St. Croix Foundation CARE Fund

February 2019 Impact Report

 LEADING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE

CARIBBEAN ASSISTANCE AND RESILIENCY EFFORT (CARE)

Disaster recovery in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) continues! As climate change becomes more of a reality and with a destructive wake-up call sent with two Category 5 Hurricanes devasting St. Croix in 2017, we understand more than ever the importance of resiliency for isolated territories. In fact, resiliency is evolving in many ways as St. Croix Foundation begins to expand its grantmaking to ensure that there is continued support to nonprofits and to nurture critical social systems like food security. St. Croix Foundation continues to ensure that as the Territory rebuilds its infrastructure a plan to augment a resilient economy is also included.

 STRATEGIC GRANTMAKING THAT GOES BEYOND THE AWARD CHECK --

St. Croix Foundation often refers to our grantmaking as strategic and our grantees as partners based on its commitment to leveraging existing relationships and building new ones far beyond the grant award check. Every grant award becomes a partnership and works in concert with local nonprofits to gather data, support critical social services, and build capacity for nonprofits. It’s a progressive, interactive approach to grantmaking informed by 28 years of service to nonprofits as a fiscal sponsor and civic sector advocate. As a place-based foundation operating in a community with limited financial resources, invaluable lessons have been learned about both the assets and challenges inherent in the nonprofit sector.

Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition (VIGFC), a sponsored project of the Foundation, member of our Nonprofit Consortium and a CARE grant recipient, is a perfect example of our unique grantmaking strategy. With the Virgin Islands importing 98% of its food exposing critical vulnerabilities exposed after the storms, VIGFC is working tirelessly to ensure that every resident is able to sustain their household with locally sources food in the event of future disasters. Aligned with the Foundation’s own vision for equity, social and economic justice and self-sufficiency, our CARE grant to Good Food Coalition is supporting a first of its kind Territory-wide movement to create a comprehensive sustainable food system for the Virgin Islands.

In July of 2018, armed with its first CARE grant from the Foundation, the Good Food Coalition and the Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls Virgin Islands partnered to send three students to Barbados for ten days to attend the Change Institute International. The program offered a unique intersection of culture and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and provided students with opportunities to collaborate with their peers from North Carolina and Barbados, while learning about youth leaderships roles to effect local transformation. Youth participated in activities focused in the areas listed below:

• Youth Leadership: Collectively built skills through peer mentorship, experiential learning, community engagement and fun!
• Sustainability: Provided global learning of social, environmental and economic issues through a multidisciplinary approach.       
• Local & Global Partnerships: Engaged in community service and learning in partnership with community organizations locally and abroad.
• History & Culture: Experienced another culture while also exploring their own. Captivated minds by exploring diverse histories and viewpoints.
• Inclusion & Equity: Developed an analysis of power dynamics; discovered and/or expanded on youth roles as change agents in their community and in the world.

Students were also given the opportunity to meet the Prime Minister of Barbados, to work in the United Nations office, and to learn about the importance of Food Systems through partnering with local farms. By working with youth and partnering with local nonprofits, the Good Food Coalition is demonstrating sustainability in action!

With its CARE grant, the Good Food Coalition also began to build on conversations and prior workshops, and in January of this year, the organization invited stakeholders from diverse agencies and departments across the private and public sectors to engage in a conversation about the landscape of agriculture on St. Croix. VIGFC partnered with VI-EPSCoR, a program hosted at the University of the Virgin Islands, in order to develop a network of community partnerships to assess and further improve St. Croix’s agri-business infrastructure and functionality. In total, 25 participants representing the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, University of the Virgin Islands Experimental Station and Cooperative Extension, Virgin Islands Department of Education, and the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism attended working collectively to develop a new network of relationships, to align policies, needs, missions, and environmental change strategies. At its next convening, the Good Food Coalition will be meeting with local Farmers to discuss their needs, systems, and Vision for the future.

 The Heart, Soul, and Economics of Powering Our Communities for Resiliency

St. Croix Foundation knows that disaster recovery looks different in small, isolated rural communities and that as an island, nurturing self-sufficiency is the foundation for true sustainability. Recognizing that by empowering smaller, civic based neighborhood centers to be energy independent, in the face of major natural and/or man-made events, St. Croix Foundation began developing our Sustainable Solar-supported Community Demonstration Project in May 2018. But this Initiative is about more than just solar energy: through it, we are nurturing local talent, supporting local businesses, building capacity for workforce development with our youth, and empowering neighborhoods to be more resilient and self-sufficient in times of plenty and in times of crisis. Ultimately, this solar program is also a demonstration of the power of philanthropy and cross-sector collaborations - all grounded in community.

Over the past several months, the Global Giving Community has been updated on the planning of this solar project, and now, the Foundation is excited to report that in March 2019, there will be an official launch of this pilot project.

With a sudden influx of off-island contractors, one of the Foundation’s priorities is to rebuild from within, and as such, supporting local businesses like Sustainable Systems and Design International (a locally owned and operated solar design company); and Jensen Berkitt (a local solar installation business and NCCER Certified Solar Installer) has become a priority.

This team of skilled professionals will provide comprehensive technical support and installation of the solar PV system at the Caribbean Center for Boys and Girls, which serves over 80 at-risk children daily. The PV-system will generate 6kW of power to offset CCBG’s critical loads and over time reduce their energy costs. But Sustainable Systems and Design International is not only charged with the installation component of the project – they have also developed a Solar System Sustainability Chart that will enable community partners to document the project and monitor the economic, community, and environmental impact of the solar system.

The workforce development component is also gearing up to launch in March 2019. With the assistance of the Virgin Islands Workforce Investment Board, the Foundation will provide 10 young men ages 17-24 with NCCER courses in Core Curriculum and Solar Photovoltaic System Installer, which will provide a nationally recognized certificate at the end of their on-the-job training. In partnership with the Department of Labor, St. Croix Foundation will select students through a standard application process, with students participating in interviews and taking a pre-test to assess their knowledge as they enter the program. Having already developed and implemented a NCCER program for young men back in 2013, the Foundation recognizes that targeting disenfranchised, unemployed youth will necessitate extra academic supports in order to ensure students’ success. To provide further supports for these students, the Foundation secured supplemental funding through the Workforce Investment Board and selected local instructors who are experienced and relatable to work with students. The Foundation is committed to supporting students with job placement assistance upon completion of the program as well; currently working with one instructor who has already committed to providing internships and job opportunities to graduates of the program.

The Foundation’s approach to the development, funding, implementation, and evaluation of its projects is centered around partnerships and collaboration. By including local governmental agencies like the Department of Labor and Workforce Investment Board, private businesses, national foundations, and the civic sector, the assets of the community is harnessed for greater impact and long-term sustainability of the program itself.

In fact, in December of 2018, the Foundation received funding from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy in support of the pilot, and in January 2019 St. Croix Foundation was pleased to be presented with a certificate of “Commitment to Action” by Hilary Rodham Clinton in recognition of St. Croix Foundation’s solar program being a ‘comprehensive’ model of holistic community development and energy resiliency. The Foundation is currently working diligently to identify an additional $200,000 to expand this project to three more vital community centers that serve the elderly, vulnerable residents in low-income housing, and our young people.

 LONG-TERM RESILIENCY: MOVING FORWARD

With another Hurricane Season just four months away, St. Croix Foundation is in demonstration mode to implement holistic projects with some urgency to create small, sustainable community models that will nurture real resiliency in the face of any disaster. It is the intent of the St. Croix Foundation to build capacity within the nonprofit sector through strategic grantmaking, and stimulation of the local economy. We know that for any community to maximize the current flow of federal and philanthropic resources, there must be an intentional practice to begin with the end in mind, leveraging every dollar to go farther and committing to data collection to inform future programming and measure impact. On behalf of the community we serve, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development extends its deepest appreciation to the Global Giving community for their support and engagement.

True recovery and sustainable rebuilding cannot happen overnight, but together we can build community-based models that can be replicated throughout the Virgin Islands and the world. We hope you’ll stay with us on our journey!

REBUILDING A BETTER ST. CROIX

CARIBBEAN ASSISTANCE AND RESILIENCY EFFORT (CARE)

Today’s report marks one year since two Category 5 Super Storms made landfall, within just 10 days of each other, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. With the majority of damage in the territory on the island of St. Croix, St. Croix Foundation continues to be a guiding and grounding voice in meetings with territorial, federal, and other recovery partners, constantly beating the drum for equity and sustainability.

We are pleased to report that because of your generosity and a strategic and collaborative approach to recovery, we have begun to move the needle from recovery to resiliency. A full year after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Virgin Islands is still reminded of what two back-to-back category 5 hurricanes can do. For while progress is indeed being made, recovery is slow: residents requiring longer than 72 hours of medical care are still being evacuated to either Puerto Rico or to U.S. mainland hospitals; on the western end of the island of St. Croix, which was the hardest hit and is home to the poorest residents of the Territory, there is still a sea of Blue Tarped Roofs; and with government systems sill compromised and offices displaced, it is our civic sector that continues to fill critical gaps.

STRATEGIC GRANTMAKING: Connecting, Healing, Teaching, and Building Capacity!

Through our CARE Fund and with the assistance from you - our global community - we were able to provide two grant cycles to our nonprofit organizations and charitable initiatives that provide programs and direct services targeting the most vulnerable and underserved populations affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Enough cannot be said of the importance of these organizations. Together, they serve hundreds of families and thousands of residents. They teach. They heal mind and body. They connect us with one another, and they advocate for those who have been hit hardest.

St. Croix Foundation’s grantmaking supports vital programs but is also designed to build capacity. Grants ranging from $7,500 to $50,000 were awarded to the following organizations:

• AZ Academy’s – Summer STEM Project
• Caribbean Center for Boys & Girls – Fueling the Youth
• Choices Basketball Association – Summer Training Camp
• Christiansted Lighthouse Mission - Electrical repair and remediation of Center and Children’s Classrooms
• Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, Inc. – Replacement of Equipment
• Cruzan Cowgirls Horse Rescue – Outdoor Education Facility
• Frederiksted Health Care – Dental Expansion
• Men’s Coalition – Developing Youth Resiliency
• Onyx Opera – School Tour and Opera Series
• Music in Motion – Dance Academy
• Good Hope Country Day School – Summer Theater Camp
• St. Croix Walls Project – Putting Art into Recovery
• USVI Soccer Association – School Academic & Soccer Academy
• VI Perinatal – Cerebrovascular & Cardiovascular Initiative
• World Ocean School – Experiential Education at Sea
• Sejah Farms – Food Security and Sovereignty
• Crucian Heritage & Nature Tourism, Inc. – Capacity Building
• Elmo Plaskett East Little League – Grow the Game
• Fresh Start – Litter Awareness Through the Arts
• Leap and Learn Academy – Hurricane Repairs form Maria
• Mon Bijou Homeowners Association – Disaster Risk Reduction Community Training
• My Brother’s Workshop – Home Rebuilds
• National Alliance on Mental Illness St. Croix – Family-to-Family Class/Support Training
• Reading Rainbow School – Discovery After School Program
• St. Croix Animal Welfare Center – Capacity Building
• St. Croix Environmental Association – Environmental Awareness & Action
• St. Croix Farmer’s in Action – Health & Healing Benefits of Coconut
• St. Joseph Catholic High School – Fiber Optic Technician/Installer Training
• Varied Abilities – Express Yourself: Art & Play Academy
• Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition – Capacity Building
• Virgin Islands Volunteer Advocates for Children – Capacity Building
• Women’s Coalition of St. Croix – Online Advocacy Classes

While we build capacity for our civic sector, the Foundation is also working intimately with private and public-sector partners to develop and institute comprehensive resiliency strategies for St. Croix and the Territory with program components that can be activated during times of emergency and disaster. Today, St.  Croix Foundation is excited to report on two projects we are preparing to launch: our Healing through the Humanities Block Development Project and Pop Farms for Food Security Project.

RECOVERY THROUGH THE HEALING ARTS & BLOCK DEVELOPMENT

As an extension of the restoration of the old Alexander Theater, which will be transformed into the only centrally-located community disaster shelter on St. Croix as well as a state-of-the-art performing arts center, the Foundation is launching our “Healing Humanities” Project. In the past few months, St. Croix Foundation has put the final touches on the development of a plan for a creative cultural arts corridor in the center of Historic Downtown Christiansted in Sunday Market Square.

As the final phase of SCF’s original comprehensive and holistic blueprint for the Square, this community block development will foster positive economic and social activities for residents which is critical to the economic development of the town and in turn the entire island. Currently, the entire census track for this historically relevant section of downtown Christiansted is low income, thus the Foundation’s primary goal is to improve the social and emotional welfare of residents and incentivize economic activity by using creative place-making.  The overall project will specifically:

1. decrease identified barriers to social and economic development throughout our community by using creative arts and cultural expression
2. strengthen and expand the work of cultural organizations
3. increase relationships within cultural projects, programs and events
4. connect the arts and culture communities to one another
5. develop a public art program
6. strengthen awareness and connect creative businesses to each other
7. provide a command center in downtown Christiansted for disaster response

To date, we have secured commitments from a consortium of civic and nonprofit partners who will work collaboratively to transform the Square into mixed use spaces, including the following:

• Mixed use commercial spaces for local small businesses and low-income housing units

To continue the revitalization of historic spaces, the Foundation proposes restoring properties in Sunday Market Square and surrounding areas to house commercial spaces on the ground floors and low-moderate income housing units on the upper floors.

• Small business and nonprofit incubator

Through partnerships with private sector entities, the creation of a small business and nonprofit incubator will provide mentorship and support in the form of technical and financial services for new businesses and civic organizations.

• After school and summer culturally-themed programs

Through our partnerships with the arts and culture Nonprofit Consortium members, public and private schools will offer students in grades 3-12^th opportunities to learn and create around the humanities, specifically musical/dance composition, artwork, and historic artifacts. The program will educate our students on how to incorporate today’s technology with the humanities.

• Community forums around Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean culture

There will be four forums held throughout the year. The forums will educate the community on contemporary Caribbean Culture and how its shaped by waves of migration that have combined to form aunique blend of customs, cuisine, and traditions that have marked the socio-cultural development of the area. The Foundation’s overall objective is to provide access to and educate the community on how unique collections and scholars can collaborate to produce a digital collection of Afro-Caribbean works of art (literature).  

• Life-long learning through our Afro-Caribbean museum

The museum will combine our local Caribbean artifacts with African artifacts collected from members in the community that have traveled through the Caribbean and African regions. Bringing these items together in downtown Christiansted, the museum will be a live learning classroom for the community to tour and learn the history of each artifact. The museum’s role will be to embrace and support lifelong learning, social change, and intercultural dialogue, encouraging participation from new audiences.

 We are rebuilding with resiliency in mind and our vision is to incentivize economic development and in turn create greater economic and social stability within our community!

  FOOD SECURITY - POP FARM STANDS

St. Croix Foundation for Community Development, in partnership with the Coca-Cola Company, is helping St. Croix businesses rebuild from the 2017 storms through its Small Business Recovery and Revitalization pilot initiative. This initiative awards eco-friendly container stores/community hubs to small businesses/farms as a vehicle for bringing businesses back on-line following Hurricanes Irma and Maria and to assist our local communities if a disaster were to impact the territory again. St. Croix is an isolated island which imports 98% of its food, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, the Foundation identified food security as one of our community’s greatest needs. “Pop Farms” are steel containers that will be outfitted to store food and serve as community hubs if another disaster were to strike on island building capacity within St. Croix’s local farm stands. These resilient Pop Farms will provide communities a place with power (through solar panels and/or generators), Wi-Fi and portable water.

 LONG-TERM RESILIENCY: MOVING FORWARD

Having dedicated many years to building partnerships with both private, public, and nonprofit entities, St. Croix Foundation is poised to implement projects that will stimulate the local St. Croix economy, heal community by nurturing connections through arts and heritage, build capacity within the nonprofit sector through strategic grantmaking, and create small, sustainable community models that allow for true resiliency in the face of any disaster. At the Foundation we know that in order for our community to maximize the current flow of federal and philanthropic resources, we have to make it an intentional practice to begin with the end in mind, leveraging every dollar to go farther. That’s why every project has multiple intersection points for multiple benefits. On behalf of the community we serve, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development extends our deepest appreciation to the Global Giving community for your support and engagement.

True recovery and sustainable rebuilding cannot happen overnight, but together we can build community-based models that can be replicated throughout the Virgin Islands and the world. We hope you’ll stay with us on our journey!