76.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsLocal newsUnited Way of St. Croix Decertified; St. Thomas-St. John Group Expanding

United Way of St. Croix Decertified; St. Thomas-St. John Group Expanding

United Way Worldwide has decertified United Way of St. Croix and asked United Way of St. Thomas-St. John to take up the slack by becoming a territorywide organization.

A spokeswoman for United Way Worldwide confirmed the move Tuesday.

Eileen Lin, United Way media contact, said the St. Croix group was decertified in November 2014, although there was no local announcement of the change. She was unable to say immediately how long the St. Croix group had existed, but it was active for decades.

In an email, Lin said, “United Way Worldwide is the owner of the United Way brand. All United Ways must be recognized as tax-exempt organization by the IRS as 501(c)3. UW St. Croix failed to file its 990 for 2011, 2012 and 2013; therefore, its tax exemption status was revoked by the IRS in 2014.”

“As a result, UW St. Croix no longer met United Way Worldwide membership requirements. United Way Worldwide had to terminate UW St. Croix from United Way membership in November 2014,” she wrote.

Lin referred further questions to Vinod Dadlani, chief executive officer for United Way St. Thomas-St. John. Dadlani could not be reached by phone and did not return an email inquiry late Tuesday.

The Virgin Islands government budget for the current fiscal year contains a $22,250 lump sum appropriation for United Way to be channeled through the Department of Human Services. It was unclear Tuesday whether that money has been allotted.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.