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In this Issue:
$1.4 Million for Building Forward
New Board of Directors Chair
Humanities Grants RFP | Scholarships
Youth Summer Program Grants
Grantee Highlights | And more!
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CFVI Awards Over $1.4 Million for Recovery, Revitalization
and Building Forward Projects
Grants distributed to 18 organization across the USVI
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The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) has awarded grants to 18 USVI nonprofit organizations for a total of $1,480,735 in funding. Grant funds will be used to support ongoing hurricane recovery, revitalization and building forward efforts to enhance the wellbeing of residents and ecosystems across the territory.
The bulk of the grant funding - $1 million - is made possible through the CFVI Friends and Family Fund for USVI Renewal (FNF), which was established in September 2017 following Hurricanes Irma and Maria with donations from CFVI’s family, friends, existing Fund donors, Angel donors, and other partners.
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CFVI Announces New Board of Directors Chair
George H.T. Dudley passes the baton to Marie ThomasGriffith
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CFVI announced in February that Marie ThomasGriffith has been elected the new Chair of CFVI’s Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2021. ThomasGriffith, who has been on the board since 2004, most recently served on the executive committee as Secretary. She is the Foundation’s first female Chair and replaces George H.T. Dudley, who has been on the board since 2009. Angelina Daswani, a board member since 2013, is stepping into the vacant Secretary position. Rejoining the board of directors is Thelma Watson-Comissiong, MD, who previously served from 2003-2009. A full list of all current CFVI board members can be found at https://cfvi.net/about/board/.
ThomasGriffith, an attorney shareholder at Hall & Griffith, P.C. in St. Thomas, has been CFVI’s Scholarship Committee Chair since 2005. In addition to serving as Secretary from 2014-2020, she also served as Second Vice-Chair from 2011-2012.
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CFVI Offering Grants for 2021 USVI Humanities Projects
Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 30, 2021
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CFVI was awarded National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) funding to support humanities education, lifelong learning and public humanities programming in the territory.
Up to $200,000 is available to fund eligible entities. Grants range from $1,000 to $20,000 and are available to fund humanities programs, projects and initiatives such as book festivals, literacy campaigns, speaker’s bureaus, teacher development, cultural tourism, humanities publications, films, exhibitions and projects that preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Applications must be submitted by April 30. Applicants will be notified regarding decisions on or before May 30.
Applicants with additional questions are encouraged to contact Anna Wheatley Scarbriel at annas@cfvi.net.
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CFVI 2021-2022 Scholarship Applications Available
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 15, 2021
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CFVI is currently accepting applications from graduate and undergraduate students for its annual academic scholarship cycle. Consistent with the Foundation’s mission to enhance the quality of life for children, youth, and families in the territory by making enriching opportunities attainable, funds for the scholarships are provided through generous donors to CFVI.
In 2020, CFVI awarded more than $312,000 in scholarships and scholar-grants to students in the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John districts.
CFVI’s scholarship review committee will make recommendations for selection based on the specific criteria of scholarships available, which may include: overall financial need, academic progress, extracurricular activities and answers to essay questions.
Each year scholarships are offered spanning a variety of subject/focus areas, such as marine biology, arts/humanities, accounting, early childhood education, education, and health sciences. Scholarships specific to students enrolled/enrolling at the University of the Virgin Islands are also available.
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2021 Jaci and Jerry Silverberg Summer Scholarship
for High School Students
APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 30, 2021
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The Jaci and Jerry Silverberg Trumpet Award was established in 2018 by Mrs. Jaci Silverberg to support talented Virgin Islands students enrolled in music programs, and to honor the legacy of her late husband, Jerry Silverberg, a successful attorney, philanthropist, Trumpet aficionado, and a long-term resident of the Virgin Islands.
This scholarship is a unique opportunity that will allow high school students to pursue their passions as musicians by attending Summer Music Programs. Up to four $2,500 scholarships are available to current VI high school students attending a 2021 summer music program/camp (either virtual or in-person).
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CFVI Announces Availability of Youth Summer Program Grants
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
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In recognition of the unique challenges and opportunities associated with the upcoming summer months, CFVI is pleased to offer grants to support summer programming serving children and older youth.
"While virtual, in-person, and hybrid programming will be considered, our hope is that funding availability will encourage summer programs and camps to find safe ways to serve children in a full-day in-person format, as this has not been a possibility for many children over the past year," said CFVI Vice President and Director of Grants and Programs, Anna Wheatley Scarbriel, Ph.D.
Priority will be given to applicants who demonstrate the ability to serve children of lower-income families, essential workers, and other families experiencing COVID-related challenges.
Questions about this opportunity should be directed to Beth Nuttall, CFVI Executive Manager, at bethn@cfvi.net.
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Since 2019, Catchafire and CFVI have partnered to provide capacity building support and professional development opportunities to USVI nonprofits by connecting you to skills-based volunteers - 100% pro bono. Providing access to Catchafire's online platform supports CFVI's vision of providing critical resources to organizations like yours to further your missions and your impact in the territory.
Of the 150 community partners with access to Catchafire in the first cohort, 106 registered and 54 matched with volunteers on projects. We are pleased to report that this cohort of Catchafire participating organizations was successful in receiving support on a wide variety of projects. The greatest number of requests included brochure graphic design, logo design and visual brand identity, branded digital assets, donor letter and website content plan.
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Catchafire Results for USVI Nonprofits | By the Numbers
September 2019 - February 2021
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3,806
volunteer hours donated
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USVI nonprofits matched with
186
volunteers from around the world
While the majority of volunteers were based in the U.S., volunteers were also based in 11 other countries, including Canada, Great Britain, Australia and Lebanon.
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Ratings are based on how likely the nonprofit would be to recommend
their volunteer or Catchafire to a friend or a colleague (1-10 scale).
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CFVI Funds 25 Service Projects on MLK Day
Grants represent a $25,000 investment in the USVI community
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To encourage and support USVI community volunteer service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., CFVI joined groups around the United States in participating in the 2021 National Day of Service on January 18th. Observed each year on the third Monday in January as “a day on, not a day off,” MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities.
CFVI invited Virgin Islands nonprofits to submit proposals to be considered for reimbursement grants of $1,000 each to support service projects. A total of 25 grants were awarded, representing an investment of $25,000 in volunteer service projects. Projects included cleanup efforts, food distribution, serving meals for persons experiencing homelessness, and delivering needed supplies to the elderly.
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Honoring the Life and Work of Major Benefactor, Richard Driehaus
Devoted philanthropist donated more than $1.8 million
to the Foundation to benefit the USVI
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CFVI honors the life and work of one its most generous donors, well-known investment businessman and philanthropist Richard Driehaus, who recently passed away at the age of 78.
“Richard provided support to CFVI for projects ranging from The Town’s Blueprint and the renovation of Roosevelt Park and its annual holiday tree lighting, to a matching grant to support USVI nonprofits after Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the repair of the roof of St. Anne’s Chapel in Frenchtown,” said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown.
In September 2002, Mr. Driehaus established the Driehaus Community Development Fund at CFVI for the purpose of enhancing the U.S. Virgin Islands environment and responding to community needs. Over the course of the next 20 years, he made donations in excess of $1.8 million to support a broad range of projects and initiatives in the territory. Major grants from the Driehaus Community Development Fund supported a variety of community projects, beginning with the restoration of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Park in 2006 as a cultural asset in the St. Thomas historic district.
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Episode of "Able to Raise" on WTJX Features CFVI Special Guests |
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CFVI's President, Dee Baecher-Brown and Vice President and Director of Grants and Programs, Anna Scarbriel, Ph.D, were featured as special guests on an episode of "Able to Raise," which originally aired on WTJX in January. They joined host Amelia Headley Lamont, Executive Director of the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands, and Angus Drigo, Parent Advocate, to explore and discuss corporal punishment in V.I. schools and what that means for our community. If you missed it, click the button below to view the full episode.
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2021 Angels Giving Campaign |
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The CFVI Angels community is the largest philanthropic network in the Territory. Since 1999, Angels have provided more than $6.6 million in unrestricted funding from individual and business donors who contribute $500 or more annually to the Foundation.
Angel gifts directly contribute to the well-being of our Virgin Islands community. In 2019, nearly $5 million in direct support was provided by CFVI to organizations and individuals in the areas of community programs and services, health and human services, children and family programs, education, and the environment.
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Help us continue this important work! Will you be a 2021 Angel and be a part of Building Forward to a better tomorrow in our Virgin Islands? |
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Virgin Islands Children's Museum
CFVI is proud to have provided grant funding to The Virgin Islands Children's Museum (VICM) in partnership with Princess Cruises Community Foundation, to support the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program, a book gifting program that mails high-quality, age-appropriate books to children from birth until they begin school, at no cost to the recipients. On average, 795 books are delivered to children in the USVI each month and this year a total of 10,342 books were distributed in the Virgin Islands!
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Clean Sweep Frederiksted
Thanks to Cruzan Rum's Island Spirit Fund (via GlobalGiving), CFVI awarded a grant to Clean Sweep Frederiksted to create and implement a comprehensive 8-week Urban Garden Workforce Development program designed to teach participants the fundamentals of farming by providing a classroom and hands-on experience in the community garden, resulting in the transformation of the Frederiksted Community Garden into thriving farm plots. Funds were also used to provide each participant with seeds, tools, online advanced level gardening classes, and a tour/fish fry at a new sustainable farm located in Frederiksted, helping participants learn more about additional farming techniques, harvesting, and creating value-added products and off-set costs for growing their at home or new farming businesses.
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University of the Virgin Islands
CFVI provided a $150,000 grant to the University of the Virgin Islands School of Nursing (SON) from the HelpUSVINow! Fund to support the SON Clinical Skills Laboratory (CSL) improvement project at the St. Thomas campus, which sought to replace and upgrade the equipment that was damaged during Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The funds received for this project allowed UVI to replace standard skills mannequins with simulators and update the clinical training equipment essential for skill acquisition of nursing students.
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Want more grantee highlights? We post weekly on social media and our website! |
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CFVI is an Amazon Smile Charity |
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GREAT NEWS! CFVI is now an Amazon Smile charity!
Shop at smile.amazon.com, select Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands as your charity, and Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible purchases to CFVI—no fees, no extra cost. Same products, same prices, same service.
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CFVI a Participating Charity in Combined Federal Campaign |
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The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all.
CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with almost 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and overseas raising millions of dollars each year. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season supports eligible non-profit organizations, like CFVI, that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world.
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CFVI Combined Federal Campaign Information:
CFC Sunshine Zone 22
CFC# 45789
EIN 66-0470703
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For Grantees: Grant Recognition Guidelines
We appreciate an acknowledgement of your grant from CFVI in whatever ways are within your organization’s communications capabilities. We encourage you to send us press releases or copies of publications or media coverage that mentions your grant. Please refer to the CFVI Grant Recognition Guidelines for more information, or contact Sean Liphard, CFVI Communications Manager, at seanl@cfvi.net.
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New Funds, Fiscal Sponsorships and Grants
New Funds/Fiscal Sponsorships/Donor Advised Funds
Alpine Securities
Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS) Centennial Fund
Maria Rodriguez Foundation
Shangri La VI
Street Level VI
VI Conservation Society
New Grants Received
Liberty Foundation
Miami Foundation
National Endowment for the Humanities
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Spread the Good News!
Help us spread the word about the important work CFVI is supporting throughout our U.S. Virgin Islands. Forward this newsletter to your colleagues, friends and family, and invite them to follow us on social media and join our mailing list!
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We are proud to have earned Guidestar's Platinum Seal of Transparency by sharing our key metrics and highlighting the impact we’re making. |
We are proud to have earned the Charity Navigator 4-Star Rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. |
We are proud to be a vetted organization by GlobalGiving, which recognizes CFVI as a trusted partner and change-maker in the world. |
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CFVI Staff
President
Vice President and
Director of Grants and Programs
Communications Manager
Executive Manager
Accountant
Accounting and Administrative Assistant
CFVI is a proud member of the
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CFVI Office Hours
Due to the ongoing pandemic, CFVI staff continues to work remotely Monday through Thursday and goes into the office on Fridays.
If you need to reach us, please email general.info@cfvi.net.
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