Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
The Malta Trust Foundation was founded during my term as President of Malta, on the 15th of May 2015, aiming at addressing vulnerable and disadvantaged Children and Young People.
My urge to set up this Foundation, came from my lifelong endeavours in the social sector, working both on a voluntary basis and all through my long political life.
Being a people centered person, I have always been very aware of Children and Young People falling out of the safety net that Malta affords to the most vulnerable, even though Malta’s welfare state is one of the strongest I know.
The Malta Trust Foundation is interested in sustainable approaches to address poverty and vulnerability and therefore we insist on investing our resources to ensure tangible impact. We are a private foundation and operate thanks to fundraising from Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, charity foundations, funding grants, and public social partnerships.
The Malta Trust Foundation focuses on 4 main thematic areas of activity:
Disability, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Formal and Non-Formal Education and Youth Participation and Empowerment.
We aim to be innovative and creative in our empowerment programmes and ensure to give value to our funds. We monitor our processes and tangible initiatives; we evaluate and measure impact. This gives us the assurance that we are reaching our objectives.
The Malta Trust Foundation is a believer of collaboration and therefore, we seek collaboration from experts, specialists, practitioners, the business community, civil society organisations, authorities, and all other relevant stakeholders.
Our team at the Foundation is a passionate, dedicated, and motivated group of diverse professionals that uphold the necessary essential values to take our mission forward in the best interest of all Children and Young People without prejudice.
Ethos
The Foundation brings together academics, psychosocial professionals, the business community, and civil society organisations with the aim of delivering a tangible impact in gaps within existing services. The Foundation stresses on the importance of not duplicating current services and support, which are already being offered by other entities. The Foundation seeks to support vulnerable communities through initiatives that are both educational and empowering in aiding individuals reach their full potential, with an emphasis on projects of a psychosocial nature.
Projects and Initiatives
Funding
All projects are funded through corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnerships with the business community. It is to be noted, that the Foundation was a pillar in introducing CSR in Malta and in advocating for sustainable investment into charitable social endeavors. This means that the Foundation fund-raises for each project on its own and the funds-raised are allocated specifically to that project. Therefore, funding is ring-fenced according to the relevant project.
Through its operations, the Foundation also educates and raises awareness on social matters to create a national conversation, with the aim of attracting the attention for the necessary national action, as the case might be.
Operations
Structure
Bringing together representatives and stakeholders required for the effective management of every specific project lies in the expertise of the dedicated Steering Committees that meet regularly and periodically evaluate the operation of each individual project. The steering committee monitors the specific implementation at the various phases and is led by an administrator of the Foundation. Project partners, targeted beneficiaries and benefactors are a constant representation within each project Steering Committee.
The Malta Trust Foundation gives a lot of weight in terms of monitoring, assessing, and reviewing its initiatives. This is to ensure that the objectives are met, the outreach and impact are duly measured and that the projects are models of good practice as well as sustainable from a broad perspective.
This is achieved, through continued fruitful collaborations with the University of Malta, and local and international technical and finance experts, that are committed to assessing and reviewing our work at all stages of implementation and periodically. The University of Malta’s contribution is evident in its representation of various experts from the Board to the Steering Committee level and in the role of externally reviewing and monitoring our work.
TMTF is regulated by the Laws of Malta, Chapter 16, Second Schedule (Legal Organisations) and furthermore by Chapter 492 (Voluntary Organisations) because of our enrolment as a non-voluntary organisation.
Principles
Addressing tangible impact in gaps within existing services
Ensuring non-duplication of other current services and support
Periodic evaluation by academics and experts in the relevant fields
Striving to ensure efficient and effective evidence-based outcomes
Long-term sustainability of its projects
Collaborating with local and international partners
Nurturing and supporting a child and youth participation approach
Investing and not spending, and this is reflected in a lean administrative framework
Thematic Pillars
Disability
Mental Health & Wellbeing
Formal & Non-Formal Education
Youth Participation & Empowerment
Our story
15th May 2015
Her Excellency founded The President’s Trust
June 2015
The President’s Trust signs a Memorandum of Understanding with The Prince’s Trust International
October 2015
Launch of the first pilot project with The Prince’s Trust International – the Get-Into Pilot Project
October 2015
Launch of the XL Project in schools in Malta. Today this is still running on a national level in all State secondary schools and is known as the Achieve Project.
February 2016
Launch of the Blossom Project in the primary school of St. Paul’s Bay
March 2016
The Malta Trust Foundation approached by Agenzija Zaghzagh on the needs of young people in B’Bugia
September 2016
Agreement with Agenzija Zghazagh and B’Bugia Local Council to commence work on SPARK project
March 2017
The commencement of a collaboration with Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale
July 2017
Launch of Y-Assist project, providing semi-independent supported accommodation to young mothers
July 2017
The Employment Initiative launched as a pilot-project in collaboration with MFOPD
August 2017
Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Fondazione Terzo Pilastro Internazionale and LUISS University in Rome on the provision of scholarship opportunities (Enhance Project)
March 2018
First national readathon in primary schools to raise funds for the E-Cubed project. This became a yearly initiative in collaboration with the National Literacy Agency
March 2018
Launch of Programm Tbissima, Marsa
August 2018
Launch of Adopt a Family Project
August 2018
Extended the Y-Assist Project to a second home
October 2018
The President’s Trust together with the University of Malta and the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro founded the Emanuele Cancer Research Foundation
December 2018
A first group of tailor-made assistive devices to visually impaired and blind children disseminated (E-Cubed project)
December 2018
Launch of Sunrise Project (first Mental Health Home Support Service in Gozo)
December 2018
Mental Health First Aid Training to University Students
December 2018
The President’s Trust was converted to The President’s Trust Foundation
March 2019
Inauguration and opening of the skatepark in B’Bugia (SPARK project)
May 2019
The President’s Trust Foundation re-named The Malta Trust Foundation
October 2019
Mental Health First-Aid Training at Post Secondary Schools
February 2020
Extension of the Blossom Project to the Naxxar Middle School
March 2020
A food-aid initiative at the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic. This initiative provided food to over 2,000 families for six months.
September 2020
The E-Cubed project started providing tailor-made communicative devices to children on the autism spectrum and non-verbal.
September 2020
Extension of Blossom project to Qawra Primary School
August 2021
Extension of the Blossom Project to B’Bugia primary School
September 2021
Launch of Marchese de Villabianca (Centre for Music and the Arts for Children and Young People with Impairments)
September 2021
Your Device Your Right Pilot Project launched.
February 2022
Your Device Your Right rolled-out on a national level.
February 2022
Launch of the Youth Employment Support Programme
September 2022
Launch of ISPORT pilot project
December 2022
Extension of Blossom Project to Qormi Primary Schools
February 2023
ArtBeat Pilot Project (as part of the Marchese de Villabianca)
April 2023
Extension of Blossom Project to Rabat Gozo Secondary School
April 2023
Signing of a Collaboration Agreement with the Mental Health Association Gozo
November 2023
The First Annual General Meeting
November 2023
Launch of new Website
December 2023
Signing of a Collaboration Agreement with the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility
January 2024
Launch of the IDEA Support Programme