A field guide to giving · 11 jurisdictions
Every island sets up foundations its own way — French, Dutch, common-law, Spanish-civil, US-overlaid. Here's how the structures actually differ, and who's doing the work.
At a glance
Each island sits roughly where it is in the Caribbean, coloured by its legal tradition. Hover or tap a marker for its designation, then open the full card below. The map is schematic — positions are approximate, not to scale.
Colour shows legal tradition · tap a colour above to filter the cards below
Where most people start
It's a common belief about the francophone islands. It turns out to be a half-truth — and untangling it explains the whole region.
Stated as a blanket rule for any "francophone island," it sweeps in everything from Martinique to independent Haiti.
In the French territories, the fondation abritée route runs under an umbrella foundation — but it's a choice, not a requirement. You can also create a standalone fonds de dotation for €15,000. And Haiti, being sovereign, has nothing to do with France at all. Everywhere else in the region, you create a standalone entity directly.
Plain English
The cards below use a few words from law that are worth knowing first. Here they are without the jargon.
Every card ends with one line: “Needs a parent foundation?” That's the question this whole guide started from — does your giving organisation have to be set up underneath a bigger foundation, as a branch of it? “No — it stands alone” means you create it as its own independent organisation. Almost everywhere, that's the answer. The one partial exception is the French islands, where a single optional route runs under an umbrella.
The English legal tradition the British-linked islands inherited. Law is built up from court decisions over time, and it uses tools like the trust. Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, the Bahamas.
The continental-European tradition, where law is written down in big comprehensive codes rather than built from court rulings. The foundation is a native invention of this tradition — a pot of assets given its own legal identity.
These just say which European country's version of civil law applies: French, Dutch, or Spanish. Same family, different national flavour. e.g. France → Martinique; Netherlands → Sint Maarten; Spain → Dominican Republic.
Places where United States federal law applies, so you use a US-style nonprofit corporation plus federal tax-exempt status (a “501(c)(3)”). Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands.
Civil-law codes operating inside a one-party state that tightly controls civil society — so setting up an association needs state sponsorship and approval. Cuba.
The three main shapes a giving organisation takes. A foundation is a self-owning pot of assets (civil-law); a trust has trustees holding assets for a purpose (common-law); an association is a membership body. Most jurisdictions offer one or two of these.
The comparison
Filter by legal tradition or search for an island. The key column is the last one: does a giving vehicle need a "parent" foundation? Almost nowhere does.
Who's organising it
Below the legal mechanics sit the people and institutions connecting funders to communities.
The main regional network — it describes itself as keeping aid rooted in and led by the Caribbean, acting as infrastructure that channels resources through local operating foundations rather than delivering relief directly. It convenes funders, NGOs, and governments; advocates for equitable funding; and runs the annual Future Forward forum. Chaired by Prof. Rosalea Hamilton, with Anthea McLaughlin as CEO.
Barbados
The Barbados Association of NGOs — coordinates civil-society participation and gives technical support to nonprofits.
Dominican Republic
A government body created to promote nonprofit participation in development programmes.
Suriname
A national platform coordinating Surinamese civil-society organisations.
Guyana
The de facto registration hub for NGOs, now paired with the Compliance Commission.
A gap worth naming
CariPhil comes the closest with relief- and grant-oriented. Across the region, nothing blends patient investment with philanthropy, led from the diaspora itself.
It's an open question more than a solved one and arguably where we see the next decade of Caribbean development gets decided.
→ One to watch.