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The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has announced the launch of its Hurricane Recovery CARE Grant, which will provide strategic grants to St. Croix-based nonprofit organizations and charitable initiatives that offer programs and direct services targeting the most vulnerable and underserved populations affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The Foundation has also launched a complementary 2nd Phase Nonprofit Disaster Recovery and Capacity Survey to assess the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on St. Croix’s nonprofit sector.

Hurricane Recovery CARE Grant

From February 12 to March 5, 2018, the foundation will be accepting applications for projects that will support nonprofit organizations on St. Croix as they strive to return their operations to pre-hurricane conditions. Grants will target nonprofits that serve the most vulnerable populations and which were directly impacted by recent storms. The CARE Fund will award competitive grants that address needs directly related to hurricane victims/recovery in the following priority areas:

Development of services and/or programs
Capacity building to allow expansion of existing services
Reconstruction of facilities necessary for conducting programs that directly relate to the needs of hurricane victims or recovery

Eligible applicants include 501 (c)3 nonprofit/civic organizations on St. Croix or those who are the sponsored project of a 501(c)3 organization. Projects must be completed within one year with a minimum budget of $1000. Priority is given to those organizations who are leveraging their work and resources for greater impact through collaboration with a partnering organization. The foundation said it has also developed strict reporting guidelines to ensure the highest degree of accountability and focus in meeting outlined goals and timelines. All applications will be reviewed by the foundation’s grants review committee and final award decisions will be announced March 30, 2018.

Nonprofit Disaster Recovery and Capacity Survey

Because nonprofit organizations on St. Croix provide life-saving and life-changing services like caring for children and the elderly, protecting natural resources and culture, healthcare, and more, the foundationd said one of its top priorities is to ensure that the island’s nonprofit sector is vibrant and strong so that the community can recover, rebuild, and thrive.

If you are a part of a nonprofit organization, the foundation needs to hear from you about how your organization is doing. Nonprofit organizations are invited to complete the Nonprofit Disaster Recovery and Capacity Assessment Survey by Sunday, February 18. All types of nonprofit organizations are invited to complete the survey, including but not limited to 501c3 organizations, foundation-sponsored projects and faith-based organizations.

Nonprofits can access the survey online at https://goo.gl/PkvEWT. If connectivity is limited, nonprofit representatives are welcome to call the foundation at (340) 773-9898, or visit the office located at 1023 Market Street in Christiansted to complete the survey in person.

Launched immediately following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the CARE (Caribbean Assistance and Relief Effort) fund is providing direct support to front-line relief and long-term recovery efforts on St. Croix and throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands, said the foundation. Grounded in a commitment to accountability, through the CARE Fund St. Croix Foundation is doing what they do best: supporting a holistic approach to community development while also ensuring real equity for St. Croix and resilience for our territory, according to the release.

To date, the CARE Fund has coordinated and sponsored the shipment and distribution of approximately 250,000 pounds of relief aid; provided free temporary office space to over 15 NGOs displaced by Hurricane Maria including the administrative staffs of the Boys and Girls Club & the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council, who are still being housed at the Foundation; trained over 50 volunteers to conduct critical needs assessments for 1,100 residents to connect individuals with critical needs to organizations that may be able to help them. Informing all of the CARE fund’s agenda and grantmaking, the foundation has already completed several surveys including a Nonprofit Damage & Needs Assessment in order to assess the impacts of the storms on nonprofits immediately following the hurricanes.

Said Deanna James, the foundation’s executive director: “The Virgin Islands has a long road of rebuilding ahead of us. And, as an operating foundation, St. Croix Foundation is utilizing a data driven, apolitical approach to sustainable recovery by providing strategic grantmaking and direct services designed to leverage scarce community resources and ensure deep measureable outcomes. Taking into consideration the demographic realities of St. Croix, with higher poverty rates and fewer economic resources.”

CARE Grant guidelines and criteria as well as the online application can be found on the foundation’s website at www.stxfoundation.org. The deadline for submitting grant proposals is March 5, 2018. The foundation extended its sincere gratitude to the countless national foundations, corporations and individual donors who have made the CARE Fund and these grants possible.

The foundation is inviting donors and community partners to contact them at 340.773.9898, or visit their website at www.stxfoundation.org for more information on how to support the foundation’s comprehensive community rebuilding and revitalization efforts through the CARE Fund.