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Regional fund application period from 20 January to 7 February 2025

The Finnish Cultural Foundation supports science and arts all around Finland through its seventeen regional funds. The regional funds award grants to applicants residing or born in the region, as well as to academic or artistic work and diverse cultural projects taking place in or focused on the region. 

The Uusimaa regional fund is not included in this round of applications, as it only gives grants every other year. The next applications for the Uusimaa fund will be accepted in January 2026.

The January 2025 round includes EUR 1 million in Discover Science grants, which were previously under the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s October Round of applications. The purpose of the Discover Science grant is to spark the curiosity of school-aged children and adolescents to engage with science, and to ensure equal access to science education regardless of their place of residence or background. Applications for the grant are accepted from all regions, even Uusimaa.

Other special areas of focus of the January Round are local culture projects and spearhead grants, which are given out each year for larger-than-customary projects. Each region may also have its own special-purpose grants.

In the January Round, each individual or working group may only submit a grant application to one regional fund.

The results of the October Round will be announced a few days before the end of the January Round of applications.

More about the January Round

Grants available in the January Round

Please read the application guidelines carefully. Specific instructions are available on each grant’s web page. 

Further information and enquiries

Advice for applicants is provided by each regional fund’s contact person, whose contact details can be found at the bottom of each regional fund’s page or by filtering by region on the Contact Us page.

Sign in to the online application service here

The regional funds will hold a joint grant information webinar in Finnish on Tuesday 28 January 2025 between 3 and 4 pm, and in English on Wednesday 29 January 2025 between 3 and 4 pm. Links to the events will be published later and included in the grant newsletter. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Our new website has been launched 10 December 2024

The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s new website has been launched at skr.fi. The new website is designed to be clearer and easier to use for different user groups. One of the aims was to make it easier for grant applicants and grantees to navigate the site. This is why the sections on grants in particular have been significantly developed.

We also wanted to improve the site’s navigation, visuals and accessibility, as well as to better highlight our topical content.

As a basis for the redesign, we conducted an extensive user survey of the previous skr.fi website. During the construction phase of the new site, we also tested its designed structure with users and gathered feedback on how to improve navigation, among other things. Our partner in the website renewal has been Redandblue.

The development of the site will continue after the launch. Content will be added, especially in English, many details will be fine-tuned and further development projects will be launched. Other language versions will also be added in the future.

Now that the site is live, we welcome feedback from users on all aspects of the site: new solutions, texts, visuals and overall functionality. We also very welcome any observations about any bugs, errors or problems with the site.

Feedback can be sent to tiedotus@skr.fi. If you have feedback about a specific page, please include the URL address in your email.

The results from the Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool autumn application round – number of applicants rose significantly

Altogether 152 post-doctoral scholars from around Finland took part in the autumn application round. The number of applicants increased by 31 % from the previous year. A grant could be awarded to almost 16 % of the applicants.

The Pool has a role in making Finnish research more international. After thirty application rounds nearly 800 scholars have already received funding through the Pool for a research period abroad (i.e. outside of Finland). One third of the grantees have received a two-year funding.

During the Pool’s upcoming three-year-period 2025-2027 there will be thirteen foundations involved, allocating altogether 3.2 million euro annually to post-doctoral scholars heading abroad from Finland. The research periods vary from 6 months up to 24 months.

The Pool’s next application round will take place from 1 January until 31 January 2025, when some 1.6 million euro will be given in grants. The results of this round will be published by May 2025.

The Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool has proven to be an important instrument of research funding which has enabled young scholars with families to finance research periods at top universities abroad. The grants awarded by the Pool are determined flexibly in accordance with the applicant’s needs and they often include their family’s moving expenses and children’s day care or school fees.

The Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool was set up in the autumn of 2009. During the current three-year-period 2022-2024 there were thirteen foundations involved, allocating altogether 3.25 million euro annually to the pool. The Pool’s foundations are Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, Emil Aaltonen’s Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Foundation for Economic Education, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Medical Foundation, Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and the Ulla Tuominen’s Foundation.

Further information: www.postdocpooli.fi, info(at)postdocpooli.fi or from coordinator Mikko-Olavi Seppälä, tel. + 358 400 868 006

The new Mirjam Helin Academy supports young singers on the road to international success

In the autumn of 2025, the Finnish Cultural Foundation is set to launch the Mirjam Helin Academy, an initiative that seeks to provide further education for ambitious young singers and to support them in the formation of their artistic identity. The Mirjam Helin Academy will provide a two-year programme, and teaching will be given in intense weekend sessions and at summer courses to be held across Finland, in collaboration with leading Finnish practitioners in the field.

When it comes to classical music, Finland is widely known as a small country that punches well above its weight, a country that produces many acclaimed conductors, singers and musicians for the world’s leading orchestras and the stages of the most prestigious opera houses.

“Finnish musicians already have a very good reputation, but we also need to take some practical steps to foster and nurture exceptional talent. We have decided to make a significant investment in this new educational initiative to help support young singers in their journey towards an international breakthrough,” explains Susanna Pettersson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The Mirjam Helin Academy welcomes applications from all talented students of classical voice and young professionals in the field whose aim is to reach the very highest standards of excellence. The application period will commence in January 2025. The selected students will study topics including performance, putting together a programme, vocal technique, and many associated skills required in the music industry. The Finnish Cultural Foundation will cover all the students’ expenses.

“We do not want to restrict applications too much, for instance by imposing an age limit. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and from all regions of Finland. Attaining the skills and qualities necessary for an international career is possible regardless of one’s background; drive and commitment are far more important factors,” says Pettersson.

Soprano Camilla Nylund. Photo: Anna S.

Among the teaching staff at the Mirjam Helin Academy will be one of our most acclaimed international stars, the soprano Camilla Nylund, currently enjoying a busy and successful career at some of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe.

“A singer’s career is about much more than just singing. You need to be able to construct your day-to-day life around singing. In the throes of a demanding competition, you must be able to find a space where your own voice and experience can shine through. The Mirjam Helin Academy has carefully considered the best ways to support young singers in their growth and development. I can’t wait to find out what kinds of voices we will have the pleasure of working with,” Camilla Nylund explains.

The teachers at the Mirjam Helin Academy will be recruited from the very top of the music profession, and they include opera singers, conductors, directors, musical experts and professionals. One of the teachers will be the bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, who was one of the judges at the International Mirjam Helin Singing Competition in the summer of 2024.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation continues its support for music

The Finnish Cultural Foundation has long supported and championed the full spectrum of musical life in Finland. One particularly apt example of this is its support for the International Mirjam Helin Singing Competition, one of the most prestigious classical singing competitions in the world. Many of the competition’s prize winners have gone on to have stellar singing careers. The Finnish Cultural Foundation has resolved to invest in the competition even further, and as a result the competition will now be held every three years.

In October 2024, the Finnish Cultural Foundation announced that it will support the foundation of a new opera laboratory at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet with an endowment of 1.2 million euros. The aim of the laboratory is to create new contemporary opera by facilitating collaboration between a wide array of artists and practitioners, thus simultaneously helping to increase diversity within the opera world.

As with the International Mirjam Helin Singing Competition, the Mirjam Helin Academy will be funded via the Mirjam and Hans Helin donor fund. The aim of this fund is to support the singing competition, to award grants and bursaries to singing students and to artists and initiatives within the classical-music field more broadly. The fund is named after Mirjam Helin (1911–2006), who made a significant donation to the Finnish Cultural Foundation. She was a renowned singer and much-loved voice pedagogue with a passion for teaching, a profession in which she continued until she was over 80 years of age.

Mirjam Helin Academy

  • A two-year programme for classical singers
  • Weekend sessions and summer courses in different parts of Finland
  • 6-10 participants
  • Application period in January-February 2025
  • The programme starts in August 2025
Read more about the Mirjam Helin Academy

Finnish National Opera is to launch a new opera writing laboratory with support from the Finnish Cultural Foundation

This is a new initiative proposed by Thomas de Mallet Burgess, Artistic Director at Finnish National Opera, that is designed to explore the challenges and opportunities in the writing and development of new opera for our time and place with Finnish composers, writers, directors and dramaturgs.

It is hoped that this investment in artists creating and developing new work will serve the future of the art form, its audiences and Finnish artists, including voices new to the art form of opera.

Each year, a maximum of 12 people will be selected for the programme of masterclasses, workshops, mentorships and short practical performance outcomes. These people will then form four 3-strong teams that will include a composer, a writer and a director or dramaturg. Previous opera experience is not required.

Multiple experts with first-hand experience of creating new work internationally will be involved in the process at different points. In addition, experts will make up a panel responsible for selecting the participants for the programme. Other parties involved will include singers as well as technical and administrative personnel from the Finnish National Opera and Ballet.

The new opera writing laboratory, officially The Sugar Factory New Opera Laboratory, is named after the Töölö Sugar Factory, which used to operate on the current site of the Opera House until 1965.

“We hope this opportunity opens opera to a diversity of creative voices and acknowledges the power of sung theatre to tell our stories. The Sugar Factory New Opera Laboratory recognizes opera’s history as an art form that placed the development and presentation of new work at the heart of its social and cultural relevance. Our guiding principle is that opera is written collaboratively by artists for audiences in a way that is meaningful for our time and place”, says Thomas de Mallet Burgess, Artistic Director of the Finnish National Opera.

Opportunities for versatile talents

The main purpose of the programme is process however it is anticipated that four short new contemporary operas will be an outcome each year. At the same time, the programme seeks to increase the art form’s diversity and inclusion. The new topical and hopefully ground-breaking and extraordinary works will be presented to the public in the Almi Hall of the National Opera as work in progress.

Co-funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the programme will be launched in autumn 2025, and the first new works will be staged in spring 2026.

“Initiatives like Sugar Factory are needed in Finland right now. Opera lives strongly in time and we want to do our part to create opportunities for a competent and multi-voiced group of performers. The goals of the Finnish Cultural Foundation include promoting national and international breakthroughs. Trying something new is often a decisive step on this path, says Susanna Pettersson, Chief Executive Officer of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Science, art and culture grants available in October – watch the Grant Webinar

The Finnish Cultural Foundation supports science, art and culture with about EUR 60 million every year, of which about EUR 24 million is open for applications this October. The October call receives around 10 000 applications each year. In recent years, around one in ten have received funding.  

“We encourage people to look far ahead and apply for example for grants for long-term development of events and touring of performances throughout Finland, as well as for multi-year work in general,” says Juhana Lassila, Deputy CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.  

Applications are welcome from all fields of science and arts, either for the work itself or to cover expenses. Academic grants are particularly aimed at doctoral and post-doctoral academic work. Artists may apply for work or project grants, while artistic communities may apply for cultural projects.   

The Finnish Cultural Foundation also awards multi-year grants in all fields of science and art. Applications can be made for as many as four years at a time. The annual grant is EUR 32,000 and EUR 36,000 for the postdoctoral stage.   

In addition to general grants for science and arts, the Finnish Cultural Foundation also focuses its support on specific themes. In this round, these include applied research to support mental health in children and young people. 

Applications in the October round will be peer-reviewed by more than fifty panels of experts from different scientific and artistic disciplines. 

Watch the Grant Info

Information webinars on the October application round was held via Zoom, in Finnish on Monday 14.10.2024 from 14-15.15 and in English on Tuesday 15.10. from 10.30-11.45. Experts from the Finnish Cultural Foundation presented the different types of grants and gave tips on how to prepare a good application. The event was open to anyone interested in applying, and applicants will have the opportunity to ask the speakers questions.  

You can watch the recording of the webinar here or from the Finnish Cultural Foundation YouTube channel. 

 

Useful links  

New visual identity for the Finnish Cultural Foundation

Those with a keen eye may have already caught a glimpse of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s new visual identity. The new colours, typography and logo will be in use in the October round of applications and other communications starting from August 2024. 

The look will be introduced gradually across all communication channels. For example, it will be fully visible on skr.fi in December when the redesigned website is completed.

The new logo will be available to grantees and collaborators in September at skr.fi/logos. They can use it, for example, in their publications, presentations or communications.

Something new and something old

The new visual identity supports the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s values and strategy, which were established in the spring of 2024. While embodying renewal, it carries the foundation’s origin and traditions.

Kulttuurirahaston logon kehitys, neljä hieman erilaista tammenkuvaa

The evolution of the Finnish Cultural Foundation logo from 1937 to 2024.

The new logo provides continuity with previous versions. The strong oak tree is still easily recognisable, but the simplified logo works well not only in print, but also in digital channels, where the Finnish Cultural Foundation now meets the majority of its grant applicants and other stakeholders.

The familiar shades of green remain, but are accompanied by a wider range of colours. The typography aims for clarity and readability. The new visual identity will bring together the broad and diverse activities of the Cultural Foundation in a visually consistent package. 

The new visual identity was designed by N2 Albiino.

Anna Kulju and Tommi Tähtinen to join the Finnish Cultural Foundation

Tummahiuksinen nainen mustassa puvussa

Anna Kulju

Anna Kulju, LL.M, MSc, will take up her post as Director of Legal Affairs at the Finnish Cultural Foundation on 1 September. She comes to the foundation from Hypo, where she has worked as senior legal counsel, data protection officer and contact person for the prevention of terrorism and money laundering for the Hypo Group. Previously, Anna Kulju has worked as a legal specialist at Nordea and Danske Bank, mainly in family and inheritance law.

Anna Kulju feels that at this point in her career, moving to a new environment is particularly interesting. “It is great to bring my professional skills and experience to a new community and to meet new people and challenges,” she says.

“For me, the content and relevance of the work is very important. Especially now, when there are so many cuts in cultural funding, I am particularly keen to work for culture and science. Literature, culture, science and the arts in their various forms have always played a big role in my life,” says Anna Kulju.

Harmaahiuksinen, silmälasipäinen mies mustassa puvussa.

Tommi Tähtinen

Tommi Tähtinen, MSc, will take up his position as Investment Director at the Finnish Cultural Foundation on 1 November 2024. He joins the Foundation from Aktia Bank, where he has worked as Head of Asset Allocation since 2017, and before that as a Portfolio Manager. Prior to that he worked at Kaupthing Bank and Evli, among others.

“The Finnish Cultural Foundation is an organisation I have known for a long time, having had the opportunity to work with the current asset management team. I have a high regard for the foundation as a long-term investor and a broad-based player,” says Tommi Tähtinen. 

“The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s large investment portfolio offers the opportunity to learn a lot of new things, even though my own knowledge is diverse and up to date. I am also looking forward to seeing how the world of culture, science and art opens up through the Foundation and its stakeholders”. 

“Our long-standing Directors of Legal Affairs and Investment are due to retire shortly. We were pleased to see a high level of interest in the open positions. I am delighted that Anna Kulju and Tommi Tähtinen will bring their experience and expertise to our skilled team,” says Susanna Pettersson, CEO of the Finnish Cultural Foundation. 

The Post Doc Pool application round for grants opens

The post doc grant may be used to cover all expenses to the researcher and his/her family caused by living abroad. Instructions on how to draft a cost estimate are included in the section “How to Apply?” on the Pool’s home page: www.postdocpooli.fi. Online applicant info will be held on Aug 22th at 9-10 AM. 

Säätiöiden post doc -pooli has two application rounds each year and awards some 35 post-doctoral grants in each round. The spring 2025 application round will most likely take place from 1 Jan until 31 Jan 2025. 

The Säätiöiden post doc -pooli consists of thirteen foundations allocating altogether 3.25 million euro annually to the pool. The Pool’s foundations are now Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, the Foundation for Economic Education, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Medical Foundation, the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, the Finnish Foundation for Technology Promotion, Ulla Tuominen Foundation and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. The Pool aims to make Finnish research more international by offering young scholars flexible funding from one source that covers all expenses of a research period abroad. 

The Finnish Foundations’ Post Doc Pool was founded in 2009 to support researchers and Finnish research in becoming more international. During this time, the Pool’s foundations have granted over 40 million euros to post doctoral researchers heading abroad from Finland. After twenty-nine application rounds, already over 770 scholars have received funding through the Pool. Over one third of the grants have been awarded for two-year periods. 

Further information about the Pool and the application round is available on the Pool’s website at www.postdocpooli.fi, and by e-mail from info@postdocpooli.fi and from co-ordinator Mikko-Olavi Seppälä, tel. + 358 400 868 006.

The 2024 winner of the Mirjam Helin Competition is Jingjing Xu

The winner of the 2024 Mirjam Helin competition is the Chinese mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu, who received a prize of €50,000. The German soprano Kathrin Lorenzen placed second, receiving €40,000, and the South Korean tenor Junho Hwang placed third and received €30,000. The Polish soprano Justyna Khil, the Armenian baritone Aksel Daveyan, and the Croatian soprano Josipa Bilić also participated in the final, and each of them received €10,000.

Iloinen nainen suuri kukkakimppu kädessään

Jingjing Xu. Photo: Minna Hatinen.

“The standard of the competitors has been extremely high, and the audience fantastic. Furthermore, there has been a good spirit among the jury. It has been a great pleasure to be part of the competition,” says jury chair Soile Isokoski.

The €5,000 prize for the best Lied performance went to the German baritone Gabriel Rollinson for his Among the Fuchsias by Harry Burleigh. The €5,000 prize for the best performance of a Finnish song by a singer whose native language is neither Finnish nor Swedish went to the Hungarian soprano Renáta Gebe-Fügi for her interpretation of Minä metsän polkuja kuljen by Erkki Melartin.

The choice of the press jury was the Norwegian soprano Hedvig Haugerud. The press jury consisted of Anne Aavik from Estonia, Kikka Holmberg and Harri Kuusisaari from Finland, and Jürgen Otten and Michael Stallknecht from Germany.

The student jury chose the Chinese mezzo-soprano Jingjing Xu as their favourite. The members of the student jury were Liisa Kouvonen from Turku University of Applied Sciences, Tanja Niemelä from the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki, and Tiina Salminen from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

The Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle audience favourite award went to Kathrin Lorenzen.

The jury members were bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, pianist Keval Shah, baritone Bo Skovhus, mezzo-soprano Randi Stene, and soprano Dawn Upshaw. The jury was chaired by soprano Soile Isokoski.

You can find the presentations and repertoires of the finalists on our website:

Josipa Bilić
Aksel Daveyan
Junho Hwang
Justyna Khil
Kathrin Lorenzen
Jingjing Xu