Nonprofit Consortium of St. Croix (USVI)

Three months after two category five hurricanes hit the Virgin Islands, the demand for services has expanded and our nonprofits have fewer resources than ever before. Today, through the Nonprofit Consortium and with your support, St. Croix Foundation is actively convening organizations and connecting them to critical resources.

The Consortium's first action item was to survey over 30 nonprofit organizations to assess damages and needs, providing information that identifies where and how support can help organizations for the greatest impact. Armed with data, the Foundation's Nonprofit Consortium has accomplished the following to date:

1. Established a partnership with the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), allowing us to make strategic project referrals that led to a number of nonprofit organizations receiving assistance as part of DEMA’s mission. Overall, DEMA completed 24 projects on St. Croix, such as the following notable nonprofit emergency repair projects (to name just a few):
   • Installing blue tarpaulin roofs at the Boys and Girls Club of The Virgin Islands Christiansted Clubhouse and at the Whim Greathouse and Museum;
   • Repairing the roof at the Women's Coalition of St. Croix's shelter among other restoration efforts;
   • Conducting major flood mitigation and electrical repairs to the Queen Louise Home for Children of Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands.
2. Served as the steward of a $25,000 donation of tools and supplies from the Danish Emergency Management Agency for voluntary organizations to use in support of  rebuilding missions; secured funding for storage and security of the tools and supplies through ReV!ve, a grassroots, charitable disaster relief movement.
3. Approved the Long Term Recovery Group as a fiscal sponsored project (free of charge), allowing them to operate and fundraise under the Foundation's nonprofit umbrella.
4. Assisted in raising $10,000 in funding for the repairs to the St. Croix Montessori School which resumed classes over a month before public schools on St. Croix through GlobalGiving.

Through the Consortium, the Foundation is also currently working to broaden funding opportunities and partnerships for all Virgin Islands nonprofits. Most recently, the Foundation and the Southeastern Council of Foundations are exploring how to allow nonprofits in the Virgin Islands to be eligible for membership in the Council, allowing Virgin Islands organizations to join a network of over 300 civic organizations.

And today, the Foundation is excited to report that the Nonprofit Consortium is finalizing plans and securing funding to hold the Second Annual St. Croix Nonprofits Funders Retreat, in which the Foundation and members of the Nonprofit Consortium introduce the Virgin Islands to national partners and make a case for future philanthropic investments in the Territory.

Links:

• St. Croix Foundation Receives $25,000 Donation in Tools