The Employment Services' application round for small grants

The pilot of 2025 is intended to strengthen the Employment Services' partnership with organisations and to work together to offer low-threshold work try-out opportunities and temporary jobs to unemployed people in Helsinki.

Registered associations and foundations that have been active for at least one year can apply for the small grant. A total of €150,000 has been budgeted for the small grants. The applications will be processed in the order in which they are submitted during the application period, for as long as there are budgeted funds left.

The value of the small grant is €3,000 (VAT 0%) per one person to be employed. A registered association or foundation can apply for a small grant during the application period for 1–3 people to be employed. The maximum total amount of a small grant for a registered association or foundation is therefore €9,000 (VAT 0%).

The work try-outs or fixed-term employment relationship can take place between 1 September 2025 and 27 February 2026. The small grant will be paid in a lump sum after the decision during the current year.

The aim is to open the application period for small grants in September, and it will run until 28 November 2025 at 4 pm. The application proceedings will also be published in the networks of organisations. 

You can apply for a small grant for: 

1.    arranging a work try-out period for an unemployed person and offering the related support and guidance. The work try-out must be carried out under the City of Helsinki’s agreement (Agreement on a work try-out at the workplace). 

2.    fixed-term employment, recruitment support and a targeted orientation towards the open labour market.

General conditions for receiving the small grant

• The grant may only be used for the purpose for which it was granted.
• The applicant is required to cooperate with the Helsinki Employment Services.
• The work try-out or employment must be provided to a jobseeker living in Helsinki.
• The applicant’s operations must have continued for at least one year and be open to Helsinki residents.
• The applicant’s operations must be based on a financially sustainable foundation, not only on external funding.
• The grant cannot be used for general administrative expenses (e.g. annual general assemblies, financial statement expenses or banking costs).
• If, for one reason or another, the target of the small grant (work try-out or temporary employment) is not achieved, the amount of the grant awarded may be recovered. 

Application form

Exceptionally, the application form is not available on hel.fi, but instead a Webropol form is used for the application procedure.

Small grants application form (Link leads to external service) (Webropol form)
 

More information:
tyollisyys.avustukset@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)  

Contact persons: 

Ulla Juhanko, Senior Specialist, phone call hours on Fridays from 12 noon to 1 pm. 
ulla.juhanko@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) | +358 40 162 71 94

Jaana Halin, Project Manager, phone call hours on Mondays from 1 pm to 2 pm and on Thursdays from 12 noon to 1 pm. 
jaana.halin@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program) | +358 50 417 88 35