Voluntary organisations that will benefit from this year’s marathon fundraiser L-Istrina will be announced next year after they submit a detailed plan of their projects.

The bulk of the money raised in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund on Boxing Day will fund chemotherapy but a percentage of the sum will be allocated for the Voluntary Organisations Fund. This amount will be decided next year.

The list of beneficiaries is usually announced around mid-December, ahead of the yearly fund raising event. But, rather than announcing the names, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca presented a list of criteria that organisations need to adhere to in order to benefit.

These include a detailed account of how the organisations will address one of the following sectors: children’s upbringing and education, employment, health, poverty, disability, dialogue and ecology.

The money allocated will depend on the organisation’s yearly turnover and applications have to be submitted by the beginning of March.

The chosen projects will be announced on May 4.

The applicants will score more points if their proposal is made in collaboration with another voluntary organisation.

Among others, they would have to prove they would be able to continue the project even when the L-Istrina funds they receive run out. An account of their financial situation and income must also be filed before signing the project contract.

The guidelines presented also lay down how the funds will be allocated: a quarter will be provided at the beginning, half when the project is halfway through and the remainder when the work is completed.