A J$20-million special welfare fund is being established for sports, culture and entertainment practitioners who fall on hard times

Making the announcement during her contribution to the 2022-2023 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 8, Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, said the Fund would be managed by a committee led by Mike Fennell.

Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, state minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Olympian, will also sit on the committee.

“I am engaging in discussion with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to get funds to top up the J$20 million that I have identified to provide funds for these persons who have served Jamaica and who are now having difficulty just making ends meet,” Grange said.

The minister disclosed that she would also be engaging the Administrator General and the Minister of Justice to ensure that the Fund will be similar to the one established to support survivors of the Coral Gardens incident in 1963. 

Grange said further details would be announced at the launch of the Fund.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport contributed more than J$90 million into the Rastafari Coral Gardens Trust, which was officially established in December 2019.

The Trust is managed by the Administrator General of Jamaica.