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