The grant is a discretionary special grant aimed at activities that promote the wellbeing and functional capacity of elderly people in Helsinki. Associations and foundations can apply for the grant. The application period is from January 13 to February 7, 2025, until 16.00. The Sports Sub-committee will decide on the projects to be funded at its meeting on April 10, 2025.
The goal of the grant is to improve the opportunities of elderly persons living at home to be active and lead a good life rich in experiences. Preventive measures that enhance wellbeing address the challenges posed by the ageing population.
The grant has been prepared in cooperation with Cultural Services in the Culture and Leisure Division. In 2026, the appropriation for grants for the promotion of sport and physical activity for the elderly is EUR 700,000. The grants are funded from escheats managed by the City of Helsinki.
Applicants must comply with the general grant allocation guidelines of the City of Helsinki when applying for, using and reporting on grants.
Legally authorised registered associations and foundations can apply for the grant.
Project partners may include unregistered organisations, action groups and groups not based in Helsinki, as well as companies. The forms and roles of the cooperation must be described in the application.
The grant is a discretionary grant for projects that promote physical activities supporting the wellbeing and functional capacity of the elderly. The goal of the grant is to improve the opportunities of elderly persons living at home to be active and lead a good life rich in experiences, where they are active participants.
The activities must be open to elderly Helsinki residents who belong to the project’s target group and cannot be directed exclusively to the organization’s own members. The target group’s activities should primarily include elderly Helsinki residents living at home.
The activities must be either reasonably priced or free of charge for participants.
Projects receiving grants must promote one or more of the following objectives. The objectives are alternative. Project plans must include concrete measures to advance each selected objective. The objectives are:
- Increasing opportunities for physical activity in the local environment and region
- Increasing volunteer and peer activities to encourage older people to be physically active
- Increasing digital and remote activities that promote physical activity
- Improving mental well-being and reducing loneliness through physical activity
- Increasing intergenerational activities and encounters through physical activity
- Increasing consideration of diversity and multiculturalism in physical activity programs for older people
In addition to measures aligned with the project’s objectives, the following themes will be emphasized when comparing applications:
- Accessibility of activities
- Strengthening older people’s participation and agency
- Utilizing new partnerships and operational models to increase physical activity among older people
- Scope of the project
- Planning and realism of the financial and operational plan
- Applicant’s own funding share and any other funding for the activities
- Continuity of activities after the project period
Projects running during the 2025–2026 period may apply for continued funding for their activities if the need for continuity is clearly justified in the grant application. Projects that started in 2021 and 2022 may still receive funding in 2026 for compelling reasons. In such cases, the funding must be based on embedding the operational models created in the projects as permanent activities within the applicant or a partner organization, and funding can only be granted for one year.
In the 2026 call for applications, grants can be applied for a period of 1–3 years. Payment of a multi-year grant in subsequent years is conditional on the project progressing according to its plan and the allocation of grant funds for the same purpose.
The grant can be used for costs arising from the project that are not direct basic operating costs of the organization. Activities supported by the grant cannot be part of the association’s core operations. Projects must include a self-financing component.
Projects will be assessed in the 2026 call for applications in three categories based on the amount of the requested grant and the duration of the funding decision. The categories and their differing minimum requirements are defined in the following section.
In addition, the following guidelines apply to the awarding of grants:
- Shared grant allocation principles of the Culture and Leisure Division 12 December 2023(Link leads to external service) (in Finnish)
- City of Helsinki’s general guidelines for grants and city-wide partnership principles for cooperation with associations(Link leads to external service)
Project Evaluation Categories
Applications are assessed in three categories depending on the amount of funding requested for one year. Different categories have different requirements:
In the 2026 call, grants of €5,000–€19,999 are awarded for one year at a time. Projects in this category must promote at least one of the alternative objectives listed above, and the self-financing share or other funding must be at least 5% of the project costs.
In the 2026 call, grants of €20,000–€49,999 per year can be applied for projects lasting 1–3 years. Projects in this category must promote at least two of the alternative objectives listed above, and the self-financing share or other funding must be at least 10% of the project costs.
In the 2026 call, grants of €50,000–€80,000 per year can be applied for projects lasting 2–3 years. Projects in this category must promote at least three of the alternative objectives listed above, and the self-financing share or other funding must be at least 15% of the project costs. In addition, projects must aim to develop new permanent operating models and cooperation networks, address an identified need or structural challenge in services for older people, and participate in sharing good practices developed in the projects and in possible regional cooperation networks. These projects must include in the application a concrete plan for embedding the activities.
All projects receiving at least €20,000 per year must participate in an impact assessment of the overall grant scheme, which includes collecting participant feedback. In addition, projects receiving at least €20,000 per year must be implemented in one or more of the need-based selected districts (listed below) or in their immediate vicinity.
| Grant Amount | Grant can be awarded for | Project must promote at least (objectives) | Self-financing share (of costs) | Need-based targeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €5,000 – €19,999 | One year at a time | 1 | 5 % | Priority given to defined areas |
| €20,000 – €49,999 | 1–3 years at a time | 2 | 10 % | Grants only for defined areas |
| €50,000 – €80,000 | 2–3 years at a time | 3 | 15 % | Grants only for defined areas |
Regional Targeting of Projects
Projects receiving at least €20,000 per year must be implemented in one or more of the following need-based selected districts or in their immediate vicinity:
- Eastern major district: Mellunkylä, Myllypuro, Vartiokylä, Vuosaari
- Southeastern major district: Herttoniemi, Laajasalo
- Northeastern major district: Jakomäki, Latokartano, Malmi, Puistola, Pukinmäki, Suutarila
- Northern major district: Maunula, Oulunkylä
- Western major district: Haaga, Kaarela, Munkkiniemi, Pitäjänmäki, Reijola
- Central major district: Alppiharju, Kallio, Pasila, Vallila, Vanhakaupunki
When granting subsidies under €20,000, the above-mentioned need-based areas are prioritized, but funding can also be granted for activities organized elsewhere in Helsinki.
In addition, in the comparison of applications in 2026, regardless of the amount of funding, special emphasis will be placed on activities located in the Malmi or Vuosaari districts.
The application period opens in the city’s electronic grants service on March 9, 2026, and closes on April 2, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. To apply for the grant, the application form must be completed. Late applications will be rejected. It is recommended to submit the application before the final deadline, as the service may experience congestion.
Click here for instructions on how to use the e-services to apply for a grant and how to log in.
In exceptional cases, the grant application may be submitted to the City Register Office at City of Helsinki Register Office, Culture and Leisure Division/Sports, PO Box 10, FI-00099 City of Helsinki, Finland (street address: City Hall, Pohjoisesplanadi 11–13). Applications submitted to the City Register Office must arrive by 15.00 on the last day of the application period.
If the applicant has not previously applied for any grants from the City of Helsinki or if any of the relevant information has changed, the following documents must be submitted via the e-services:
- Statutes of the organisation
- A notice from the bank on the account holder or a copy of a bank statement (the applicant must have its own Finnish bank account into which the grant will be paid)
- An extract from the Register of Associations/Foundations
- Financial statements and annual report (last confirmed)
- Action plan and budget for the grant year
When applying for a grant for multiple years, budgets for the coming years must be attached under the Other attachment section. The budgets can be submitted as a single file. In the budget section of the application, only the budget for the first project year should be completed.
In the Other attachment section, the application can also be supplemented with, for example, a freely formatted project plan if attaching such a document is essential to complement the information provided in the application.
The Sports Sub-committee of the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Committee will decide on the projects to be funded in late spring. The grant decisions, including the instructions for appeal, will be sent for information to all applicants.
The Sports Sub-committee's meeting transscripts can be found on the Sports Sub-Committee's website(Link leads to external service) .
After the deadline for applications, the applications will be processed in close cooperation by assessment teams consisting of representatives of Sports Services and Culture Services. The processing of applications is based on an overall assessment and the extent to which the applicant meets the eligibility criteria for the grant. All grants are discretionary.
The grant will be paid in accordance with the grant decision in one instalment into a bank account specified by the recipient. If the recipient does not have a bank account, they must open one. The City of Helsinki will only pay a grant into a bank account in the name of the recipient.
A prerequisite for the granting and payment of the grant is that there have been no discrepancies regarding any grants awarded by the city to the recipient in previous years. The city has the right to suspend the payment of a grant until the matter has been resolved if there is reason to suspect that the prerequisites for the recovery of a grant specified in Section 10 of the general grant criteria of the City of Helsinki are met. The city has the right to set off the grant in whole or in part against a recoverable claim from the recipient.
The usage period for grants awarded from the 2026 appropriation is from June 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027.
The grant may be used to cover project-related expenses that are not directly related to the core activities of the organisation. The projects must have a self-financing share. The minimum required amount of self-financing depends on the grant amount applied for one year.
The use of all sports grants is governed by the general grant allocation guidelines of the City of Helsinki(Link leads to external service) .
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. The city has the right to recover the grant in part or in full if the recipient does not comply with the terms of use.
The grant cannot be used for fundraising or for business and investment expenditure, or to increase the association’s financial assets or any other long-term investments.
The recipient must notify the City of Helsinki without delay of any significant change affecting the use of the grant.
Grant recipients are required to provide a report on the use of the grant. Projects funded with at least €20,000 per year will also participate in a broader impact assessment of the grant program. The aim is to link the projects more closely to the City of Helsinki’s strategy and other development efforts related to promoting the well-being and health of older people.
Recipients of multi-year grants must report on the progress of the project in connection with future grant applications.
Links to current materials related to the impact assessment and reporting of the use of the grant:
Project period 2025-2026:
- Measurement of participant feedback and the data collection form, link(Link leads to external service) (completion in 2026)
Grant application info sessions (2026):
Thu 22 Jan 2026, 17:00–19:00, in-person session (Töölö Library).
Tue 27 Jan 2026, 16:30–18:30, online session (Teams).
Additional materials to support the preparation of grant applications
- Background material(Link leads to external service) (pdf, in Finnish): studies, links and other background materials to support project planning.
- Studies and data analyses on the physical activity of the elderly in Helsinki(Link leads to external service) (in Finnish)
- Number of the elderly and provision of guided physical activities for the elderly in the districts and major districts of Helsinki(Link leads to external service) (pdf, in Finnish). From: Ikäihmisten määrä, terveys, liikkuminen ja ohjatun liikunnan tarjonta alueellisesti Helsingissä – Datapohjaisen, ikäihmisten liikkumista koskevan analyysin jatko-osa
- Information about suburban regeneration areas: Suburban regeneration | City of Helsinki(Link leads to external service)
General guidance and support
Read more about the other documents governing the award, use and reporting of grants for sports on the Guidance and support page.
The contact details of personnel providing personalised guidance on sports grants are available on the Contact details page.