History Of The Caribbean Philanthropy Network

The Caribbean Philanthropic Network (CPN) was created as a successor organization to the Association of Caribbean Community Foundations (ACCF) in May 2008.

CPN: Our Beginnings

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ACCF was created in 2003 when representatives of five community foundations in the region met to explore the possibility of creating a membership association of community foundations and grant making entities. The islands represented at that meeting were Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola (British Virgin Islands) and Antigua. Subsequently, the group expanded to include the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

A board of directors drawn from among its members provided the leadership for ACCF, and a regional headquarters was established in Anguilla and staffed by a part-time Coordinator. The organization received funding support from four US foundations as well as dues from its members.

The ACCF held annual meetings, developed and implemented a strategic plan in 2006 and began efforts to initiate a Regional Youth Development Initiative in 2007 in response to members' interests. ACCF went into hiatus in the fall of 2007 when it was unable to secure sufficient funds to implement the Regional Youth development initiative which had received funding support from a Caribbean funder.

CPN Was Established In 2008

A few ACCF Board members continued to work to secure funding support throughout 2007-2008. In April 2008 they convened a "Caribbean Philanthropy Revitalization" meeting to test the feasibility of creating a successor organization to ACCF to advance effective philanthropy in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean Philanthropy Network was launched in May 2008 as a result of those efforts. Funds were subsequently secured from the Ford Foundation for the first two years of operation. The Ford Foundation grant was given to the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) to continue CPN’s work for the Caribbean. Today, CPN continues to secure financial and other resources to ensure sustainability for the organization.