The St. Croix Foundation, in partnership with the Mellon Foundation, has announced the 2025 Healing Humanities Cultural Place-Keeping Grant Program. This initiative seeks to empower and support arts and cultural organizations based in St. Croix that are actively engaged in preserving and celebrating the island’s heritage. Designed to mobilize the humanities as a medium for healing and community transformation, this grant program aims to strengthen the cultural fabric of St. Croix through place-keeping efforts.
The program opens for applications on March 21, 2025, and submissions must be completed by April 25, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time (AST). Award notifications will be made by May 23, 2025. With a total funding pool of $534,000, the Foundation expects to award between 7 and 15 grants to eligible nonprofits, with individual grants ranging from $10,000 to $75,000. The average award will be approximately $40,000, and most will be disbursed in phases. Grant-funded projects must be completed within a 12 to 18-month performance period beginning June 1, 2025.
The initiative supports both project-based grants and general operating support for organizations whose core missions and programming center around arts, culture, and heritage. SCF defines "place-keeping" as the ongoing care, preservation, and celebration of a community’s cultural and historical identity—maintaining local traditions and ensuring they are relevant and accessible to future generations. Funding priorities include multi-generational cultural projects, support for institutions focused on the arts and natural environment, and initiatives that reinforce community identity and storytelling.
Eligible applicants include IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofit projects operating under a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3). All applicants must be based on St. Croix and demonstrate a history of impact and engagement in the local community. Territory-wide organizations may apply only if the proposed services are specifically targeted to St. Croix.
Applications must be submitted via the Foundation’s online grants portal. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review the full Request for Proposals for detailed eligibility guidelines, proposal content requirements, and the evaluation rubric. For questions about the grant or application process, applicants may contact Paloma McGregor, Program Officer for Humanities & Culture, at grants@stxfoundation.org.
