North Karelia Grants

Eligible Applicants

The North Karelia Regional Fund will award 880,000 euros in grants for projects focused on North Karelia, to applicants born or currently residing in the region, as well as for scientific or artistic work taking place in or focused on the region.

Applying for a Grant

You may apply for a grant on the Online Application Service and provide a reference on the Online Reference Service. All applications and references must be submitted to the online service before 4 pm local Finnish time (EET) on the deadline date. Applications and references submitted in any other way will not be considered. The applicant should familiarise themselves carefully with the application guidelines and make sure they have appended all requested attachments in their application. More information on the January round of applications can be found here.

Grant Focus Areas

It is possible to apply for grants in all fields of science and art.

Regional Fund Special Purpose Grants

North Savo and North Karelia Joint Venture

The North Savo and the North Karelia Regional Funds will together award a maximum of a 100,000-euro grant to a high-quality, multidisciplinary undertaking that involves actors from both regions.

If you are applying for a grant for this type of a project

• On the field of application, select the one that most closely matches the field of the project. In addition choose all the best matching fields from the list
• On the application form select Specific-purpose grants> Combined Project of Science
• Send the application only to either one of the regional funds, not both.

Spearhead Projects

Spearhead projects requiring larger-than-usual funding will receive a minimum of 40,000 euros in the form of one or two grants. Such projects require fresh or exceptional points of view, content, quality, or design.

Art for Institutions

20,000 euros have been earmarked for Art for Institutions projects in the January round of applications. The aim of this form of support is to promote the equal realisation of cultural rights and to improve the quality of life of people in need of special support or care, through art. The work or project may take place in welfare and nursing institutions or other environments, the residents or users of which may otherwise have limited access to art. Possible institutions include sheltered homes, day centres, and homes of the elderly, hospitals, prisons, reception centres, care units for substance abusers, and child welfare institutions.

Donor Funds

The grants are awarded from a general fund and those donor funds open for application in the next round:

• Eliel and Ina Engelberg Fund
• A.E. Kalsta Fund
• Hilkka and Erkki Korhonen Fund
• Anna Koskimaa and Aada Nevalainen Fund
• Antti and Siiri Lehvonen Fund
• The Dramatic Arts Support Fund
• Outokumpu Oy (plc) Fund
• Valter and Elin Parviainen Fund
• North Karelia Säästöpankki Fund
• North Karelia University Foundation Women's Fund
• S.A. Tervo Fund

Grant Guidance

Grant-related enquiries should be sent to pohjois-karjala@skr.fi. Enquiries may also be directed to Fund Officer Asko Saarelainen and Secretary Maarit Hämäläinen-Koljonen.

Annual Gala

The grant decisions are made by an administrative committee consisting of regional experts from various fields. If necessary, outside experts can be called upon to evaluate applications. The grant decisions of the January round of applications are announced approximately two weeks before the Annual Gala and the grant can be withdrawn after the Gala. The 2020 Annual Gala of the North Karelia Regional Fund will be held in May 3rd 2020.