The €150,000 fund is co-managed by the Office of the President of Malta and Arts Council Malta
Eight projects have been awarded a total of €150,000 through the 2026 President’s Fund for Creativity, co-managed by the Office of the President of Malta and Arts Council Malta.
At the heart of the eight supported projects are communities and experiences that can too easily remain outside the cultural mainstream. The awarded projects will work with young people, migrants and refugee communities, people with disabilities, older people and other groups that face barriers to cultural participation, using disciplines ranging from photography and theatre to music, storytelling, writing and woodcraft. The fund offers the opportunity for creative practice to be used to strengthen participation, inclusion and wellbeing across different communities in Malta and Gozo.
Following the announcement of the results, the beneficiaries were welcomed to San Anton Palace for a courtesy visit with Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, providing an opportunity to discuss the projects being supported and the communities they are designed to reach. During the ceremony, Her Excellency also awarded certificates to all beneficiaries.
In her speech, Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono expressed satisfaction that the President’s Award for Creativity is recognising important cultural initiatives that make a tangible contribution to Maltese society through art and creativity, and that the selected projects seek to strengthen the social fabric, making it more centred on the human being, the citizen, and their needs.
Dr Luke Dalli, Executive Chair at Arts Council Malta said “Through the President’s Fund for Creativity, we are reminded that the right to culture is not only about having the opportunity to attend a cultural activity, but also about having the opportunity to participate, create and express oneself. What makes these eight projects particularly meaningful is that they are not simply creating something for communities but creating with communities. Through creativity, they are opening spaces for people to share their experiences, build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop a greater sense of belonging. This is at the heart of our commitment to ensuring that culture is accessible to everyone.”
The eight beneficiaries are the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement with United in Pride; Aditus foundation with Jiena Hawn! Ana Honaa!; SOSMalta with Frame of Mind; Manikata Parish with Ġarar Maqsuma Jroxxu l-Fwieħa; Outlook Coop with Sculpting by Texture; Soċjeta’ Filarmonika Pinto Banda San Sebastjan with Mużika li Tgħaqqadna; The Maltese National Federation of the Past Pupils of Don Bosco with Stories Untold: Every Story Matters – Creative Pathways for Youth Voices; and the Port Regional Council with It-Tielet Spazju.
Their projects include participatory arts and storytelling with LGBTIQ+, migrants and racialised communities, creative work centred on the experiences of Syrian refugee women, therapeutic photography, community theatre, multi-sensory woodcraft for visually impaired participants, inclusive community music, creative storytelling with young people and intercultural initiatives designed to strengthen belonging within local communities.
The President’s Fund for Creativity forms part of Arts Council Malta’s community exchange funding programme and contributes directly to the implementation of Strategy 2030. It supports collaborative creative processes that strengthen community connections, encourage participation and wellbeing and ensure that a wider range of experiences and voices are represented within Malta’s cultural life.
For more information visit https://artscouncilmalta.gov.mt.
