General information about grants for culture
The aim of the grants for culture is to promote the opportunities of Helsinki residents to encounter, experience, participate in, and create art and culture. This objective put into action by supporting equal access to art and culture, a lifelong connection of Helsinki residents with art, the operating conditions of operators in the field of arts and culture, the diversity and diverse offering of arts and culture, as well as urban arts and cultural activities.
The actions are guided by an understanding of the importance of arts and culture in the good life of city residents and the attraction and vitality of the city and its districts. The services offered in the city are assessed as a whole, and the grants are used to achieve a balance of their availability and diversity.
Important in the evaluation work are also the goals related to the prevention of inequality. The city strives to promote positive interactions between population groups, which is taken into account in the assessment of grants.
Helsinki awards approximately EUR 18 million per year in grants for arts and culture. Grants for arts and culture are available in the form of operational grants and project grants, as well as development grants for projects for one to three years. In addition, the city assists educational institutions providing basic arts education and organises separate grant calls as necessary.
When applying for a grant, please read the grant criteria and instructions for applying with care.
All cultural grants are subject to the strategic guidelines and the general grant allocation guidelines of the City of Helsinki, as well as the grant allocation principles of the Culture and Leisure Division.
What’s new
On the page Currents you will find up-to-date information about grants for culture, events, and grant application periods.
Read the current news. (Link leads to external service)
On the Cultural Partnerships page, you will find up-to-date information on other issues of the Culture Partnership Unit, such as art awards, tenders and artists’ studios.
Grant types
Arts and culture grants are awarded for artistic and cultural activities that are organised in Helsinki and are open to the general public. The grants are directed at supporting activities that are geared towards Helsinki residents, bring people together and into contact with artistic and cultural content, and offer possibilities for encounters and interaction. Arts and culture grants include two types of grants: operational grants and project grants.
Project grants are awarded to registered operators, non-registered working groups and private individuals.
Arts and culture grants are awarded for artistic and cultural activities that are organised in Helsinki and are open to the general public. The grants are directed at supporting activities that are geared towards Helsinki residents, bring people together and into contact with artistic and cultural content, and offer possibilities for encounters and interaction. Arts and culture grants include two types of grants: operational grants and project grants.
Operational grants are awarded to Helsinki-based registered organisations that have been operating as registered for at least one fiscal year.
Arts and culture grants are awarded for artistic and cultural activities that are organised in Helsinki and are open to the general public. The grants are directed at supporting activities that are geared towards Helsinki residents, bring people together and into contact with artistic and cultural content, and offer possibilities for encounters and interaction. Arts and culture grants include two types of grants: operational grants and project grants.
For the four-year period from 2023 to 2026 multi-year operational grants may be granted to registered Helsinki-based art operators that are included in the state subsidies system (VOS).
Development grants are awarded to Helsinki-based registered operators that are not included in the central government subsidies system (VOS) in the fields of performing arts or music.
The Helsinki Model is a model for inclusive regional cultural work which encourages art institutions and art professionals to work in different city districts in cooperation with local residents and communities.
Basic arts education is progressive and goal-oriented instruction in various forms of art, mainly intended for children and young people, which provides the students with skills to express themselves and apply for vocational or higher education in a specific arts discipline.
Development projects in basic arts education can receive grants for one to three years between 2023 and 2025. An annual appropriation of EUR 300,000 has been earmarked for the grants. The call for applications is directed at Helsinki-based art operators that are not included in the central government subsidies system (VOS) in the field of basic art education.
The targeted grants are intended for educational institutions in Helsinki providing basic arts education that also provide weighted-curriculum music education in the form of music clubs. The grants are intended for music club activities for pupils in weighted-curriculum music education in 2021–2023. The music club activities must be integrated into the pupils’ school day, and the service provider’s teachers must handle the teaching.
The discretionary targeted grants are intended for cultural activities that increase the wellbeing and functional capacity of elderly Helsinki residents.
Read more about the grant for the promotion of cultural activities for the elderly.
Guidance and support
We have compiled general instructions for the application of cultural grants.
Read the guidance and support section(Link leads to external service).
Contact information
For more information about culture grants, please contact the culture grant coordinators.