The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has launched an invitation-only grant cycle for St. Croix nonprofit organizations from Aug. 30 to Sept. 30. Made possible through an award from GlobalGiving’s Maria and Irma Relief Fund, the St. Croix Foundation will award ‘sustaining impact grants’ of up to $15,000 through its CARE Fund to members of the Nonprofit Consortium, a 30-member coalition of nonprofits that is on the frontlines, serving low-income populations and groups disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Launched in the immediate aftermath of 2017 Category 5 Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the CARE Fund is designed to provide direct support to front-line relief efforts and holistic long-term recovery strategies. Since then, through CARE, the St. Croix Foundation has raised and awarded over $1.8 million to support strategic, high impact investments in the Virgin Islands for hurricane preparedness, resilience and recovery – and now relief efforts — in response to COVID-19.
Organizations eligible to apply include those active in the foundation’s nonprofit consortium, which was established in 2016 as a collective of grassroots and 501(c)3 organizations serving the community in the areas of health care, youth and education, environmental preservation, and arts and culture.
Through the Nonprofit Consortium, great impact is already being felt in systemically stressed sectors of civil society through the convening of nonprofit organizations to discuss sustainability, impact and capacity building. It is fostering meaningful support and compiling critical data respective to how to strengthen and sustain local civic organizations.
To sustain this work, Nonprofit consortium members are invited to submit a proposal beginning Aug. 30. Applications are due by Sept. 30, and awards will be announced on Oct. 15.
Due to the risks surrounding COVID-19 and the annual threat of hurricanes, in June of 2020 St. Croix Foundation relaunched its CARE Fund as a permanent fund to support immediate and long-term needs relating to
- Operating Support for Essential Nonprofits
- Programmatic Support for Frontline Responders
- Data Collection for Strategic Recovery, and
- Support for Community Resiliency and Systems Innovations.
In this phase of grantmaking, the foundation will be awarding grants to support priorities No. 1 and No. 2 to ensure local nonprofits remain operationally strong enough to deliver services to residents in need.
St. Croix Foundation extends its deepest appreciation to GlobalGiving, its partner and global funder, for its immediate and continued support throughout the process of recovery and resilience building, and to the cadre of local nonprofits that provide critical services to the community.
For more information on the CARE Fund’s 2021 Sustaining Impact Grant, contact