Charities to get £4.5m from dormant bank accounts

Deputy Ian Gorst said the funds would support the community

Charities and voluntary organisations will receive £4.5m from dormant bank accounts over the next three years, the government has said.

Funds from the Jersey Reclaim Fund are administrated by the government from bank accounts where contact has been lost with the customer for more than 15 years.

More than £44m has been retrieved from dormant bank accounts in Jersey since 2017.

Deputy Ian Gorst, the Minister for External Relations, said the funds would support the community.

"This package will provide increased financial support for charities and voluntary organisations over a longer period, increasing confidence and recognising their invaluable contribution to our society," he said.

"We are also discussing with the Jersey Community Foundation (JCF) other schemes to match fund large private donations, and hope to have further announcements later in the year."

'Central role'

Gorst and Chief Minister Deputy Lyndon Farnham said they planned to provide the funds between 2025 and 2027, with grants made to "sustain or strengthen the resilience and sustainability" of organisations.

Farnham said the JCF had supported more than 450 recipients since it began in 2020, helping charities and other volunteer groups "continue their central role in the life of our island".