Regional fund application round from 21 January to 6 February 2026

News

11.12.2025

The application period for the Finnish Cultural Foundation's regional funds begins on 21 January. A total of €15.1 million is available to support projects in science, research and the arts. Over half a million euros in funding will be available for cultural entrepreneurship.

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 Fund only offers grants for the arts, whereas other funds offer grants for both science and the arts.

The Vitality and Culture grant will be available for the first time in January 2026. Projects that receive funding must promote business and entrepreneurship in the cultural sector, for example through local events, cultural entrepreneurship, tourism, creative industries or collaboration between different sectors. The grant can be used to generate new activities or strengthen existing ones. The Vitality and Culture grant is available in all regional funds.

Other areas of focus in the January round include local cultural projects as well as spearhead grants, which are awarded each year for projects that are larger than usual. Regions may also have their own special-purpose grants.

In the January Round, each individual or working group may only submit a grant application to one regional fund. Registered organisations can submit applications to several regional funds.

January round grants

Working grants
Expenditure grants
Local Culture Projects
Spearhead Grant
Vitality and Culture
Art Together (only the Uusimaa Regional Fund)
Science Grant (only the North Savo and the North Karelia Regional Funds
Project Combining Science and Art (only the South Ostrobothnia Regional Fund)
Speak Finnish Boldly! (only the South Ostrobothnia Regional Fund)

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

Enquiries and webinars

Advice for applicants is provided by each regional fund’s contact persons, 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. More information on applicant services can be found here.

The SKR bot provides advice to applicants in the online service throughout the application period, 24/7. Technical questions related to the use of the online services can be sent to tekninentuki@skr.fi.