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.

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

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – In recognition of National Philanthropy Day, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is pleased to announce $65,000 in grants were awarded to 13 member organizations of the Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium. Made possible through the Foundation’s CARE Fund and the newly formed Momentum Fund of the United Philanthropy Forum, the grants serve to build capacity among nonprofits as they advance COVID-19 relief efforts.

Mini-grants totaling $65,000 were awarded to St. Croix nonprofits through St. Croix Foundation’s CARE Fund, which was established in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, to support strategic, high-impact investments in the Virgin Islands for disaster recovery and community resilience. Now a permanent Fund of the Foundation’s, the CARE Fund, in this cycle of grantmaking, is prioritizing 1) Stabilizing nonprofits serving vulnerable populations through the Open Door Funding; 2) Providing direct support for frontline NPOs to build or expand programming. The following organizations were awarded mini-grants of $5000:

1. Caribbean Center for Girls and Boys of the Virgin Islands
2. Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts
3. C.H.A.N.T. (Crucian Heritage and Nature Tourism)
4. Clean Sweep Frederiksted
5. Liberty Place
6. FYR is LIT
7. St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group
8. Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands
9. Music in Motion
10. World Ocean School
11. St. Croix Environmental Association
12. St. Croix Montessori School
13. Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition

This cycle of the CARE Fund was invitation only and offered to St. Croix Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium member organizations- a coalition of 25 nonprofits that is working collaboratively around four vital sectors including, 1) health and human services, 2) education, 3) environment (built and natural)and, 4)arts, culture, and heritage.

Funding for this round of Grants was made possible by a $65,000 grant award from the United Philanthropy Forum’s Momentum Fund, which is advancing “a model of philanthropy that unapologetically centers racial equity and explicitly prioritizes the needs of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities as part of our national recovery from the COVID-19.” President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, Deanna James, stated, “Every November, St. Croix Foundation celebrates National Philanthropy Day, a day to pause and say thank you to the countless donors, social impact organizations, and civic and corporate partners who believe, as we do, in the nobility of Philanthropy (defined as ‘the love of humankind’). St. Croix Foundation could think of no better way to recognize National Philanthropy Day than to support local nonprofits who are in turn supporting Our Community.”

To date, the CARE Fund has invested over $1.8 million into the Virgin Islands community’s ongoing recovery efforts through innovative and strategic grantmaking, workforce development, and food security initiatives.

St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to the United Philanthropy Forum and to the Virgin Islands nonprofits, national partners and foundations, businesses, individuals, churches, associations, grassroots movements, and everyone in between for their incredible gifts of time, talent, and treasure, as well as the Foundation’s Grants Review Committee for its engagement.

For more information on how you can support this special 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. For information on the Momentum Fund, visit www.momentumfund.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.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 29, 2020

The recently launched Momentum Fund is exemplifying a model of philanthropy that unapologetically centers racial equity and explicitly prioritizes the needs of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities as part of our national recovery from the COVID-19

Washington, D.C. – St. Croix Foundation for Community Development announced today that it has been awarded a $65,000 grant from the newly-formed Momentum Fund to advance its COVID-19 relief work. The grant will support nonprofit organizations serving communities of color, low-income populations, and other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. As one of 129 grants totaling $8.5 million that was awarded by the Momentum Fund to 501(c)(3) organizations around the country, St. Croix Foundation’s grant will be regranted, providing direct support to St. Croix-based nonprofits.

Launched in May 2020 with a vision of ushering in a new model of philanthropic giving, The Momentum Fund unapologetically centers racial equity and explicitly prioritizes the needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. The National Fund is managed by United Philanthropy Forum.

Through the Momentum Fund’s award, St. Croix Foundation will open an invitation-only grant cycle through its CARE Fund to award up to $5000 in capacity-building grants to local nonprofits serving populations who have been impacted by Covid-19. Organizations eligible to apply include those active in the Foundation’s Nonprofit Consortium, a 25-member coalition of local nonprofits serving the community in the areas of health care, youth and education, and environmental preservation (built and natural), and arts and culture. NPC members will be invited to submit a proposal beginning November 2, 2020. Applications are due by November 9, 2020 and awards will be announced on November 16, 2020.

Due to the risks surrounding Covid-19 and the annual threat of hurricanes, in June St. Croix Foundation relaunched its CARE Fund as a permanent fund to support immediate and long term needs relating to mitigating risk from crises while nurturing community resilience.  The CARE Fund’s priority areas include: (1) Open Door Operating Support for Essential Nonprofits, (2) Programmatic Support for Frontline Responders, (3) Data Collection for Strategic Recovery, and (4) Support for Community Resiliency and Systems Innovations. In this phase of grantmaking, the Foundation will be focusing on grants to support priorities #1 and #2 to ensure local nonprofits remain operationally strong enough to deliver services to residents in need.

Deanna James, President and CEO of St. Croix Foundation, stated, “Today, despite the dire circumstances facing our Territory, indeed the world, Philanthropy is being afforded an unparalleled opportunity to build innovative global models for isolated, rural communities. Our priority at the Foundation is to fortify and inoculate vulnerable populations by ensuring that those social impact organizations serving on the front lines are sturdy and resilient.” To date, the CARE Fund, established in 2017 immediately following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, has invested $1.8 million into the Territory, providing direct support to front-line relief efforts as well as holistic, long-term recovery strategies.

“We are witnessing a historic and unprecedented level of suffering and need that must be addressed before this nation falls even further into a state of absolute humanitarian crisis,” said Amanda Misiko Andere, CEO of Funders Together to End Homelessness and Chair of the Momentum Fund Advisory Board. “It is essential that the philanthropic sector continues to dedicate itself to this work, which includes addressing the devastating and deadly human health, economic, and social impacts that are befalling millions of people of color and vulnerable families across the nation every day.”

To view a complete list of Momentum Fund grantees, visit www.momentumfund.org. For more information on the CARE Funds 2020 Open Door Grant opportunity, 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.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

St. Croix, U.S.V.I. — St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is celebrating 30 years of service to the U.S. Virgin Islands community on September 24, 2020.

Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation has been advancing a unique, grassroots, and holistic model for philanthropy in under-resourced communities of color like the Virgin Islands. Established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, today the Foundation continues its work in community development as a pathway to economic prosperity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “As the story goes, during the ideation process of conceiving the Foundation, our founders, Philip Gerard and Michael Neuburger, sat in the middle of Sunday Market Square debating the name of the Organization. Would it be St. Croix Community Development Foundation or St. Croix Foundation FOR Community Development? The latter won out as they determined that the mere word “FOR” demonstrated intention around our mission and our purpose.”

Although unendowed as most conventional foundations are, to date, St. Croix Foundation has served as the conduit of over $42 million private and public sector dollars invested into the Territory. Since its inception, the organization’s impact has netted national recognition in almost every priority area – from economic development and community revitalization to public health, education reform, and nonprofit development.

The overarching impact of St. Croix Foundation’s investments are reflected in some highly visible and noteworthy initiatives spearheaded throughout the Territory over the past three decades, including:

1. Providing more than 1.2 million dollars in small business loans for the creation and expansion of over 60 small businesses
2. Securing grant funding for the first Territory-wide security camera system some of which they maintained for over 7 years
3. Repainting, resurfacing, and clearing brush from over 200 properties in Historic Downtown Centers Territory-wide through its Scrape, Paint, Rejuvenate Grant Program which the organization conceived and led for almost 10 years
4. Being recognized by the US Small Business Administration for managing the nation’s top Women’s Business Center, which served to transition women into the workplace
5. Spearheading the renovation of Sunday Market Square properties and Roadway
6. Leading one of the most comprehensive educational initiatives in the Territory through which over 1 million dollars was invested into the Territory’s public education system. Through their Model Schools Initiative, the Foundation also drafted educational resources and white papers that continue to serve as references for policymakers and education stakeholders
7. Launching one of the Territory’s first Small Business Incubators
8. Raising, investing, and awarding 1.8 million dollars for civic-based recovery and resiliency efforts, including its Solar Workforce Development, Agro-Business, and Nonprofit Capacity Building Initiatives following Hurricanes Irma and Maria
9. Being selected as the Territory’s new Kids Count Grantee by Annie E. Casey Foundation in early 2020

James also stated that, “St. Croix Foundation is proof positive that it’s not about money; it’s about will, innovation and collaboration, and for St. Croix Foundation, the results evidenced by the fact that we have done more in 30 years than many community foundations 10 times our size.”

Today, the Foundation remains grounded in the philosophy of its founders, who believed that functioning as a grassroots community-centric philanthropic entity was the single most effective format for a community with such significant needs and socio-economic disparities as well as scarce donor resources. Founders were also unwavering in their intention for the Organization to serve as a conduit rather than a container of philanthropic resources.

In honor of 30 years of leadership and service, the Foundation would like to extend its deepest appreciation to its longstanding sustainers, donors, sponsors, partners, and vendors; every volunteer, former board member, and staffer who has helped to lead the organization to this milestone.

The Foundation invites anyone interested in learning more and supporting its current projects to contact Deanna James at djames@stxfoundation.org.

CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands— As the Virgin Islands community marks the third anniversary of Hurricanes Irma and Maria this September 19, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development wishes to update the Community on the status of projects it has led since Maria devastated the Territory 3 years ago. While our islands continue to recover from the incredible destruction wrought by the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria amid the unimaginable impacts of Covid-19, the Foundation hopes its program updates will inspire the Community to continue to seek and leverage the inherent assets and innovative work that is being done throughout our Territory.

According to Deanna James, St. Croix Foundation’s President, “over the last three years, the Foundation has served as a catalyst, convener, and coordinator in the recovery process, helping to promote impactful collaborations across the nonprofit, private, and public sectors. Since the hurricanes, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to supporting an innovative and progressive recovery, uplifting the nonprofit sector, and reminding our Community of its innate resilience which will help us weather any future crises.” Five projects in particular which are currently being spearheaded by St. Croix Foundation are facilitating a holistic recovery.

1. Creation and Completion of Pilot Solar-Supported Community Center Project and Workforce Development Initiative

Funded in partnership with the VI Department of Labor, the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, GlobalGiving, and several other national philanthropic entities, the Foundation designed and implemented a creative workforce development pilot program that will solarize vital community centers. Nine students ages 18-28 completed a 6-month National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) course, received intense classroom instruction in NCCER Core Curriculum, Electrical Levels 1-4, Solar PV Installation, and workplace soft-skills and readiness training. Students then received on-the-job training installing Solar Photovoltaic Systems by completing the installation of a solar system on the Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls of the VI facility in Frederiksted. The Foundation will next solarize Flamboyant Gardens and Mon Bijou Community Center. As an example of the Foundation’s approach to grantmaking, these centers will serve as community resiliency hubs and relief distribution sites during times of disaster. All nine students have been hired by local solar installation companies because of their participation in the program, providing a high impact community model at the intersection of resiliency, energy independence, and workforce development. To date, the Foundation has invested over $279,673 in this initiative.

2. Bringing AmeriCorps VISTA to St. Croix’s Nonprofit Sector to Aid Capacity Building and Community Resiliency

In 2019, St. Croix Foundation was awarded a $340,157 grant by the Corporation of National and Community Service to assign 15 AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers to support eight St. Croix nonprofits with community engagement, fundraising, and other forms of capacity building. This is the first AmeriCorps VISTA team active in the Territory in over 20 years. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, St. Croix Foundation surveyed on the status of nonprofits and found that 70% reported an increase in demand for their services while 64% were operating on a limited basis or not at all due to loss of funding, facility damages, and staff relocation. In response, St. Croix Foundation identified the AmeriCorps VISTA project as a strategy to boost the sector’s ability to respond to the community’s needs. VISTA volunteers will support St. Croix Landmarks Society, Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition, St. Croix Montessori, Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls of the VI, St. Croix Long Term Recovery Group, Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office, and St. Croix Foundation.  St. Croix Foundation’s VISTA Project will directly benefit youth development, historic preservation, food security, green spaces, and relief and recovery services. Currently, six VISTA volunteers have been onboarded at five of these nonprofit organizations and the Foundation has recently received notification that it has been awarded its second year of funding.

3. Bridging Disaster Preparedness, the Arts, and Economic Development with the Alexander Theater Disaster Safe Room Retrofit

Located in Sunday Market Square, the Alexander Theater was one of the Territory’s first indoor movie houses. It served as a center of economic activity in Christiansted town from the mid-1950s and operated until 1989 when it sustained catastrophic damage from Hurricane Hugo. After temporary repairs, the 12,000 square foot historic landmark became uninhabitable after damages suffered during Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. It was acquired by the Foundation in 1998 and has been a core component of the Foundation’s longstanding vision for the revitalization of the Sunday Market Square ever since. In May of 2019, the Foundation was approved for a Phase 1 FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant, which will enable the Foundation to renovate and retrofit the Alexander Theater. During blue skies, the Alexander Theater will serve as a performing arts center and convening space, helping to, once again, transform the Square back into an epicenter of culture, arts, and economic development. The Theater will also function as the only disaster safe room and shelter in historic Christiansted town for residents and tourists visiting nearby hotels at the time of a disaster. The Theater and adjacent buildings will be built to FEMA disaster safe room standards and will be used during times of crisis for years to come. This facility will have the capacity to safely house 300 or more people and will serve as a disaster supply distribution site when our community needs the Foundation and our recovery partners the most. Phase 1 of the project, including architectural design and planning, is currently underway and groundbreaking on Phase 2 construction is projected for 2021.

4. Helping Local Farmers Expand their Businesses through the Farm Tienda Initiative

When St. Croix’s farmers were devasted by the 2017 hurricanes, it wasn’t a quick recovery. Crops were lost, and an entire growing season was delayed or abandoned due to damages to and losses of fields, irrigation, equipment, and supplies. Believing that local farmers are key stakeholders in our community’s resiliency and well-being, St. Croix Foundation launched the Farm Tienda Initiative as a strategic grantmaking and small-business development program in partnership with Coca-Cola Company, Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition, and the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture.

Farm Tiendas are durable and moveable farm stands made from steel containers that will be outfitted with solar panels, Wi-Fi, and potable water to allow farmers to expand their businesses while also providing community resiliency hubs in the aftermath of future disasters. To date, this innovative project has provided Farm Tiendas to seven local farmers on St. Croix to stabilize and strengthen their agriculture-based businesses. In testimony to the value of this project to farmers during blue skies, GLG Farm recently expressed they were, “extremely grateful that there are people working to support farmers in our community!”  And, Dale Brown of Sejah Farm, whose operation was severely damaged, stated that, “Thanks to St. Croix Foundation, my business has regained critical infrastructure that will allow us to stabilize and expand. We simply couldn’t have done it without you, and we pledge to be the resilient community hub our island needs and to pour passion into food security for all.”

5. Philanthropy and Grantmaking

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, St. Croix Foundation also launched the CARE Fund to provide direct support to front-line relief efforts and holistic, long-term recovery strategies. Since then, the Foundation has raised and reinvested over $1.8 million to support strategic, high impact initiatives in the Virgin Islands for hurricane preparedness, resilience, and recovery, to local nonprofits and a number of charitable projects under St. Croix Foundation’s fiscal sponsorship umbrella. One of those projects, St. Croix LTRG, is providing essential coordination and recovery assistance for individuals and families in our community with nowhere else left to turn for help.  As of July, this grassroots organization has rebuilt over 73 homes and provided vital case management services for over 100 residents. The Foundation also stewarded an additional $275,000 in philanthropic resources from national funders that went directly to local recovery projects and nonprofit organizations.

Concurrently, the Foundation has made critical investments to grow the capacity of the nonprofit sector to meet the increased cultural and social services needs of our community as champions and facilitators of the Nonprofit Consortium, an impact-focused collaborative made up of 29 local nonprofit organizations. Today, the CARE Fund is a permanent Fund of the Foundation’s that is providing support for a targeted response to COVID-19 and will serve to support the Virgin Islands community through future disasters and crises.

According to Deanna James, “With COVID-19 upon us during a very active hurricane season, we know that now more than ever, the way forward for the USVI must be shaped by the unique assets and strengths of our community coupled with an unwavering commitment to equity. In the years to come, our community can count on the St. Croix Foundation to continue to do what we do best: leverage resources and cultivate deeply rooted local and national partnerships in order to catalyze holistic community development.”

For more information on the Foundation’s CARE Fund and disaster recovery work, visit www.stxfoundation.org or call 340.773.9898.

By: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) DJAMES@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2020

St. Croix, USVI- On August 5th, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development joined approximately 450 philanthropic organizations in an unprecedented letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Census Bureau calling for a retraction of cutting the census short.  A full press release facilitated by Gary Bass of the Bauman Foundation is as follows:

WASHINGTON — Around 450 philanthropic organizations, alarmed by the announcement that the U.S. Department of Commerce intends to “drastically cut short” 2020 census operations amid a surging coronavirus pandemic, urged the U.S. Census Bureau not to rush the significant enumeration and data processing that remain unfinished.

“Rushing the census…would hurt a diverse range of rural and urban communities, leaving them underrepresented locally and in Congress and cutting their fair share of federal funding for Medicaid, economic development, child-care, schools, road and public transit improvements, home heating assistance for senior citizens, and many more vital services,” read a letter the philanthropies made public today.

The letter reflects an unprecedented consensus among national, state and local grantmakers and philanthropic institutions that have given a total of more than $100 million to help ensure an accurate census.

The Administration is planning to end door-to-door census enumeration and self-response operations Sept. 30, a full month earlier than it announced when it modified the 2020 census timeline as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States. The philanthropic leaders that signed the letter share the belief that the additional month is needed to complete the count; nearly four in ten households were still yet to be counted as August began.

“The bottom line is that shortening the census in the face of national public health and economic crises will result in inaccurate data, distorting the true picture of America for the next decade,” said Gary D. Bass, executive director of the Bauman Foundation and chair of a national philanthropic collaborative to promote a fair and accurate census. “An inaccurate census is not an inevitable outcome. This letter is a nonpartisan plea to the Administration to fulfill its constitutional requirement to count every person in America.”

“State and local funders have supported the 2020 census with a focus on historically undercounted communities, including people of color, low-income and immigrant families, and young children,” said Jocelyn Bissonnette, director of the Funders Census Initiative, which supports funders in their get out the count efforts. “Philanthropy has raised its voice at this critical moment because communities deserve to be fairly and accurately counted, resourced, and represented.” The full text of the letter and list of signatories can be found at https://funderscommittee.org/resource/letter-funder-letter-to-commerce-secretary/.

About St. Croix Foundation
Since 1990, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been advancing holistic community development as a pathway to economic prosperity, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Established in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, today the Foundation is one of the premier place-based philanthropic leaders in the Virgin Islands. Having served as the conduit of over $42 million private and public sector dollars invested into the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Foundation’s impact has netted national recognition in almost every priority area – from economic development and community revitalization to public health, education reform, and nonprofit development. St. Croix Foundation’s mission is to encourage greater philanthropic activity, to marshal resources, and to act as a catalyst to benefit the people of the Virgin Islands.

By: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) DJAMES@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JuLY 15, 2020

ST. CROIX, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) released its 31^st edition of the Kids Count National Data Book on Monday, June 22, 2020, that highlights indicators of child wellbeing in 16 areas. Supported by a national network of non-profits, foundations, and consortia, Kids Count includes members from all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) was invited in January 2020 to lead the Kids Count initiative for the U.S. Virgin Islands. Launched in 1990, the National Kids Count Data Book is widely used as a means of sharing critical data about the welfare of children at the federal, state, and local levels and is aimed at increasing public advocacy and informing policy and decision-making in states, the district, and the territories.

Kids Count Network partners collect local data related to child wellbeing and are tasked with disseminating their findings publicly through a local Data Book and other communication formats that promote local engagement and action. Geared toward the needs of local Virgin Island communities, St. Croix Foundation is designing tools and strategies to tell the story about how children in the Virgin Islands are faring in multiple and compelling ways.  Central to its approach will be identifying ‘hot spots’ as well ‘bright spots’ among quantitative data indicators, while also presenting the findings from a systems perspective. SCF’s plans for Kids Count are grounded in two central premises: one, that data is information that can tell a powerful story, and that story can be told in multiple formats and; two, while data is necessary, it is also insufficient without a focused emphasis on advocacy and engagement that shifts public policy and leads to collective action that improves outcomes for children. “We are all connected,” stated Lilli Cox, Senior Program Officer at St. Croix Foundation. “Our vision is to create a local Kids Count Network in which every member of our community – every organization and agency – sees themselves in the data and is empowered to activate levers within the system to improve the lives of our children, youth, and families.”

One of the striking indicators presented in the 2020 National Data Book focuses on American children living in poverty. In a decades-long trend, Black and Native American children in the nation represented the highest populations of children living in poverty, hovering at 32% and 31%, respectively, in 2020. The national average is 18% (Annie E. Casey Foundation).  In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the rate of child poverty correlates to national statistics. According to the 2019 VI Kids Count Data Book, child poverty rates in 2013 and 2014 were 35% and 37%, respectively. The rate decreased to 30% in 2015; however, in that same year, the national rate of child poverty was 21% (Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands).

St. Croix Foundation is developing a progressive platform for the Territory’s Kids Count initiative, connecting with major governmental agencies that produce territorial data related to child and family wellbeing. Having joined the Kids Count National Network this past January, SCF’s goal is to produce a Territorial Snapshot in the fall of 2020, with the expectation that the 2020 Census, along with local governmental data, will provide current data for a deeper assessment and trend analyses of our children’s welfare in 2021 and beyond.

SCF will also rely on the participation of its Non-Profit Consortium (NPC) on St. Croix to help build and support community engagement and advocacy for Kids Count. Founded one year prior to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the NPC’s thirty-plus non-profit members network and collaborate around shared work in four sectors – Youth & Education, Health & Human Services, Arts & Culture, and the Built & Natural Environs. The strength of these non-profits’ collective capacity and ability to work together was tested Post-Maria, as they served as first responders, meeting the needs of families and communities impacted by the storms. The SCF Kids Count team is also reaching out to local non-profit leaders on St. Thomas and St. John to enlist their support for a collaborative effort that will increase stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and policy action.

According to SCF’s President Deanna James, “St. Croix Foundation has spent almost 30 years building a holistic portfolio of high impact programming and investments, and we are honored to have been selected by AECF to lead this important work. Today, we are grounding our Kids Count strategy in an unwavering commitment to addressing the needs of the whole child. We ultimately believe that by honing in on targeted pressure points, our Territory can activate the data in the Kids Count Data Book and, in turn, reduce vulnerabilities, build reinforced safety nets, and improve overall outcomes for all children.”

About St. Croix Foundation
St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is a place-based operating foundation in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Founded 30 years ago in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, SCF has been dedicated to the issues of equity and holistic, community-rooted development, and has directed laser focus and resources on highly strategic grantmaking, direct services, and community building.  For more information on Kids Count, visit St. Croix Foundation website: www.stxfoundation.org

About Annie E. Casey Foundation
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) was established in 1948 and is devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children at risk of poor educational, economic, social, and health outcomes. AECF focuses on strengthening families, building stronger communities, and ensuring access to opportunity through grants that help federal agencies, states, counties, cities, and neighborhoods create more innovative, cost-effective responses to the issues that negatively affect children. www.aecf.org

Deanna James, President of St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, reflects on the dynamics and power of philanthropy within the context of race and equity in the U.S. Virgin Islands. GlobalGiving, a partner of the Foundation, has published the full-text letter and can be viewed here.

By: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) STAFF@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 29, 2020

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Croix Foundation is pleased to announce $16,000 in scholarships were awarded to six St. Croix graduates on Monday, June 29th at a virtual presentation headquartered at St. Croix Foundation (SCF) in Sunday Market Square. Scholarships were made possible through the third annual cycle for the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund and SCF’s Foundation Scholars Fund.

Four scholarships totaling $14,000 were awarded though the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund, which was established by Mr. Junior Gaspard in 2018 to provide opportunities to youth who have persevered despite seemingly overwhelming challenges. Whether they are forced to push through Category Five Hurricanes, global pandemics, or the myriad socioeconomic obstacles young people face, the Williams Opportunity Fund supports students who see education as a means to achieving personal and professional success. Awards were presented to the following students:

• Djamel Boucenna, Arizona State University, Major: Biomedical Engineering
• Jayme Colbert-Williams, Florida A & M University, Major: Biochemistry
• Jhylie Roebuck, University of the Virgin Islands, Major: Undecided
• La’Monique Berrios, Morgan State University, Major: Engineering

An additional scholarship was awarded to Quincy King (Civil Engineering) and Shadéjah Charles (Biology/ Medicine) through the Foundation Scholars Fund (in conjunction with Pro Communications) for attendance at Howard University and Nova Southeastern University respectfully.

To date, the Patrick and Amelia Williams Opportunity Fund has provided a total of $35,000 in scholarships to eight students who have had to overcome obstacles to continue their education, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and now COVID-19. Applicants were required to meet specific criteria that include being a graduate from St. Croix, maintaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher, demonstrating financial need, and most importantly, submitting personal essays that spoke to the reality of their challenges and their journey to pursue their dreams. All recipients are required to submit reports to the Foundation.

A native of St. Croix and a graduate of Central High School and John H. Woodson Junior High School, Gaspard and the rest of the family wished to honor his grandparents in a meaningful way in the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2017. It was deemed that launching a named scholarship fund would allow for a longer-lasting impact on the lives of students in the community and allow the lessons learned from his grandparents about resilience and perseverance to be passed on to the next generation of leaders. Junior Gaspard, who presents awards annually, stated that “Hurricanes, COVID-19, economic uncertainty and life circumstances – all of these continue to present challenges to our recipients, but their character, perseverance, and grit have helped them overcome those challenges. We are excited to see what the next chapter holds for each of these extraordinary students. We are also proud to be able to support these students in this time, just as our grandparents would have wanted.”

Scholarship recipient Djamel Boucenna expressed his appreciation, stating that, “A river lies between my dreams and reality. At first, I thought I would have to swim across, filling my pockets with the student loans and debt that attempt to hinder me from realizing my goals; however, with the Patrick and Amelia Williams Scholarship awarded to me by the St. Croix Foundation, the river seems to be drying up and crossing has become much more possible. I am truly grateful for this opportunity and thank you so much for supporting me in my dreams.”

According to St. Croix Foundation’s Senior Program Officer, Lilli Cox, “As the territory continues to recover from the 2017 hurricanes and another hurricane season begins, this time against the backdrop of a pandemic, these scholarships represent a pathway for our youth to access systems that lead to real opportunity. The original purpose of these funds becomes more relevant and more critical with every passing year.”

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. Additionally, St. Croix Foundation would like to thank the ProTouch Cares 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 and contribute.

By: DEANNA JAMES, PRESIDENT
(TEL) 340.773.9898, (EMAIL) djames@STXFOUNDATION.ORG

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2020

St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands- On June 11, 2020, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development joined the Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) and 60 other Black Foundation Executives in a Statement requesting action by philanthropy on anti-Black racism, including imperatives for the philanthropic sector.

The statement reads in part: “While COVID-19 is novel as a virus, the pestilence of anti-Black racism that dictates its disproportionate impact on Black communities is centuries old… For several weeks ABFE worked with over 60 Black Philanthropic CEOs in the US, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, to craft a set of imperatives for ensuring the well-being of Black communities to guide the philanthropic community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. As we set to release our statement, the country erupted in righteous rage at the brutal murder of George Floyd and the demand to defend Black lives from state-sanctioned violence. As the Black community struggles to manage these overlapping pandemics, we challenge philanthropy to be bold and be inspired by the courage of the protestors who are risking their well-being for the sake of defending Black lives.”

Imperatives for the philanthropic sector, outlined in the ABFE’s Statement are as follows:

1. BUILD AGENCY. Increase public and private investments in Black-led organizations.
2. PUSH STRUCTURAL CHANGE. Consider policy and system reform needed to improve conditions in Black communities.
3. ENCOURAGE SHARED RESPONSIBILITY. Through the targeted investment of all philanthropies as well as public dollars to transform conditions in Black communities.
4. USE ENDOWMENTS. Prioritize spending on the most vulnerable communities. In addition, now is the time to utilize the full set of resources of philanthropy by increasing asset payout and employing various investment strategies to provide much-needed capital to Black communities.
5. CENTER BLACK EXPERIENCE. Black leaders and communities must be engaged in the development of short and long-term philanthropic and public policy solutions to ensure that well-intentioned “helping” efforts do not exacerbate existing disparities.
6. TRUSTEE ACCOUNTABILITY. Foundation boards should take stock of the level of grantmaking to Black communities and engage in racial equity assessments of their investments.
7. ENGAGE BLACK BUSINESSES. Foundations and the public sector should actively engage Black businesses in investment management, banking, and other professional services to address the pandemic’s negative impact on Black earnings and wealth.
8. LIFT UP GENDER. The health and economic well-being of both Black people are under threat due to COVID-19. Response efforts must… ensure that all people of African descent are connected to economic opportunities, healthy and are safe.
9. REACH TO THE DIASPORA. Black communities in the U.S. territories have been left out of many relief efforts. During crises, we must remain vigilant of how anti-Black racism impacts people of African descent around the world.
10. ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN PRISONS. S. prisons are disproportionately filled with Black and Brown people. Current efforts must support the safety of those currently imprisoned, and advance sustained investments in alternatives that reduce reliance on incarceration over the long-term.

The Full Report can be found at https://abfe.egnyte.com/dl/NhwadCaj6s/

Standing in the heart of the Diaspora, St. Croix Foundation has committed to continue doing its part to push for equity and to support the advancement of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Foundation also shares ABFE’s long-term goal of challenging the field of Philanthropy to make intentional, sustained, and radical investments in Black Communities.

According to St. Croix Foundation President, Deanna James, “ABFE’s CEO, Susan Taylor-Batten, her Board, and her Team have become real champions and advocates for the Territory over the past three years. Lifting up the importance of the U.S. Caribbean and tying the stories and conditions of Black Communities across the Diaspora together seamlessly, ABFE has served as a steady force in the field of Philanthropy and the advancement of Black lives.”

“Fortunately, none of these efforts are new to St. Croix Foundation,” James continued.  “Even without the support of National Philanthropy, which has a legacy of disinvestment in and neglect of the U.S. Caribbean and poor Black communities all across the nation, St. Croix Foundation has focused our own investments on most of the priorities laid out by ABFE from our inception.

Long before the 2017 hurricanes and COVID-19, St. Croix Foundation has been investing in our community in holistic and strategic ways for almost 30 years: 1) by supporting local nonprofits, as the Territory’s preeminent Fiscal Sponsor and nonprofit convener; 2) through 15 years of targeted educational programming, policy research, and system analysis; 3) by foregoing endowment building, instead serving as a conduit (rather than a container) of philanthropic funds; 4) by building regional alliances through participation in civic consortia like the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance; and 5) by ensuring that our Board and our staff are both diverse and reflective of our Community.

St. Croix Foundation is deeply honored to be a signatory, endorsing this historic philanthropic call to action. According to James, “The ultimate goal of this work and crucial partnerships like this is to advance St. Croix Foundation’s core mission, which is to encourage greater philanthropic activity in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Foundation is hopeful that this movement will right the wrongs of National Philanthropy’s disproportional investment in Black Communities and historical disenfranchisement of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This pattern of neglect has ultimately had a significant impact on the operational stability and capacity of local nonprofits who are serving a community with deeply entrenched and growing needs. As a signatory of this unprecedented national philanthropic appeal at an unprecedented time in American History, St. Croix Foundation is adjoining its core mission with a broader strategy of advocating for racial equity.”

St. Croix Foundation extends its sincere gratitude to ABFE for their leadership, mentorship, and stewardship of this critically important work. The Foundation is also grateful and honored to stand beside the courageous Foundation Executives who are standing with them in making this call! For more information on how to support the Foundation’s community rebuilding and Nonprofit Development efforts, please email the Foundation at staff@stxfoundation.org, or visit their website at www.stxfoundation.org.

About St. Croix Foundation
St. Croix Foundation for Community Development is a place-based operating foundation in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Founded 30 years ago in the wake of Hurricane Hugo, SCF has been dedicated to the issue of equity and holistic, community-rooted development, and has directed laser focus and resources on highly strategic grant-making, direct services, and community building.  In the summer of 2016, in demonstration of the Foundation’s commitment to a more holistic approach to community development, SCF launched its Nonprofit Consortium. A dynamic collaboration comprising staff and board members of over 40 local nonprofits, the Consortium of civic partners is committed to working together to strengthen operations, build its collective capacity and amass peoplepower and advocacy around four distinct sectors:  Arts & Culture, Health & Human Services, Youth &Education, and Built and Natural Environs.

About the Association of Black Foundation Executives
Established in 1971, ABFE is a membership-based philanthropic organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities. The all-volunteer organization was credited with many of philanthropy’s early gains in diversity. More information on ABFE can be found at www.abfe.org.