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U.S. Virgin Islands, February 24, 2024 — The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) has been invited by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to submit a non-competitive proposal to officially serve as the designated humanities council for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A virtual public comment session via Zoom on the application proposal is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 29, from 1-2:30 p.m. AST. Members of the community interested in attending the session can join by visiting cfvi.co/NEHPublicComment.
The purpose of the session is to allow scholars, interested organizations, and the public to present views and make recommendations regarding the Foundation’s proposal. To review the proposal's Executive Summary and Three-Year Work Plan, visit cfvi.co/NEHExecSumWorkPlan.
"Public humanities programming and grantmaking play a significant and impactful role in the U.S. Virgin Islands, contributing to the cultural, intellectual, and social enrichment of the community," said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown.
Following the termination of funding for the original Virgin Islands Humanities Council by the NEH at the end of 2014, CFVI received its first funding in May 2020, supporting a variety of humanities projects in the Virgin Islands. Since then, the Foundation has disbursed humanities grants throughout the territory totaling $1,290,714.12.
"The impact of our grantmaking initiatives has been profound, notably in preserving Virgin Islands history and culture while fostering educational opportunities for children, youth and families," said Baecher-Brown. "These initiatives not only celebrate the unique identity of the USVI but also contribute to the resilience and well-being of the community, fostering a deeper understanding of its history and cultural heritage."
State and jurisdictional humanities councils are the public humanities in action and support a wide array of thought-provoking programming that makes rich humanities ideas accessible for general public audiences, fosters discussion, and promotes civic engagement. The work they do is tailored to the resources, demographics, interests, and concerns of their state or jurisdiction.
Councils support book festivals, literacy campaigns, speaker’s bureaus, teacher development, cultural tourism, humanities publications, films, exhibitions and more. They also help extend the reach of NEH-funded projects, and ensure NEH remains connected to local and regional communities. The councils are funded in part by the federal government through NEH's Office of Federal/State Partnership (Fed/State). They also receive funding from private donations, foundations, corporations, and, in some cases, state government. For more information, visit neh.gov/about/state-humanities-councils.
Please contact Beth Nuttall at bethn@cfvi.net with any questions.
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