Additional Million-euro Funding to Science

Grants open in the March and August rounds of applications may have a more restricted scope.

In the January and October rounds of applications, a grant may be applied for by:

1. a private individual for their personal work, for expenditure, or for both purposes. An individual applicant may submit only one application in a single application round. They can, however, be a member of a working group (not the person responsible) in a different project than the one targeted by their personal application.
   
2. a working group comprised of several people for the work of the group members, for project expenditure, or for both purposes. The applicant is designated as the person responsible for the group and is liable for the possible grant to be awarded to the Cultural Foundation and, if need be, to the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution MELA, to the Finnish Tax Administration, and to other members of the group.
   
   An artistic working group is eligible to apply for a working grant also for the producer of the project, provided the producer is a part of the artistic working group in question.
   
   The members of a working group are not eligible to apply for personal grants for the same project with separate applications. Only one application may be submitted for the same purpose.
   
3. a registered organisation (such as an association or cooperative) for project expenditure, including labour expenses.
   
   Grants are not awarded for core activities of organisations that are essentially publicly financed (for example, a university or a city theatre receiving Government Transfers). Grants may be awarded, however, to short-term individual projects. Organisations funded with discretionary state or municipal subsidies are generally eligible.
   
   If the organisation has not been registered, the application must be submitted as a working group.

Working grants are intended for scientific or artistic work. An individual may apply for a working grant alone or as a part of a working group. Working grants are exempt from tax up to an amount confirmed annually (national artist grant). More information on taxation can be found on the tax authority’s website.

Anything other than scientific or artistic work must be reimbursed as a salary or a fee or acquired as an outsourcing service. An individual or a working group applicant may apply for an expenditure grant to this purpose. In these cases, potential employer’s legal obligations must be taken into account and add-on hiring costs included in the budget.

A self-employed person operating under a business name may apply for a personal working grant as a private individual.

Registered organisations may only apply for an expenditure grant for the purchase of services or for salary. Compensation paid onward by a registered organization for work performed is either a purchased service or a salary, from which the employer’s indirect costs must be paid. This should be taken into consideration when drafting the budget.

There are two types of grants: working grants and expenditure grants. It is possible to apply for both a working grant and an expenditure grant in the same application. Examples of these include artistic work combined with the purchase of a pottery kiln, doctoral dissertation research combined with the use of laboratory services, or artistic work included in a dance production combined with the cost of costumes and other production costs. It is possible that the grant will be awarded solely for working or for expenditure.

In the January round of applications, the minimum sum that can be applied for is 2 000 euros. In the October round of applications, the minimum sum is 3 000 euros, apart from it the dissertation expenditure grants of basic (bachelor’s and master’s) degree students, which range between 1 000–4 000 euros.

Significant projects can be funded with large grants. Earlier grant decisions may be seen on the Grants Awarded page. They are only available in Finnish.

In the largest projects, it is considered an advantage if other financiers are also involved. Carefully thought-out self-financing (for example admission ticket revenue) increases the credibility of the project. In the income and expenditure estimate of multi-year projects, the annual costs must be presented broken down for the entire duration.

The Cultural Foundation does not fund any activity permanently.

References are of considerable importance, especially in science applications. They can also play a significant role in the beginning of an artist’s career. At the bachelor, master, and doctoral stage, a thesis supervisor’s reference concerning the applicant’s study success or work or research plan is mandatory. At the post-doctoral stage, a reference is still recommended.

The reference form can be seen in the Online Reference Service. The referee will not see the application. The reference will not be forwarded to the applicant. Neither will it be disclosed whether or not their referee has submitted a reference.

The referee should submit a reference through the Online Reference Service. Signing into the service requires the use of personal Finnish online banking credentials. Should the referee not have Finnish online banking credentials, they may then register as a user on the Online Reference Service. The applicant should provide their referee(s) with their reference ID number on the application form. It links the reference to your application automatically.

Should the referee not wish to use the online service, their open reference may be appended as an attachment to the application.

The Cultural Foundation will only take into consideration references submitted in the Online Reference Service or attached to the application in the Online Application Service received within the application period.

All grant applications are peer evaluated.

The Central Fund October round applications are evaluated by over 50 committees, which invite 2 annually rotating outside experts as their members.

The January round applications of the regional funds are evaluated by their respective administrative committees, the members of which diversely represent the culture of each region. Outside experts are also called upon to evaluate applications.

Rigid guidelines are applied to the application evaluation process to ensure utmost impartiality. An awarded grant is subject to annulment if any lack of impartiality is discovered after the decision-making process.

The applications are processed in confidentiality. The identities of the experts are not disclosed, nor do the experts justify their decisions in writing. Therefore, no feedback on the applications can be given.

Grant decisions for the October round of applications (Central Fund) will be notified by email a few days before the end of the January round of applications. The decisions on the grants from the January application round will be made by mid-May, based on the respective grant decision schedules of the regional funds.

In the October round of applications, the grant documents will be made available in the Online Service for Grantees and grant certificates will be sent to successful applicants by the end of February.

In the January round of applications, successful applicants are presented with a grant certificate at the annual gala of the regional fund in question. The grant documents can be found in the Online Service for Grantees.

The Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela manages the statutory social security of the grantees covering pension, accident, and group life insurances.

For the grantees of a full-year working grant the Cultural Foundation offers a voluntary personal insurance to supplement the statutory social insurance. The Foundation takes care of the insurance costs. This benefit increases the grant by about 390 euros. The insurance covers accidents, medical expense, and life insurances and remains valid continuously through leisure time as well as for the duration of one year, beginning with the withdrawal of the first grant instalment. The insurance also covers private health care with low deductibles. The insurances are handled by Söderberg & Partners Oy. The supplementary insurance is offered to grantees under the age of 60. The instructions on how to apply for this insurance are attached to the grant decision.

Grants are not awarded:

• as wage increments or incentive grants
• on social grounds
• to basic (bachelor’s and master’s) degree students as working grants or for student exchange included in studies
• for postdoctoral research abroad except for visits lasting less than one semester (less than 6 months)
• to cover plain printing costs
• for internships.

All attachments must be appended and submitted together with the application before the deadline. No attachments arriving after the deadline will be taken into consideration. The dissertation supervisor’s reference of academic success or research plan is mandatory and must be submitted in the Online Reference Service or as an attachment to the application during the application period.

Certificates of the right to pursue doctoral studies of applicants working on their doctoral dissertations, postdoctoral degree diplomas of applicants with doctoral degrees applying for supplemented grants for the post-doctoral phase, and permissions to defend a doctoral thesis granted after the application deadline make an exception to the attachment deadline. If the application is missing an attachment when the grant decision is made, the grant may be awarded conditionally. In this case, the attachment must be submitted in the Online Service for Grantees before the use of the grant may begin.

Files must be submitted in .pdf format. The image or audio file can be in .bmp .jpg .jpeg .gif .png .tif .tiff .wma or .mp3 format. A single attachment cannot exceed 3 MB.

In the section “Other Attachments”, attachments that have not been separately mentioned in the application form may be appended to the application. Science grant applicants may attach a data management plan (optional), e.g. using the Tuuli-tool.

The form also includes a separate section for Internet links.

Required attachments to the application according to applicant type:

Registered organisations

• a project plan, no more than 6 pages (the table of contents and bibliography are excluded from the number of pages)
• the last audited annual financial statement (profit and loss account and balance sheet excluding notes and the performance or audit report). If the organisation has not drawn up its first financial statements, an extract from the trade register or other corresponding document of the founding of the organisation may be submitted as an attachment. Instead of financial statements, a public organisation may attach a performance report or a corresponding document.
• a budget as a clear table with equal income and expenditure.

Researchers

• a research plan, no more than 6 pages (the table of contents and bibliography are excluded from the number of pages)
• a budget as a clear table with equal income and expenditure (not required if seeking a working grant only)
• a resumé or a CV, no more than 4 pages. For working group applicants, it is required from all applicants working on the grant and the person responsible. It is recommended to use the researcher’s CV model prepared by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) where applicable.
• a list of publications, if there are any. For working group applicants, it is required from all applicants working on the grant and the person responsible. 1–3 pages per list is sufficient.
• a copy of your degree diploma or permission for the defense of dissertation. The attachment is obligatory when applying for a grant to post-doctoral research.
• a transcript of record, e.g. the one available from WebOodi is sufficient, or a valid proof of right to study. The attachment is obligatory when applying for a grant to doctoral dissertation work or to basic degree thesis work.
• reference, 1–3. The reference is obligatory when applying for a grant to doctoral dissertation work or basic degree thesis work. N.B. Only references not subject to formal requirements may be attached to the application. A reference sent through the Online Reference Service is sufficient. It does not need to be attached to the application.

Artists

• a work plan, no more than 6 pages (the table of contents and bibliography are excluded from the number of pages).
• a budget as a clear table with equal income and expenditure (not required if seeking a working grant only).
• a resumé or a CV, no more than 4 pages. For working group applicants, it is required from all applicants working on the grant and the person responsible. It is recommended to use the researcher’s CV model prepared by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) where applicable.
• for visual artists, a portfolio/summary of key artwork images is preferred as a single file. The images must be accompanied by details of the work (dimensions, technique, and year of creation).
• a tentative agreement of the partner organisation to the project (along with its contact information), Art for Everyone applications
• reference, 1–3. The reference is obligatory when applying for a grant to artistic doctoral dissertation work or basic degree thesis work. N.B. Only references not subject to formal requirements may be attached to the application. A reference sent through the Online Reference Service is sufficient. It does not need to be attached to the application.

If the grant is being applied for artistic research, the necessary attachments must be viewed from the science applicant’s guidelines.

The maximum length of the summary is 2 000 characters including spaces. It must describe in general terms the purpose to which the grant is being applied for and how and in what time frame the plan is to be carried out. The summary may also describe why it is important to receive funding.

In addition to the summary, the application must include a more in-depth work, research, or project plan. It must describe:

• Background, purpose and significance of the work
• Place of performance
• Current stage
• Description of implementation
• Budget*
• Timetable.

The maximum length of the plan is 6 pages (the table of contents and bibliography are excluded from the number of pages).

When applying for a multi-year grant, the plan must be drawn up for the whole duration the grant is applied for. If the application is for doctoral dissertation work and the subsequent postdoctoral research, the plan for the postdoctoral phase and the statements regarding it must be submitted when moving on to the postdoctoral phase.

If the Cultural Foundation has awarded prior funding to the same project, its progress and the relationship of the new application to the previously funded project must be clarified.

*The budget is a mandatory attachment when applying for an expenditure grant. It may be a part of the work plan, but must still be submitted as a separate attachment.

The amount to be applied for from the Cultural Foundation is itemized in the Grants tab of the application form. The headings in the form are travel costs, material and equipment costs, auxiliary labour and outsourcing and other expenses (for e.g. rental of space).

A budget is an obligatory attachment when applying for an expenditure grant. All income and expenses of the entire project are to be itemized in the budget so that the income and expenses are equal. The budget must be drafted in table format.

• If there are several funders, the table must clearly show the portion(s) for which a Cultural Foundation grant is being sought.
• If an expenditure grant is applied to implement a multi-year work, research, or project plan, the expenditure must be itemised in the table for each year.
• If the project is carried out in a research organisation, it must be checked whether the research organisation requires overhead costs. These cannot be granted retroactively. The overhead costs must be calculated in advance in a separate line of the application’s budget table. The overhead costs may be up to 15 percent of the project’s other costs, excluding personal grants.

When applying for a personal multi-year working grant (excluding working or research group applications) together with an expenditure grant the use of which will take place during separate years, the expenses must be itemised in the application form only for the first year and annually in the attached table.

When applying for a grant to hire auxiliary personnel to amount being applied for must include personnel add-on costs (approx. 35%). Work done against invoice is an outsourcing service, in which case the issuer of the invoice must themselves take care of the related expenses.

The application form includes a Commitment page.  The application cannot be submitted without accepting its terms and conditions. If the project or work receives a positive funding decision from another source, it must be reported in the Online Application Service through the Application Management function. Other funding here refers to a grant or an employment contract obtained during the projected grant period. Failure to notify results in the cancellation of the awarded grant.

The entire commitment text on the application form:

The application data forms a personal data register in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, maintained, stored and archived by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. You have the right to verify your information stored in the register either by written request or by personal visit and the correction of incorrect information. Access to the data and documents is given to experts who review submitted applications.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation requires you to comply with the application guidelines for governing the application process, to inform the Foundation through the Online Application Service of any corresponding funding received from elsewhere during the application processing period, and to act in accordance with the plan you have presented. The Foundation also requires you to comply with grantee guidelines, should a grant be awarded. The guidelines for grantees can be found on the Foundation website.

In addition to the above terms and conditions, the Foundation requires you to verify that the information you have given on the application form is correct and that you agree to your information and documents being used in the application evaluation and decision-making process. The Foundation further requires your consent that the Foundation may exchange necessary information with other funding bodies in order to ensure the total level of funding and to avoid awarding overlapping grants.

An online report of how the grant was used must be submitted within one year of the final grant payment. A failure to provide a grant report will hinder the chances of receiving a grant in the future.

Giving incorrect information, failing to notify of other funding or other actions in violation of instructions prevents the grantee from withdrawing the grant or results in reimbursement of grant money already withdrawn.