Betsson, the Swedish Live Casino giant, has now sponsored the Malta Social Impact Awards for the fourth consecutive year in a row, helping to provide resources and funding to initiatives that tackle social issues in Malta. The Malta Social Impact Awards have been running since 2016, where the initiative was launched by the Gasan and Inspirasia Foundations. The awards aim to bring business and philanthropy together, helping to drive social progress while also inspiring others to do good in their communities.
2021 marked a special year for the Malta Social Impact Awards as it was the first time the awards were aired on national television. Through the awards, the foundation and its sponsors give out grants to organisations as well as arranging for non-financial help and resources. The awards have been responsible for helping many charitable causes over the years, and as the main sponsor, Betsson has been a big part of that work.
The Malta Social Impact Awards 2021
The awards began as a way to help promote philanthropy from local business and, to date, have awarded more than €320,000 in grants to various initiatives as well as more than €100,000 worth of services, including mentoring. The initiatives that the awards help are involved in social work, including helping children, the elderly, disadvantaged groups and those suffering from mental or physical issues.
In total, thousands of individuals in Malta have been helped by the awards and each year, new initiatives have a chance to win. In 2021, the awards were hosted on TV in a reality TV-style contest. Five finalists were chosen from a long list of applicants, and each had a chance to pitch to the Malta Social Impact Award judges.
This year’s finalists included the Adopt a Grandparent Initiative, Inspire Charity Shops, a reformed interpreter unit for migrants, Project Stop to prevent human trafficking and the Thrive Education and Wellness Farm. Each of the finalists pitched their idea to the panel of judges. The judges, which included Betsson’s CEO Jesper Svensson, decided the winner before the audience watching at home got to have their say on 2nd and 3rd place.
The winner of the award and receiving a €50,000 grant was Charity Shops for the Community by Inspire. This initiative helped to reduce the stigma of charity shops and make it easier for those at risk of poverty to purchase essential items from charity shops in a dignified way. The second-placed winner was the Adopt a Grandparent scheme which received a grant of €39,400. This initiative aims to pair caring individuals with senior citizens to help combat loneliness. Finally, the third-placed winner was the Thrive Education and Wellness Farm, which aims to promote mental and physical health through enjoying nature. This initiative won a grant of €4,600.
Betsson has now sponsored the Malta Social Impact Awards for four consecutive years, helping to fund the grants that initiatives receive as well as providing support in other areas. With offices in Malta, Betsson is very much a part of the island’s community, and by sponsoring these awards, they build trust and goodwill in the community while also improving their brand reputation.