Organisations shortchanged by telethon technical glitch to receive €1 million in passport money

€500,000 will be distributed to the Malta Community Chest Fund, with Dar tal-Providenza receiving €350,000 and Caritas €150,000 respectively.

The Malta Community Chest Fund will receive €500,000 from the fund
The Malta Community Chest Fund will receive €500,000 from the fund

The National Development Social Fund (NSDF) will be paying a total of €1,000,000 to three voluntary organisations who suffered a reduction in their income due to a technical anomaly during charity telethons organised between October 2020 and January 2021, which had translated into an estimated €1.4 million loss in donations.

€500,000 - half of the one-off contribution - will be distributed to the Malta Community Chest Fund, with Dar tal-Providenza receiving €350,000 and Caritas €150,000 respectively.

The NSDF, which was set up in 2015, receives its funding from the Individual Investor Programme – Malta’s notorious passport selling scheme. Under the Individual Investor Programme, passports are sold to wealthy investors for a minimum of €600,000, amongst other conditions.

NSDF Chief Executive Ray Ellul told the press that since the fund was set up, it had already approved social contributions to several leading voluntary organisations for the co-financing of projects deemed to be of national importance and which would benefit both present and future generations.

Ellul mentioned as examples the €8 million investment in St. Michael Hospice in Santa Venera and a €1.5 million investment in the Caritas San Blas and Blata l-Bajda facilities.

He added that today’s announcement would help address a serious financial situation that could have interrupted the important work done by the 3 beneficiary organisations, as well as the implementation of projects aimed at benefiting the community and the most vulnerable people in society.

Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities, Alex Muscat, explained that the NSDF administers funds coming from “initiatives relating to residence and citizenship.” Whilst thanking the three voluntary organisations for their work, he expressed his satisfaction at the fact that the NSDF was able to offer them financial respite.