April 5, 2005 – Efforts to expand organized philanthropy in the Caribbean received a major boost through a $25,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The Association of Caribbean Community Foundations (ACCF) will use the grant to support its strategic planning process to develop the framework for a sustainable, regional organization that will encourage new, and assist existing philanthropic activities that meet the needs of Caribbean residents.
ACCF was created in June 2003 with five founding members: the Anguilla Community Foundation, the British Virgin Island Investment Club Foundation, Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), the National Community Foundations of St. Lucia and the St. Croix Foundation.
The mission of ACCF is to expand organized philanthropy in the Caribbean in order to garner resources to address the social and economic issues facing people in the Caribbean region.
Caribbean people have a rich tradition of helping each other in our immediate and extended families, in our neighborhoods and villages, when someone is in critical need and when our countries experience massive disasters like hurricanes and floods that call for large, coordinated responses. ACCF, through its member community foundations, is working to build resources that will enable members individually and collectively to identify critical societal issues and develop collaborative plans to address them.
The grant from Kellogg will enable ACCF to create a three to five year strategic plan that will guide the organization in achieving its strategic objectives to improve the quality of life for residents in the region.
Dee Baecher-Brown, President of CFVI, welcomed the announcement of the Kellogg Foundation's support for ACCF stating that, "this recognition and support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation will assist ACCF during this very important period of organization building." Brown went on to say that, "Through organized philanthropy, ACCF will be able to respond collectively and effectively to important social and cultural issues in its member countries including the Virgin Islands."
Board President of the St. Croix Foundation, Brenda Pedersen was equally enthusiastic about the grant. "It is a huge vote of confidence that the Kellogg Foundation is supporting our regional efforts to spread the message of philanthropy throughout the Caribbean. Ultimately, the work of the ACCF will put the V.I. and all Caribbean people on the map as being engaged in, and caring about, their communities," Pedersen stated.
This grant is being made through the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth, a membership group of 300 community foundations located in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.