As an NGO, SHTA cooperates closely with various NGO’s that work on making St. Maarten a better place for its residents and visitors. Some NGO’s that are always welcoming your visit and / or support:
The foundation of “Mighty Dow” Isidore York actively preserves the St. Maarten steel pan culture. See if you can visit one of his concerts! York and his orchestra featured the SHTA 2021 Events Calendar as an important cultural icon. When on island with Christmas, do not miss out on his spectacular Christmas concert.
On the eastern tip of Philipsburg , not far from the cruise port one finds the St. Maarten heritage museum. Cannons of the HMS Proselyte, a wreck that can still be dived to, welcome you to a compact and informative museum, learning about St. Maarten nature, people, history & monuments.
Dance and Arts specializes in training boys and girls in the Arts and Drama
The Nature Foundation defends St. Maarten’s beautiful fauna. Visit one of their events to get to know them!
In a beautiful old plantation house between Orient Bay and French Quarter / Quartier d’Orleans, one finds the Amuseum Naturalis, ran by the Fruits de Mer foundation. Volunteers have created a great collection of nature photos, historical insights and other collections worth visiting. The museum maintains a bush tea garden showcasing the island’s medicinal plants. Located at the historic Old House in French Quarter and close to Orient Bay, this unique museum showcases the nature and heritage of St. Martin. In addition to the bush tea garden, you can enjoy the open-air Amuseum exhibit hall, agriculture displays, poetry exhibits and more. Find out what future initiatives are planned or become a volunteer during your stay! See here for our online exhibition of the nature photography of one of its board members, Mark Yokoyama.
The Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) Foundation is an independent non-profit founded in 2000 with the mission of protecting the Caribbean environment through research, restoration, education and advocacy. EPIC is a results-driven organization that works on challenging, under-addressed issues through holistic programs resulting in strategic community-based actions.
EPIC devised an array of professional hiking trails, yours to explore!
We are a voluntary organization that assist mariners and sea goers in need in and around the waters of St Maarten. Using two rescue vessels and a 100% voluntary crew we assist those out at sea that run into dangerous and life threatening situations. Our foundation was founded over 35 years ago and is always looking for more volunteers and are looking for donations from the community to be able to continue our rescue missions.
K1 Britannia assists with social programs to aid those St. Maarteners who need some extra support. See here for their annual events.
The Be The Change Foundation is a charity fundraising group that assists St. Maarten non-profit organizations with raising the monies needed for a particular cause while also promoting the mission and objectives of that NGO. Be The Change did a mural project in Philipsburg – a great walking tour!
The two primary goals of the SIMARC Center are: first, to protect and conserve the St. Maarten National Archaeological Artifact Collections, and additionally, to work directly with the population of St. Maarten, in particular the youth, to educate and train in scientific methods, while at the same time conducting professional scientific research into the culture and history of St. Maarten.
Maintaining St. Maarten / St. Martin’s pristine beaches is outmost importance. That’s why a lift-and-screen, three-wheeled beach cleaner was launched in 2021 to help collect debris from the beaches. This is a joint project of the new Beach Cleaning Foundation, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) and Rotary Club of St. Maarten. Together, they’re ensuring that the island’s beaches are kept clean for all to enjoy. In conjunction with the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Foundation, the group organized two major fundraisers to help raise the needed funds for this initiative. They consulted with the Nature Foundation to make certain that their plans were environmentally sound, particularly when it came to preserving natural habitats during turtle nesting season. You can also do your part to help protect our natural resources. Bring a trash bag with you when you go to the beach where you can collect all your garbage and take it with you when you leave or drop it in a garbage can!
Freegan Food Foundation strives to end food waste and hunger on the island of St. Maarten. We act as a foodbank, where wholesalers, supermarkets, companies and people can donate their surplus which will then be collected and distributed amongst the most needy. We run a second hand store and a vegan kitchen to support our mission.
We at Animal Defenders St. Maarten are all volunteers and we wish to create AWARENESS and COMPASSION for the animals on our friendly island. Animals cannot talk like us but they can suffer like us. If the animals benefit then we all will benefit: “Caring for animals is a credible component of providing care to people, because the needs of animals are inevitably linked to the needs of people.” —Patricia Forkan
Our main focus is on: • SPAY/NEUTER operations plus aftercare • Medication • Education • Adoptions
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