General guidelines for youth activity grants

The Youth Sub-committee does not award grants for youth activities in organisations with the right to tax, the youth activities of trade unions, student organisations, or statutory student unions.

As a starting point, the Youth Sub-committee’s grants are intended to assist rather than maintain operations, which means that every association must also have its own fundraising to carry out operations. To be eligible for a grant, the activities to be supported must support the mission of youth services and complement and diversify youth services in the City of Helsinki.

Additionally, the following are general conditions for youth activity grants:

• The activities to be supported must be directed at children or youth in Helsinki. The starting point for the grant is that 2/3 of the members and active participants must be Helsinki residents under the age of 29 (except for holiday camp grants), and the applicant must be a Helsinki resident. Each type of grant has more detailed membership specifications and eligibility criteria.
• The grant can only be used for the purpose stated in the grant decision. If the grant decision does not specify the purpose, the grant must be used for the purpose stated in the application.
• Grants will not be awarded for redistribution to other organisations or individuals.
• Grants will not be awarded to central or national organisations.
• The city has the right to use the awarded grant to recover debts incurred by the assisted organisation.
• The grant is awarded on condition that the grant funds are returned on demand if they are used for purposes other than those for which they were requested, if the conditions for their use are not met, or if the beneficiary has provided Youth Services with incorrect or incomplete information for the grant.
• Grants will not be awarded for the same purpose from two or more designated budgets within the city.
• Grants will not be awarded for the same purpose from two or more types of Youth Sub-committee grants.
• The grant must be used during the calendar year in which it is awarded.
• In the event of exceptional general circumstances, the Youth Sub-committee may exercise its discretion when awarding grants.

Grants are only awarded on application.

Applications are processed by the Youth Services Partnership Unit. Application processing is based on an overall assessment and the extent to which the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for youth activity grants. Grants are discretionary; only holiday camp grants include a calculated component. The length of the processing time depends on the grant for which you are applying. For example, applications for operating grants are due by the end of February, and a decision is usually made at the end of May. We process a large number of applications at that time. For example, individual project grant applications from youth activity groups can be processed quickly, taking as little as 2–3 weeks.

Decision-making

The Culture and Leisure Committee’s Youth Sub-committee decides on grants for youth activities. The Youth Sub-committee has delegated decisions on project grants, operating and hiring grant advances and grant recoveries of up to €3,000 to the Partnership Manager of Youth Services. However, the Youth Sub-committee always decides on start-up grants for new youth associations.

Notification of the grant decision

Applicants will be informed of the decision in writing to the postal address provided in their application. If an applicant’s grant application has been rejected, the decision will also state the reasons for the rejection. Along with the decision, all grant applicants will also receive instructions on filing a claim for a revised decision.    

Payment of grants

Grants and grant advances are paid following the City of Helsinki’s general guidelines. Grants will be paid into an account at a financial institution specified by the association or activity group or against acceptable invoices or supporting documents. The grant decision-maker will decide on the payment method. 

Grants decided on and delegated by the Youth Sub-committee are approved for payment by the Partnership Manager. The Youth Sub-committee has the right to recover debts from awarded grants. The Youth Services Partnership Unit monitors compliance with the guidelines for using the grant. If the beneficiary violates the terms of the grant, we may require repayment of the grant.

We can only pay grants into Finnish bank accounts.