The 2026 grant application procedure is open from 8 to 31 December 2025.
Employment grants in Helsinki – grant criteria and priorities in 2026
Employment grants are awarded for activities that support the strategic objectives of the City of Helsinki, as well as the priorities of the employment services. The grants aim to improve employment opportunities for Helsinki residents, especially among those groups that find accessing the labour market the hardest.
Strategic priorities supported by employment grants
1. Employment and competence
The operations strengthen the competence and employability of Helsinki residents. The focus is primarily on:
- long-term unemployed
- young people
- immigrants
2. Well-being and inclusion
- The operations supported contribute to the well-being of residents, reduce inequality and increase opportunities for participation in society.
3. Working together and a sense of community
- The City encourages the different actors to work together to build an inclusive, equal Helsinki.
Criteria for receiving the employment grant
Employment grants are granted to activities that promote employment or the development of activities that promote employment. The diversity of Helsinki residents is emphasised when distributing the grants.
The grant can be distributed as a general grant for the organisation's annual activities.
The following aspects will be given particular emphasis:
- Number of work training days and related guidance annually. Work training must be carried out under an agreement with the City of Helsinki (Agreement on a work try-out at the workplace)
- Training, group activities and other active inclusion of the unemployed
- Targeting the operations at the City’s own focus groups in employment management
- Targeted orientation towards open labour market or training
- Results, scope, expertise and quality of activities
- Costs of the activity, such as salaries and facility expenses, in relation to the scale of the activities
- Achievement of targets from previous years
Grants can also be granted for development activities that promote employment, such as:
- Developing organisational activities for the unemployed
- Strengthening the internal competence of the organisation
- Improving communication about the operations
- Developing and increasing services to promote employment
- Opening up new channels for cooperation to promote employment
A development grant may also be awarded on the basis of a joint application by several organisations.
General conditions for awarding a grant
The following criteria complement the City's general grant guidelines and apply to all grants:
- The grant may only be used for the purpose for which it was granted
- The grant cannot be used for general administrative expenses (e.g. annual general assemblies, financial statement expenses or banking costs)
- Grants are not allocated for investments
- The applicant is required to cooperate with the Helsinki Employment Services
- The operations must be based on a financially sustainable foundation, not only on external funding.
The applicant’s operations must have continued for at least one year and be open to Helsinki residents.
Use of the grant, reporting and monitoring
- A report on the use of the grant must be submitted with the following year's grant application
- If no new application is made, the report must be submitted separately in accordance with the guidelines in the grant decision’s appendix
The grantor has the right to review:
- accounting and administration
- and, where appropriate, other activities to which the grant relates
Employment grants in Helsinki
The City of Helsinki's employment grants support activities that promote the employment and occupational capacity of Helsinki residents.
The 2026 grant application procedure is open from 8 to 31 December 2025.
How the process works
Application process:
The application for the employment grant is made through the City of Helsinki's e-service. 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?
Applications for employment grants for the organisation's next year of operation can be submitted in December 2025
Decisions will be made in early 2026, 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
Further information
Grant enquiries:
tyollisyys.avustukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
(applications are not accepted by email)
Contact persons:
Ulla Juhanko, Chief Specialist,
ulla.juhanko@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
| +358 (0)40 162 7194
Jaana Halin, Project Manager,
jaana.halin@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
| +358 (0)50 417 8835
Need help?
If you have any questions about how to apply, please contact us by email:
tyollisyys.avustukset(at)hel.fi