The Association of Finnish Foundations does not allocate grants itself, and it cannot help the grant applicants with preparing the applications.

Foundations and funds allocate grants for the purpose stated in their rules based on an application. The foundations may have several different support areas, which can also vary from one year to the next.

Most foundations have their own application form or certain terms for preparing the applications. An electronic grant application to be completed online is used more and more frequently. It is extremely important to check the application dates and possible special terms with the grant provider before sending your application.

Working on a grant contributes to the pension insurance. Grant recipients living in Finland should contact the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution (MELA) for more details. The MELA insurance is paid by the grant recipient. The amount of the insurance payment depends on the grant, but it is approximately 15 % of the grant.

Individuals who engage in artistic work or research work are usually awarded grants by foundations, instead of funding for salaries. The grants awarded by private foundations are taxable only for the amount that exceeds the Finnish state artist grant, ca. EUR 20,000 per annum. For more information about taxes please contact the tax office. 

By awarding personal grants, foundations can fund the work of a larger number of persons with the same amount of money. If salaries were paid, the necessary funding would be approximately one third greater per person.

You can ask for more information directly from the grant providers, see Foundations online.

Funding Calls

In the free Research.fi database (replaces AURORA database), you can look for funding calls for research and arts. The database includes funders from Finland as well as foreign funding parties that it is possible for Finns or those living in Finland to apply for.

There are approximately 800 funders in the database, and it is constantly updated with new funding information. The information has been collected directly from the funders themselves. You should always check the information directly with the funders, for example on their website, where you will also find out more specific application instructions.