Employment grants in Helsinki for 2027
Employment grants are awarded for activities that support the strategic objectives of the City of Helsinki, as well as the priorities of the Helsinki Employment Services. The grants aim to improve employment opportunities for Helsinki residents, especially among those groups that find accessing the labour market the hardest.
Registered associations and foundations that have been active for at least one year and whose activities promote the employment opportunities of Helsinki-based unemployed jobseekers can apply for the employment grant.
The following City of Helsinki grant categories apply:
- under €10,000
- over €10,000 but under €50,000
- over €50,000.
The larger the amount of the grant applied for, the more accurately and concretely the applicant must answer questions such as the following: Who benefits from the activities? What changes will the activities bring about? What are the effects and impact of the activities?
The applicant must also describe how cooperation with other organisations and employment services will contribute to achieving these impacts.
Criteria for receiving the employment grant
The employment grant is awarded for activities that promote employment or for developing such activities. The detailed grant criteria and priorities for 2027 will be updated in October.
Attend an information event
Before the application period begins, two information sessions will be held on Teams to provide information on applying for the grant and the grant criteria:
- 3 November at 10.00–11.00: Employment Grant -info session (in Finnish)
Join via the Teams link (Link leads to external service) - 10 November at 15.00–16.00: Employment Grant -info session (in English)
Join via the Teams link(Link leads to external service)
A Q&A session will also be held during the application period:
- 1 December at 10.00–11.00: Employment Grant Q&A Session
Join via the Teams link(Link leads to external service)
The events will be open to all organisations interested in applying for the grant. No advance registration is required.
Employment grants in Helsinki
The City of Helsinki's employment grants support activities that promote employment, work-related skills and capabilities and work ability of Helsinki residents. The 2027 grant application period is from 23 November to 11 December 2026.
How the process works
The application for the employment grant is submitted through the City of Helsinki's e-services. The application process is clear and you can follow the progress of your application in real time.
1. Go to e-services
Get started by visiting avustukset.hel.fi/en/avustukset
2. Log in
Log in with strong authentication (e.g. online banking credentials or mobile authentication).
3. Fill in the online application
Please fill in all sections of the application carefully. Be sure to include the necessary attachments.
Please note! If you save the application as a draft, the appendices will not be saved with the draft. Only add attachments when you are ready to submit your application.
4. Submit or save
- Submit the completed application for processing.
- Or save your application as a draft if you want to come back to it later.
5. Follow the progress of your application
You can track the status of your application in the Events section of your e-services folder. The status of the application is displayed in three stages:
- Received
- In processing
- Closed (decision made)
When to apply for grants?
Organisations can apply for employment grants for their next year of operation in November-December 2026. Decisions will be made in early 2027, after the City's budget has been approved.
The applications will be stored in the e-services for six (6) years. After that, you can obtain the applicationd data submitted by requesting it from the division. We will store the application and its attachments for 10 years.
Additional information
Grant enquiries:
tyollisyys.avustukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) (applications are not accepted by email)
Contact persons:
Suvi Niemelä, Planning Officer
suvi.niemela@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) | +358 (0)50 406 8085
Ulla Juhanko, Chief Specialist,
ulla.juhanko@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) | +358 (0)40 162 7194
Need help?
If you have any questions about how to apply, please contact us by email:
tyollisyys.avustukset(at)hel.fi