The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s October round of applications will be open between 10 and 31 October 2022. Besides working and expenditure grants, funding is available for various special purposes.
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.
Recordings of the webinars will be released later on the Cultural Foundation's YouTube channel.
Useful links
- Information on the October round and its special-purpose grants
- Application Guidelines
- Online Application Service
- If you have questions concerning applications, please telephone Mon-Fri 9am-3pm on +358 9 612 810 or email apurahainfo@skr.fi.
- If you have technical questions regarding the use of the online application service, please email tekninentuki@skr.fi.
Subscribe to the Cultural Foundation’s grants newsletter for application tips and reminders of important dates.
