Bancaja awards aid for social & assistance projects in Albacete

Bancaja, following its history of supporting social services and actions, has given its awards for the winning projects of the “2007 Competition for Aid to Associations of Public and Social Interest” in the province of Albacete, in a ceremony held today at the seat of the Provincial Government of Albacete.

160 associations were selected in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, 14 of which belong to Castilla-La Mancha and 9 belong to the province of Albacete.

The funds were allocated in a variety of fields, including: physical, mental and sense impairments; substance abuse; young people, minors and family; marginalisation; ethnic minorities; women; the elderly; and actions to conserve cultural heritage.

This year’s edition of the grant programme saw an increase in the number of associations receiving funding, as well as in the total amount awarded. Indeed, the deadline for the submission of proposals had to be extended to accommodate the massive response to the call.

The jury responsible for choosing the grant recipients was made up of experts from Bancaja’s Central Services, media professionals, university lecturers and members of the Bancaja Foundation’s Standing Committee. In the evaluation of the projects, special value was placed on the social usefulness, quality, timeliness, suitability to social needs and innovative nature of the different initiatives.

This year, Bancaja will be dedicating 74,7 million euros to its social projects fund, the Obra Social, an increase of 25%, making it Spain’s third-biggest contributor in terms of funds and also the institution with the greatest percentage growth in its budget for this year.

The list of the awarded associations in Albacete is provided below: