Islands, the Foundation is focusing on a legacy project to completely renovate the Alexander Theater in Sunday Market Square. As a longstanding vision of SCF’s Founders and Board Members, the theater’s renovation is testimony to the Foundation’s collaborative and strategic approach of leveraging and intersecting projects for multiple benefits.

James stated that “SCF is busier than ever, leading some of its most comprehensive initiatives, from our Nonprofit Consortium and the restoration of the Old Alexander Theater to Kids Count USVI data collection. We are oftentimes, quietly, but always intentionally and collaboratively, building new, equitable systems around food security, energy justice, workforce development, nonprofit capacity building – and data collection. With each passing year, as the work of the Foundation expands and deepens, we could not be more grateful for our Founders, our current Board of Directors, our Staff, volunteers, Sponsors, national funders, and thought partners, and of course, our local nonprofits. Together, we are amplifying a truly progressive, high-impact approach to community development.”

The Foundation invites anyone interested in learning more and supporting its current projects to contact SCF’s President, Deanna James, at djames@stxfoundation.org or visit the Foundation’s website at www.stxfoundation.org.