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EUR 30 million for science and the arts in October

In 2023, The Finnish Cultural Foundation will pay out approximately EUR 50 million in grants, of which EUR 30 million is open for applications this October. There has been a moderate rise in the total sum compared to previous years. Each October, the Foundation receives around 9,000 applications, of which some 10 per cent are successful.

Grant applications are welcomed from any field of science or the arts, either for the work itself or to cover expenses. Academic grants are directed particularly at doctoral theses and postdoctoral academic work. Artists may apply for grants for work or projects, while artistic communities may apply for the completion of cultural projects. The Finnish Cultural Foundation is also happy to accept applications for large-scale, multi-year projects.

Updates have recently been made to the Application Guidelines and the application form, so we recommend careful familiarisation with these. “Primarily the Cultural Foundation still aims to give out full-time working grants, but we have made our part-time grants easier to use in both academia and art. Additionally, we have tried to ease the transition between doctoral and postdoctoral research, for example,” explains Juhana Lassila, the Foundation’s representative for grants and culture.

The Foundation is also looking to increase the number of multi-year working grants. Applications may be made for as many as four years at a time. The annual grant sum has been raised to EUR 28,000 (EUR 32,000 for the postdoc stage).

Various special-purpose grants available for application in October

Besides working and expenditure grants, diverse special-purpose grants are available for specific themes and areas.

Additional million for science: new materials and technologies for green transition

The theme of the Additional Million-Euro Funding to Science is “New materials and technologies for  green transition”. The green transition supports the construction of a carbon-neutral welfare society, while sustainable growth will accelerate solutions for reducing emissions in Finland and globally. Applications for the additional million are welcomed from the fields of natural sciences, technical sciences, agriculture and forestry, including cross-disciplinary projects. Read more about the Additional Million-Euro Funding

DNA in Time and Space

The October round includes approximately two million euros earmarked for research projects related to ancient, environmental and sedimentary ancient DNA. “The use of DNA material collected from earth, water and air in researching population history and the environment is developing quickly around the world, with interesting results. We want to promote the field in Finland by granting significant funding and bringing together research groups from diverse disciplines,” explains Secretary General Antti Arjava. Read more about DNA in Time and Space grants

Science Education

The Finnish Cultural Foundation wants to encourage the interest of children and adolescents in science, and fosters science education for all pupils, regardless of their place of residence and background. Around half a million euros is available for applications related to the subject. Science Education grants can be up to EUR 150,000 in size, and Päivikki Eskelinen-Rönkä, who is in charge of these grants, would like to remind applicants that applications may also be made for multi-year projects. Read more about Science Education grants

Art for Everyone

The Art for Everyone grant is aimed at increasing the opportunities of people in need of care or support to experience high-quality art and, in this manner, promoting cultural equality. The grant is available to artists, work groups and professional, registered art associations.  Read more about Art for Everyone grants

Eminentia

Each year, the Cultural Foundation gives out one or more Eminentia grants to scientific researchers and artists who are approaching the end of their careers. This is done based on applications. A prerequisite for the Eminentia grant is that the resulting work be published in writing as a standalone book, online publication or a series of articles. The grant size EUR 25,000. Read more about Eminentia grants

Ask about applications in our webinar

Information webinars on the October round of applications will be held via Zoom, in Finnish on Tuesday 11 October between 2pm and 3:30 pm and in English on Wednesday 12 October between 2pm and 3:30 pm. Experts from the Cultural Foundation will present the different grant types and give tips on making a good application. The webinars are open to all and attendees will be able to ask questions from the speakers.

Join the webinar here.

Recordings of the webinars will be released later on the Cultural Foundation’s YouTube channel.

Useful links

Subscribe to the Cultural Foundation’s grants newsletter for application tips and reminders of important dates.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s October round of grant applications is now open

In 2020, the Cultural Foundation will award a total of 44 million euros in grants, of which 24 million euros in the Central Fund October round of applications and 1.2 million in the March and August rounds. A further 2 million will be awarded through pools and 4 million earmarked for other special targets. The regional funds will award 13 million euros in the January round of applications.

– All Finnish nationals, people and organisations residing or operating in Finland are eligible to apply. Clear, strong ties to Finland or Finnish culture demonstrate adequate grounds for applying, as well, encourages Director Juhana Lassila from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The full-year grant sum has been increased to 26 000 euros in both science and arts, while the post doc -grant stands at 30 000 euros. For the first time the application round includes four- and two-year grants in addition to earlier working grants.

Both grant flexibility and its range of uses are being expanded. For example, unlike earlier, a grant can now be awarded for a scientific or artistic project to be carried out in addition to full-time gainful employment, provided the project is not related to the full-time employment. The scale of the project is not specified, but a single so-called passion grant is limited to 3 000 euros.

The science grants are aimed particularly at doctoral dissertation work and post doc scientific research. For PhD students, the Finnish Cultural Foundation offers an opportunity to combine a grant with 50-56% gainful employment with a university or other research institute so that these together enable full-time post-graduate studies. During the application process, there need not be a standing contract with the university; the grant may be applied for full-time work and then retrospectively changed to part-time, which doubles the duration of the grant.

Special targets and large-scale projects in Arts

Artists are eligible to apply for grants for work and projects, and, in addition, organisations can apply for grants to carry out cultural projects. The October round of applications features the Eminentia and Art for Institutions grants. The Eminentia grants are intended for reflection on experiences gained in the course of one’s career, for sharing one’s life’s work in popular form, or for work showing initiative in increasing the social significance of culture. The purpose of Art for Institutions grants is to promote cultural equality and improve the quality of life of people in need of special care or treatment through arts.

– In arts, we also encourage grant applications for larger-scale, multi-year projects. The Cultural Foundation does not determine actual emphases for large-scale projects but hopes for high-quality projects in all fields of art as well as between different fields, reminds Jari Sokka, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The Central Fund of the Cultural Foundation’s October round of applications will be open between October 1 and 31 2019. An application can be submitted here. The Online Application Service closes on the deadline date at 4 pm Finnish time (Eastern European Time). References connected with applications must also be submitted before this deadline.

Additional funding for research focusing on future energy markets or the technological revolution

The October round of applications includes ca. one million euro additional funding for research concentrating on future energy markets and/or the technological revolution. This additional funding will support between one and five research projects. The funding will be awarded for a maximum of three years and can be used for doctoral dissertation students and post doc researchers’ working grants and other expenses arising from the research. You can find more information here.

Sign up for the Ask and Apply Info Session

Applicants are welcome to an Ask and Apply Info Session, where help is available for drafting applications and any possible questions can be answered. These sessions are held in the Seminar Room of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma on Tuesday October 22 and Wednesday October 23 at 2-4 pm. Registration is mandatory for either session and 30 places are available on a first come, first served basis. Applicants should bring their own laptops or tablets. Registrations are binding and can be found at skr.fi/klinikat.

You can find detailed guidelines on how to apply and further information here.