For grant applicants

There are hundreds of private foundations and funds in Finland that support research, art, and other social development, mainly in Finland.

This page provides general information on applying for grants from foundations. More detailed information on grants can be found at

Foundations mainly award grants for higher education studies at the doctoral dissertation stage. Students from outside the EU and EEA who are studying for a basic degree at a Finnish university or university of applied sciences can apply for support for tuition fees from their own educational institutions.

At the end of this page, we have compiled instructions for grant recipients and payers, as well as information on social security and pension security in Finland.

Foundations award grants upon application for purposes specified in their own rules. Some foundations also have conditions regarding language skills or citizenship in their rules, which they must comply with.

What do foundations support?

The majority of Finnish foundations’ support is directed, in accordance with the wishes of their founders, to projects carried out in Finland or for the benefit of Finnish society.

Foundations award grants upon application for purposes specified in their own rules. A foundation may have several different areas of support, which may also vary from year to year.

Foundations support the implementation of doctoral dissertations, postdoctoral research, books, music, films, theater, visual arts, design, organising festivals, preserving cultural heritage, increasing carbon sinks, promoting equal opportunities, and countless other activities for the common good.

Who can apply?

Within the framework of its own rules, a foundation may award funding

  • to individuals, working groups, or organisations. 
  • for individual work, expenses related to travel, conferences, equipment, and materials, as well as for auxiliary labour and other possible purposes.

It should be noted that some foundations have conditions regarding language skills or citizenship in their rules, in accordance with the wishes of their founders, which they must comply with under the Foundations Act.

In Finland, a public-benefit foundation cannot grant funding to projects that directly benefit or generate profit for a limited group of people.

How do I apply for a grant?

There are foundations of all sizes and types in Finland: take a moment to find the ones that are right for your purpose. The largest and best-known foundations are not necessarily the best sources of funding for your particular project.

Most foundations have their own website, many of which are also available in English, where you can submit a funding application during the foundation’s application period. Different foundations have different application periods, as they are all independent and separate from each other. A single foundation may also have several different application periods for different purposes, depending on the donor’s wishes.

Application forms and required attachments vary from foundation to foundation. Check the application periods and any special conditions directly with each funding source before submitting your application.

Foundations organise application information sessions and advise applicants through various channels. Foundation experts are happy to help and answer your questions if something is unclear in the application instructions, for example.

You can ask your supervising teacher for help and references when applying for funding for your thesis. References can also be requested for non-academic applications. Many educational institutions and organisations organise special courses on how to write applications and CVs. 

A good application meets the criteria specified by the funding provider and includes everything requested in the application notice. In addition, it demonstrates its excellence compared to competing applications.

What is a grant?

A grant is a term used to describe funding awarded by the Finnish state, a foundation, a fund, an association, or another organisation. The same organisations may also award (recognition) awards.

A grant is

  • fixed-term (usually for 4–12 months)
  • only for the purpose for which it was applied for
  • personal or project-specific and cannot be transferred to another recipient
  • gratuitous i.e., the grantor may not derive any financial benefit from the grant
  • tax-free up to a certain limit set by the state as a sign of the social importance of the creative fields.

Instead of grants, foundations have started to use the more common terms funding or support. The word scholarship is also used for personal grants.

The funds of foundations come from donations made by private individuals. Foundations invest their capital, and grants are distributed from the returns on the invested capital. Not all returns are distributed immediately: foundations strive to maintain their grant levels even during economic downturns, when public support usually decreases. Sustainable asset management by foundations ensures sufficient support for future generations.

Typical working grants for researchers from foundations, euros (11/2023)

Per annumPer month
Doctoral researcher24,000–30,0002,000–2,500
Post doc researcher28,000–36,0002,333–3,000
Senior researcher (docent)40,200–43,2003,400–3,600

Applicant’s checklist

  • Make sure that you are eligible to apply. Some foundations have rules regarding, for example, language skills or citizenship, which they must comply with under the Foundations Act.
  • Read the application call and instructions carefully – and follow the instructions and deadlines provided. Familiarise yourself with the foundation providing the funding, its purpose, and previous funding decisions. This will help you find new perspectives for your application and better understand how the foundation operates and thinks.
  • Make sure you have all the attachments required for your application well in advance.
  • If a letter of recommendation can be attached to the application, ask for a reference (e.g., from your thesis supervisor) well in advance, preferably several weeks before the deadline. Good referees are in high demand and have a lot of other things to do. 
  • When preparing your research, work, or project plan, be precise, concise, and understandable. Be concrete. Who will do what, where, when, how, and why? Academic degrees or professional titles do not reveal what expertise and factors the plan includes. Remember that not all evaluators will necessarily represent your own field. It is also worth explaining why your project is current and what its social significance is.
  • Explain the significance of your plan in the first paragraph so clearly and compellingly that the evaluator will want to hear more. Think big – show that you are building a solution that will change the world.
  • Keep your work plan and CV up to date. Check what length and format each funding provider wants these attachments to be in.
  • Ask a colleague, friend, or family member to read your application before you send it. Is the application understandable and convincing? How could it be improved? Did the reader remember the essential points? 
  • Be honest, realistic, and optimistic. Don’t underestimate yourself, but don’t overpromise either.
  • Check that you have answered all the questions. 
  • Are your contact details included and correct? Did you need to sign anything?
  • Send your application on time.
  • Good luck!

Useful reading

Competition for grants is fierce, so even a good application may not receive funding. Don’t be discouraged: even the most successful researchers and artists have submitted applications that were not funded.

For the grant recipient

Congratulations! A positive funding decision is always a merit in itself, signifying recognition by your peers. It is worth adding information about the grant to your CV. 

A grant means the freedom to work independently, create something new, realize your dreams, and make the world a better place. The grant provider is a risk investor who believes in your success. 

A grant is not an employment relationship: the grantor has no employer obligations, but on the other hand, no right to supervise your work. When support is paid as a grant, there is enough support for more people, whereas support paid as a salary is subject to the employer’s social security contributions.

When the foundation announces its decision, you will receive more detailed instructions on the next steps for receiving the funding. 

Joy shared is joy doubled: everyone appreciates gratitude. Sharing your joy about a positive funding decision on social media, for example, will also delight the funding provider. Be sure to inform your referee afterwards, especially about a positive decision.

Take care of your statutory MYEL insurance from Mela. Be prepared to check your pre-filled tax return for matters related to the grant and to make any necessary expense deductions.

Funding providers also require or at least appreciate being mentioned when the results of the project are published. Many foundations have logos and names in different languages on their websites for use in publications, for example. A simple statement such as “This work was supported by the XX Fund and the NN Foundation” is also ethical, even if it is not specifically required.

Remember to submit the utilisation report for the funding requested by the funder in due course. For many foundations, submitting a utilisation report is a condition for future grant awards.

Why didn’t I receive funding?

Competition for grants is fierce, which is why even a good application may not receive funding. Approval rates vary depending on the application round, foundation, and field of support. For example, the Kone Foundation awarded grants to 5.2% of applications in its 2024 general application round.

Don’t be discouraged: even the most successful researchers and artists have submitted applications that were not funded.

Applying for funding is a skill that can be learned. Even an application that has been rejected can benefit your own project by improving your ability to communicate your work and expertise. These skills are needed in other areas besides applying for foundation funding. 

For funders, evaluating applications always means choosing between equally good but completely different applications. There is no definitive right or wrong order among the best applicants. Foundations then have to consider their priorities, take risks, look at the big picture, and make choices and rejections. 

Foundations know that applicants want personal feedback. Some foundations do provide feedback, but not all foundations (especially large ones that receive up to 10,000 applications per year) have the resources to do so. A peer review system means that applications are evaluated by leading experts in their fields alongside their main duties. It is also in the interests of foundations that their best experts are able to take on the role of evaluators.

“– when I received a grant from the foundation based on my own application, which I had completed on my own, it increased my self-confidence. Before that, I was perhaps more inclined to think that everything (being hired for the project, funding from the faculty’s doctoral school) happened only because of the kindness of my supervisors.”

Anni Piironen, Minni Matikainen & Minna Maunula, ”Doctoral researchers in the academic world.” Aikuiskasvatus 3/2022

Social security and pension security for grant recipients

In Finland, grant recipients have only been covered by social security and pension security since 2009. The reform was achieved through the long-term advocacy work of foundations and research and arts associations.

Recipients of research and arts grants receive employment pension insurance from Mela. Mela also provides security in the event of accident, illness or incapacity for work.

According to the law, grant recipients need MYEL insurance if

  • they are covered by Finnish social security,
  • they have received a working grant from Finland,
  • their research or artistic work takes place in Finland,
  • the work lasts at least four months, and
  • the grant is converted into an annual income of €4,712 or more (in 2026).

The insurance covers both individuals who have received an individual grant and those working in a grant-funded working group. Under certain conditions, the insurance also covers grant-funded work abroad and foreign nationals working in Finland on a grant.

The grant recipient must contact Mela themselves to obtain insurance. The grant awarding body must notify Mela when it has awarded a grant to a recipient that meets the conditions for insurance in terms of duration and amount.

Insurance is not required if the grant is intended for

  • undergraduate studies or 
  • solely to cover expenses (e.g., travel grant). 

Persons under the age of 18, over the age of 68, or receiving old-age pension are not eligible for MYEL insurance. Statutory insurance premiums are approximately 11–14% of the grant amount. 

Persons insured under MYEL must also pay health care and daily allowance contributions in connection with taxation, even if the grant is tax-free income.

The insurance sometimes causes annoyance among grant recipients, as it reduces the amount of the grant they receive. However, the insurance provides important security and is quite affordable compared to many other groups. Grant recipients can also deduct a large portion of their insurance premiums from their taxes.

Regulations concerning pension insurance and social security may change, and their interpretation may vary to some extent. In cases where there is any uncertainty, please contact Mela directly for guidance.

Read more

Make sure you take out MYEL insurance and be prepared to check your tax return for matters related to your grant.

Taxation

Instructions for grant payers and recipients

Scholarships or other grants received for studies, research, or artistic activities, as well as awards received in recognition of research, artistic, or charitable activities, are generally tax-exempt in Finland. In certain cases, this income may be taxable. Taxation is determined as follows:

  • Scholarships, study grants, and other grants awarded by the state, a municipality, another public entity, or the Nordic Council are tax-exempt.
  • Awards received in recognition of research, artistic, and charitable activities are tax-exempt income if the award is received from an independent awarding body (see below for more information).
  • Scholarships, study grants, and other grants received from a foundation or fund, as well as from a registered association, for example, are taxable income to the extent that the total amount of all scholarships, other grants, and study grants received by the taxpayer in the 2025 tax year (including those granted by the entities mentioned in section 1) exceeds €26,988.24 (1.1.–30.9.2026) after deduction of expenses.

In Finland, the tax-free grant limit is the same as the annual amount of the state artist grant, which is confirmed by the Arts Promotion Center. It is always worth checking the amount, as the sums change annually. The following chart presents the amounts per annum:

1.10.–31.12.2026EUR 27,555.00
1.1.–30.9.2026EUR 26,988.24
1.7.2025–31.12.2025EUR 26,988.24
1.3.2024–31.6.2025EUR 26,355.60
1.1.–29.2.2024EUR 25,838.76

Awards – taxation

An award received in recognition of research, artistic, or charitable work is tax-exempt income if the award is granted by an independent body. This is the case even if the award amount exceeds the annual amount of the state artist grant referred to in Section 82(2) of the Income Tax Act. Furthermore, recognition awards are not included when assessing whether the maximum tax-exempt amount for other grants and scholarships has been reached.

Currently, only the Tax Administration assesses recognition awards for tax purposes.

The change that came into force in the beginning of 2023 has standardised and streamlined the taxation procedure for recognition awards and reduced the administrative work of award recipients and the awarding party.

Tax return

Pre-filled tax return for grant recipients

Grants are shown on the recipient’s pre-filled tax return in OmaVero in accordance with the information provided by the grant payer. Grant recipients must only report to the tax authorities information on grants, scholarships, and awards that are missing from the pre-filled tax return or are incorrect. This applies to both taxable and tax-exempt grants.

Scholarships, study grants, other grants, and awards are considered income for the tax year in which they are paid.

The grant recipient must also report any expenses incurred in connection with the grant work on the pre-filled tax return. Deductible expenses include, for example, a home office deduction, work equipment, and travel expenses related to the grant. Expenses are itemised according to whether they are related to taxable or tax-exempt grants.

Uncertainty has been caused by grants received from private funders, which appear as taxable on the pre-filled tax return, even though they do not affect the final tax calculation and therefore do not affect the tax payable if the total amount of the grants after deductions does not exceed the annual amount of the state artist grant.

In this respect, the grant recipient does not need to correct their pre-filled tax return. However, if the total amount of grants exceeds the annual amount of the state artist grant, the excess portion of grants from private entities is taxable income, to which deductions may still be applied. In this case, the taxable portion of the grant is already marked on the pre-filled tax return after the text “total taxable portion of grants.”

Tax regulations are subject to change and their interpretation may vary to some extent. In cases of uncertainty, please contact the tax authorities directly for guidance.

Annual report by the grant payer

The grant provider must report scholarships and grants paid to natural persons to the tax administration when the payment to the same person is at least EUR 1,000 per year.

The report must include the name of the grant recipient, their personal identification number, the amount paid, and the type of grant, i.e., whether it is a project grant, a working grant, or an award.

Annual declaration of grants paid to a research or working group

A grant received by a research or working group may appear in its entirety as income on the pre-filled tax return of only one person. This may have happened if the grant awarded to the working group has been reported in full under the name of the person in charge, even though there are several recipients.

A similar problem may arise in a situation where the entire amount of the grant has been reported on the annual tax return under the name of the person in charge of the research group. However, in practice, the grant has been paid to the research institute or university, which has then used it to pay the research group’s salaries for the grant period and cover the group’s other expenses.

In this case, the head of the research or working group must correct their pre-filled tax return and enter only their own share of the grant as the grant amount, mentioning that the grant was paid to the group. If the leader has not received the income in question in the form of a grant, the grant income in question can be removed entirely from the pre-filled tax return. Other members of the group must indicate their own share of the grant on their own tax returns. The easiest way to correct a pre-filled tax return is in MyTax portal.

Read more

Annual declaration on a paid grant, instructions for filling in 2025 on the Tax Administration pages (in Finnish)

Taxes and payments for auxiliary workers

If the grant recipient hires auxiliary labour, the grant recipient must fulfill the employer’s obligations. In Finland, the employer is responsible for social security contributions, pension, accident and unemployment insurance, the employee’s annual leave benefits, the payment of wages and holiday pay, and tax withholding.

If the grant recipient uses a self-employed person (e.g., a translator or private laboratory) to perform the work, this does not constitute auxiliary labour in an employment relationship. The entrepreneur invoices the grant recipient for the service and the entrepreneur is responsible for the social security of their employees and other employer obligations related to the employment relationship.

Further information on employment pension contributions is available from the Finnish Centre for Pensions and various pension insurance companies. Information on accident insurance, employee unemployment insurance contributions, and employer unemployment insurance contributions is available from accident insurance companies.

Tax and social security regulations are subject to change and their interpretation may vary to some extent. If you are unsure about anything, ask the tax authority or insurance company for guidance.

Read more