6.03: Outside Conversations with Deanna James - Doing philanthropy differently

Tuesday and Tim are joined by Deanna James, President of the St. Croix Foundation, where they talk about philanthropy as a system, how the St. Croix Foundation is doing philanthropy differently, and how Deanna is redirecting power in new ways to drive social change that will make impact beyond the boundaries of St. Croix. This one is provocative, friends. Tune in.

About St. Croix Foundation for Community Development:

As a small place-based foundation operating in the USVI since 1990, St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) was founded in response to the devastation of Hurricane Hugo, which left over 90% of structures on the island of St. Croix damaged or destroyed. Since our inception, we have been unflinchingly dedicated to holistic community development.

The vision of a group of community activists, St. Croix Foundation’s founders had an ambitious goal of creating a progressive, community-rooted philanthropic institution - one that could address the social and economic challenges facing our Territory as it began the arduous task of rebuilding after Hugo. Led by Phillip Gerard, a Native Crucian Community Activist, and Michael Neuburger, a German retired aerospace executive, our founders opted to do things differently: to divert from the conventions of the field of Philanthropy, marrying a more holistic suite of philanthropic strategies that adjoined grantmaking with direct services and nonprofit capacity building.

While we employ some of the same strategies as traditional community foundations such as grantmaking and donor fund development, we have moved far beyond the confines of traditional community philanthropy. Unwavering in our commitment to serving as a conduit, rather than a container of philanthropic resources, St. Croix Foundation functions as both a philanthropic OPERATOR and GRANTMAKER.

Despite being unendowed and sitting in a blind spot not recognized by traditional philanthropy, since our modest beginnings over 30 years ago, SCF has been a conduit of over $42 million in strategic investments into the U.S. Virgin Islands. Our broad wingspan and progressive format have enabled us to also build an impressive portfolio of successful programming comparable to organizations 10 times our size.

Today the Foundation is the premier place-based philanthropic leader in the U.S. Virgin Islands. And, in testimony to our impact, we have netted national recognition in almost every priority area – from economic development and community revitalization to public health, education reform, and nonprofit development.

About Deanna James:

Deanna James was appointed President of St. Croix Foundation for Community Development (SCF) in 2015 as the first person of color in over 25 years to lead any of the 3 community foundations in the USVI. During Deanna’s 18-year tenure at SCF, she has overseen Grantmaking, Fiscal Sponsorship Services, and Educational Program Development. Currently, Deanna works intimately with a cadre of public, private, and civic partners throughout the Territory advancing the Foundation’s core mission of marshaling resources and encouraging greater philanthropic activity.

Today, she is leading SCF through the most radical shift in its history, building an extensive national philanthropic network and deepening the USVI’s nonprofit infrastructure through comprehensive capacity-building investments. A St. Croix native, Deanna holds a BA in Literature from Lehigh University and an MA in Public Communications from American University. She currently serves on the Board of the Philanthropy Southeast and several national climate justice councils.

Resources:

Advice that Deanna is carrying around in her back pocket: “Relationship is resolution,” by the one and only, Tuesday Ryan-Hart. Modified by St. Croix Foundation to: “Relationship is the Revolution!”

The Outsideshared work, participatory leadership, systems change