The Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector provides successful applicants with financial assistance to facilitate their membership and participation in European and international groupings, associations, federations, networks of confederations and training related to European and international policies/programmes.

Objectives

• The objectives of the Funds of civil society (CSC) are as follows:
  • Help CSOs keep abreast of current developments at European and international level;
  • To enable CSOs to better educate their members on European and international issues related to their respective areas of competence;
  • Enable CSOs to participate effectively in the decision-making process at European and international level; and
  • Enabling CSOs to extend their collaboration and networking to international forums.

Information on funding

• The contribution financial of the CSF will not exceed 80 % of the total eligible costs incurred by the CSO concerned and will not exceed €6,000.00, whichever is the lower, for any one organisation. (For example, total project cost: €7,500, reimbursement: €6,000, co-financing: €1,500).

Eligible measures

• Applicants must submit a proposal corresponding to the following eligible measures:
  • Measure 1: CSO affiliation to European and international umbrella organisations, groupings, federations, confederations or networks. and/or
  • Measure 2: Participation in conferences, seminars and meetings abroad in connection with affiliations to European and international organisations, groupings, federations, confederations or networks, and participation in training courses abroad linked to political or thematic programmes.
• The allocation of these funds is at the discretion of the Civil Society Fund (CSF) Assessment Committee responsible for the allocation of funds. The Committee will allocate funds on the basis of the merits of the proposal submitted by the CSO in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in these guidelines.

Eligibility criteria

• Eligible candidates are organisations from the company which include one of the following elements:
  • Autonomous voluntary organisations not subject to the direction of public authorities, independent of political control, registered and complying with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations under the Voluntary Organisations Act.
  • Social partners or any other civil society organisation with official recognition by virtue of a law, regulation or specific administrative act.
  • CSOs that are created for the specific purpose of meeting needs of general interest or in the interest of their mission statement and that are not of an industrial or commercial nature.

Ineligible

• Potential applicants may not participate in this call for proposals or be awarded funding if:
  • They are bankrupt or in liquidation, or are the subject of a bankruptcy petition. administration have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings in this connection or are in a similar situation as a result of a similar procedure provided for by national legislation or regulations;
  • They were convicted of a breach of professional ethics in a judgment that has become res judicata (i.e. there is no appeal);
  • They are guilty of serious professional misconduct proven by any means that the European Commission can justify;
  • They have not fulfilled their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the provisions of the law Maltese ;
  • They have been the subject of a judgment having the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, participation in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the financial interests of Malta or the Union.

For more information, please visit the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector website.