The Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Welfare has set up a €120,000 fund with the aim of promoting initiatives and projects in favour of stray animals including the setting up of Dog Parks and Cat Cafes in the various localities around Malta and Gozo.
Priority areas for funding have been identified after consultation with the Local Council Association.
These are: cat cafes; dog parks; neutering Programmes (including microchipping of stray animals); maintenance projects for existing cat stations; veterinary service incentive for stray animals; promotion and organising of animal awareness activities; and contribution towards specific expenses such as medicines, food and transport.
Other relevant areas may be considered with the approval of the Parliamentary Secretary upon the recommendation of the LC CARE ProjectFund Committee.
A committee shall be set up to manage the scheme in an effective manner, issue other schemes, ensure full visibility and transparency, monitor the implementation of funded projects and inform successful and unsuccessful applicants with the outcome of their application, the government said.
The maximum allocation for each project shall not exceed €8,000 (inclusive of VAT) but may be increased if deemed advisable by the Committee and following approval by the Minister.
The grant shall not exceed 80% of the total estimated cost of the project (inclusive of VAT).
In cases when local councils partner with an NGO enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations and compliant with the Voluntary Organisation Act 2007 and its subsidiary legislation, the grant will be increased to 90% of the total estimated cost of the project (inclusive of VAT).
Applicants must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to support that proportion of the project that shall not be supported by the grant.
No double financing is allowed. Projects that have already been granted Government or EU funds are not eligible under this scheme.
The project completion date must not in any way exceed 12 months from the date of the grant agreement.
50% of the grant will be given to the beneficiary organization upon signing of the grant agreement and the balance of 50% will be given upon certified completion of the project as agreed by the Committee.
This initiative fulfils the Government’s electoral manifesto that explicitly promised financial support by the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change to the Local Councils to encourage them to come up with projects to further safeguard the wellbeing of stray animals and further promote animal welfare awareness among various categories of society, the government said.