The NGO Co-Financing Fund 2024 scheme is launched which helps voluntary organizations apply for more European funds
This scheme will provide voluntary associations with the percentage of co-financing that European funds do not cover.
The Maltese Council for the Voluntary Sector (MCVS) has re-launched the NGO Co-Financing Fund (NCF) scheme for this year, with an allocation of €150,000. This scheme will help voluntary associations in the co-financing of projects financed by European Funds.
This fund is intended to complement and not replace European Funds, including those of the European Union, EEA Grants, Norway Grants, Bilateral Agreements and Council of Europe funds. In eight years, since this scheme was founded, €1.2 million have been allocated to it.
The launch of the scheme took place at the Brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament of San George in Qormi, which is one of the organizations that benefited from European funds and from the NCF, where the conservation and restoration of 14 paintings, including that of Francesco Zahra “The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple”, together with a vestuary to be used by the children in the Good Friday processions.
The Minister for Inclusion and Volunteering Julia Farrugia Portelli emphasized the importance of this scheme that with each passing year, more voluntary organizations are finding it a crucial support to be in a position to start projects with European funds. “We will continue to strengthen this scheme which is offering an opportunity to many voluntary organizations to conclude projects of benefit in the community, without this percentage of funding they will lose the opportunity to implement a number of projects from which everyone will benefit,” repeated Minister Farrugia Portelli.
The Chairperson of the Council for the Voluntary Sector, Gertrude Buttigieg, said that the Council’s funds offer practical help to the associations, whether they are for projects, training, participation in international forums or in this case in order to help the unions in projects financed with European funds. “The Council will continue to listen to what the unions are saying so that with our work we can continue to provide the necessary support wherever it is identified that it is needed”.
Mauro Pace Parascandalo, Chief Executive of MCVS, said that “although the NCF does not cover a large percentage of the project itself, this fund is essential for the unions because without it they will not be able to apply for European funds . Often the European funds give up to 80% of the funds for the association to carry out a project, but the associations do not have the remaining 20% and then they end up refraining from using the European funds. With this scheme, the country is gaining not only through the use of the fund itself, but by bringing more European funds to Malta for the benefit of our communities”.
Applications for this year’s NCF scheme will open on the vofunding.org.mt website from Monday 29 January 2024 at noon and the eligible ones who apply first will get the funds. The scheme closes as soon as all funds are exhausted. Two information meetings will also be held in order to guide the associations during the application process. These will be on Friday January 26 at 10am and 4pm. Voluntary associations interested in the scheme are encouraged to attend.
The organizations that apply need to be registered and compliant with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations. More information about this scheme can be accessed at www.maltacvs.org .
