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 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 15^th, 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.