Grant to support regional sports activities

Support for regional sports activities is granted for activities and development work that increase low-threshold sports activities for children and young people aged 9–18. Low-threshold sports activities refer to easily accessible, reasonably priced activities that do not require prior experience, long-term commitment, high skill levels, or special equipment. The supported activities must be open to everyone, with emphasis on the accessibility for girls with an immigrant background.

Registered clubs as well as other associations that promote sports in Helsinki can apply for the grant as long as they have been operating for at least one year.

The grant is targeted at sports activities and development of activities in the following suburban regeneration areas:

• Mellunkylä
• Kannelmäki
• Malminkartano
• Malmi
• Meri-Rastila

Additionally, grants can be awarded for sports activities and development work in the following areas (basic districts) where participation in sports activities for children and young people is low compared to the city average:

• Jakomäki
• Kaarela
• Kallio-Alppiharju
• Latokartano
• Myllypuro
• Pitäjänmäki
• Puistola
• Pukinmäki
• Suutarila
• Vartiokylä
• Vuosaari

The goal of the grant is to increase regional participation in sports activities among children and young people, promote positive interactions between different communities, prevent social exclusion, and strengthen community and inclusion. The grant promotes equal opportunities for children and young people to engage in sports and strengthens cooperation between local actors.

In the comparison and evaluation of applications, the following project characteristics are emphasized:

• The project promotes sports activities for girls with an immigrant background
• The project applies new partnerships and develops and tests new operational models
• The project is implemented as a joint project between multiple actors
• The activities consider various aspects of accessibility
• The activities consider the participation and agency of children and young people

In addition, the following factors are considered in the evaluation of applications: the scope and appropriateness of the project in relation to the grant's objectives, the realism of the project's financial and operational plans, the applicant's own funds and any other funding available for the activities, and the continuity of the activities after the project period. The project’s documentation and impact assessment are taken into account when comparing applications.

The project must have a responsible person, a clear operational plan, and realistic and measurable goals.

Grants can be awarded for projects lasting 1–3 years. A grant for a multi-year project can be awarded for the first operational year (2025). The funding decision for the continuation periods of the project is conditional and depends on the allocation decisions of the grant appropriations for the years 2026 and 2027.

Grants awarded for 2025 range from 3,000 to 30,000 euros. Up to 75 percent of the total allocation for grants to support areal sports activities allocation can be directed to three-year projects.

The grant can only be used for expenses arising from the project and can cover up to 80 percent of the eligible costs of the supported project.

Grants can be awarded to applicants who meet the grant criteria and have applied for the grant by the given deadline. The amount of the grant cannot exceed the amount applied for.

In addition, the following are observed in the awarding of grants:

• Shared grant allocation principles of the Culture and Leisure Division 12 December 2023 (in Finnish)(Link leads to external service)
• General grant allocation guidelines of the City of Helsinki 28 October 2019 (pdf)(Link leads to external service)

The application period for the grant is from 11 March to 4 April 2025 until 16:00. Application form and any additional attachments must be submitted by the deadline. Late applications will be rejected. We recommend that you submit your application before the last day of the application period, at which point the service may experience high traffic volumes.

To apply for the grant, the applicant must fill out an electronic application form, which can be accessed from the "Apply for a grant" section on the left side of this page when logged into the service.

Click here(Link leads to external service) 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.

A multi-year project must attach a budget itemized by project year for the entire project period to the application.

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 also be attached to the application:

• Rules of the association
• 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
• The most recently confirmed (signed) financial statements, annual report and audit report
• A budget and an action plan for the application year

The Sports Sub-committee decides on the grants. The decisions are expected to be made in May. The grant decisions, including the instructions for appeal, will be provided to all applicants.

Decisions by the Sports Sub-committee of the Culture and Leisure Committee can be viewed here.(Link leads to external service)

The grant will be paid in accordance with the grant decision in one installment 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 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 period of use is specified in the grant decision as well.

Grants may only be used for project-related expenses. 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 grant may not be used to fund the purchase of fixed assets. The grant cannot be forwarded to other associations or distributed as individual grants to members. The funds must be used for the operations of the association.

After the end of the project, the candidate must report on the completed activities and the results achieved during the project. The applicant is required to provide financial reporting per cost centre, specifying the costs allocated to the project.

The deadline of submitting the usage report and the method of submission is specified in the grant decision.

The use of all sports grants is governed by the general grant allocation guidelines of the City of Helsinki 28 October 2019 (pdf).(Link leads to external service)

The recipient must notify the City of Helsinki without delay of any significant change affecting the use of the grant.

Read more about the other documents governing the award, use and reporting of grants for sports on the Guidance and support page.(Link leads to external service)

Information about suburban regeneration areas: Suburban regeneration | City of Helsinki

The contact details of personnel providing personalized guidance on sports grants are available on the Contact details page.(Link leads to external service)