Annual Grants to Arts in Underserved Communities - Virgin Islands

Annual Grants to Arts in Underserved Communities - Virgin Islands is sponsored by Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) / Humanities Council of the Virgin Islands (HCVI). This grant supports organizations and entities that focus efforts on arts, culture, history, music & humanities, community development & services, and international projects in the Virgin Islands.

State and jurisdictional humanities councils are the public humanities in action and support local humanities programs and events. Councils offer 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.

The councils are funded in part by the federal government through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)Office of Federal/State Partnership(Fed/State). They also receive funding from private donations, foundations, corporations, and, in some cases, state governments. In 2014,the NEH evaluated the status of humanities grant-making in the USVI and suspended its funding.

In 2020, CFVI was invited by NEH to help restore federal support for humanities projects in the territory. Through this partnership, CFVI successfully reinstated national NEH funding for USVI humanities initiatives, beginning in May 2020. As NEH’s interim partner since then, CFVI has awarded more than $2 million to community organizations throughout the USVI to support humanities programming and activities.

In October 2023, CFVI was invited by NEH to submit a non-competitive proposal to officially serve as the designated humanities council for the U.S. Virgin Islands. In August 2024, NEH announced the appointment of CFVI as the newest permanent humanities council for the territory and the first one since the American Samoa Humanities Council was founded in 1994.

CFVI joins the network of 56 state, jurisdictional, and interim humanities council affiliates that receive general operating support funding from NEH and work with the agency to bring humanities programs, events, and resources to communities across all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. jurisdictions.

As the Humanities Council of the Virgin Islands (HCVI), CFVI prioritizes the following key areas in fulfilling its role in the territory: **Grantmaking**: Provide funding for projects that explore and promote history, literature, philosophy, and other humanities disciplines. These grants often support educational programs, public events, research, and preservation efforts.

**Community Engagement**: Engage a diverse community that includes underserved and marginalized groups in humanities-related activities. This can include partnerships with schools, libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions. **Advocacy**: Advocate for the importance of the humanities in education and public life.

**Capacity Building**: Support the development of humanities organizations and institutions, helping them build capacity through training, networking, and technical assistance. ## What are the Humanities? We define the humanities by emphasizing its profound exploration of what it means to be human in a particular place, space, and time.

This exploration leads to the telling of stories highlighting the people who created, inhabited, and utilized space, place, and time. These narratives are expressed through a variety of mediums, spanning traditional, modern, and postmodern forms, ensuring that individuals have an authentic experience of what it means or meant to be human in a specific context.

We stress the interdisciplinary nature of the humanities, aligning with the belief that studying various threads, such as the arts, economics, civics, anthropology, geography, philosophy, and more, is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the human experience. These disciplines are not isolated but rather highly interconnected dimensions of the human story.

By exploring these diverse threads, individuals can gain insights into the breadth, depth, and multidimensional nature of the human story, including its successes, failures, and unexpected turns. * The significance of humanities in fostering empathy, understanding, and a shared sense of belonging. * The role of the humanities in erasing racism, empowering generations, and creating a more unified and enriched community.

* Showcasing the humanities as a catalyst for social cohesion and community development, underscoring their potential to empower future generations with a profound appreciation for their roots. In collaboration with community-based organizations, we echo the sentiment that the humanities serve as a bridge connecting individuals to their heritage.

The humanities encompass the exploration of history, literature, language, philosophy, and the arts, providing a lens through which communities can uncover stories of resilience, creativity, and diversity. The humanities represent the soul of the community and play a pivotal role in cultural preservation and promotion.

By defining the humanities in these terms, we aim to make the concept accessible and relevant to diverse audiences, illustrating its significance in exploring, understanding, and celebrating the rich tapestry of the human experience in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

**CFVI Humanities Showcase:** In recognition of Virgin Islands History Month (observed annually in March since 2006), CFVI invites the community to a virtual showcase of Humanities projects celebrating Virgin Islands history, heritage, and culture. Presentations are made by a number of CFVI’s humanities project grantees, funded by the NEH. The event is free and open to the public.

"The showcase is a wonderful opportunity to experience first-hand accounts of the impactful role our Virgin Islands nonprofit community is having in local humanities programming," said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown. "This impressive body of work reflects the significant contributions that have been made to the cultural, intellectual and social enrichment of the territory."

Read the 2025 Showcase recap article in The Virgin Islands Daily News. To watch the recordings of previous Humanities Showcases, click on the links below: