The foundation was founded by Michael Thomas, a native of the United States Virgin Islands. He saw the need to connect the next generation to quality programs that share the rich culture of the Caribbean. This led to the creation of the Caribbean American Cultural Arts Foundation to support collegiate mentorship which offers students an opportunity to build their professional skills. The foundation was founded in 2016, to support disaster relief efforts in the Caribbean, due to the increase in climate activities throughout the region. We started with support of islands in the Caribbean impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

 

During the global pandemic 2020, we launched our Cultural Connect program which created a holistic and supportive ecosystem designed to educate and bridge the gap in cultural understanding.  During the pandemic, we completed extensive mental health workshops and senior health services. We helped over 200 individuals with our services.

 

Our vision with the help of our partners realized tremendous success in local partnerships established, fundraising, new tools created, thriving workshops with greater than anticipated participation, and useful lessons learned that assist in furthering the goals of CACAF. We build an efficient diverse community of inclusion through our programs. We focus on Youth Arts STEAM, Climate Resilience, and Community Services.

As the Chairman of CACAF, I am always excited to see the faces of the young people to whom we offer programs. It is paramount that the younger generation is involved in creative and cultural programs, which will help build emotional intelligence. Our community services have impacted a wide demographic from ages 5-95. 

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