FAQ | Grants – August 2025

General questions

In what ways have the grants awarded by the Foundation changed?

In accordance with its strategy, the Foundation will promote breakthroughs in society in the fields of science, art, and public education in 2025–2035. In the future, the Foundation’s funding aims to support more long-term and goal-oriented work and to respond to current societal challenges.

The amount of the grants open for application in August will increase and the grant periods will be extended, providing a more peaceful working environment and an opportunity to work for a longer period. Grant terms of use are also more flexible than before: for example, you can include an expense part in the grant if you so wish. In addition, it is possible to be in paid employment of up to 50% during the grant period.

Grants for public education are awarded to projects that strengthen the status of research-based and expertise-based knowledge, and promote the dissemination of information to the public. In personal grants for science and art, focus is on the grant recipient’s own career path, differentiation, and professional development. The application criteria for research grants will change substantially: grants will be awarded to newly graduated doctors to support them in finding their own career path, no longer for the completion of their doctoral research. The number of graduating doctors will increase significantly in the next few years because of the ongoing doctoral training pilot, and the Foundation wants to respond to this change with its grants.

What do “breakthroughs in society” mean?

Education is a resource that renews society and changes as times change. Science, art and learning promote education, people’s participation in society, and a sustainable future.

A one-and-a-half-year grant does not change the world, but it is essential for applicants to have a clear and ambitious goal, as well as a direction and plan for moving towards that goal. In science, art and public education, the word breakthrough refers to different things: In science, a successful breakthrough is the applicant’s transition to the career path they are aiming for. Our art grants support the internationalization and national appreciation of art. Personal grants are aimed at goal-oriented work that allows the applicant to stand out and challenge themselves as an artist. Communities are awarded grants for ambitious projects that create new kinds of content, operating methods, or audience experiences. A successful breakthrough in public education is a project that reaches its target group extensively and brings about change.

Why are grants in different sectors of art available in alternate years?

In the future, the Kordelin Foundation’s funding aims to support more long-term work. We want to allow artists to focus on their work, and support artistic work that is goal-oriented.

Our grants are larger than before, and the grant periods are longer. Grants will also be awarded to communities, and more flexible terms of use will allow for the inclusion of an expense share in the grant. The changes have been implemented based on the feedback received by the Foundation.

Correspondingly, there will be a lower number of positive grant decisions in the future. As we allocate a larger amount to certain fields of art every alternate year, it is more likely for a good application to receive a positive grant decision. We hope that applying for grants will remain meaningful for our applicants.

For what purposes are grants not awarded?

Grants are not awarded for activities other than those described in the application descriptions. Personal grants are not awarded exclusively for expenses. Grants are also not awarded on social grounds. According to section 82 of the Income Tax Act, only grants or scholarships received for studies, scientific research or the pursuit of art can be tax-exempt income. Grants and grants received for other purposes are always taxable earned income. Read more: vero.fi.

When should a grant project or work start? Can I apply for the grant in August 2025 if the project does not start until 2027?

No, you can’t. In such a situation, the grant must be applied for in the next application round in August 2026. The grant work or project must start during the calendar year following the year in which it was awarded (excluding weighty reasons, such as parental leave or illness). For example, if the grant is awarded in November 2025, the work or project must start during 2026 at the latest.

When will the decisions be made?

The decisions on the grants will be made in November 2025. We will notify all applicants of the grant decision by email during November.

 

Eligibility

When is the application period open?

Grants for science, art and public education can be applied for from 15.8. to 31.8.2025. The application period ends on 31 August at 16:00 Finnish time.

I am a Finnish citizen, and I live abroad. Can I apply for a grant? / I am not a Finnish citizen, but I live and work in Finland: can I apply for a grant?

Yes, you can. The grant can be applied for if the applicant has a solid connection to Finland through citizenship or, for example, their place of work or residence.

Are working groups and communities eligible to apply in this application round?

Yes, working groups and communities can apply for grants in the fields of art and public education. Working groups are eligible if the party responsible for the project, i.e. the applicant, is a community with which the members of the working group seek to cooperate. (see paragraph 6). In science, only private individuals can apply for a grant.

As a private person, can I apply for a grant only for expenses?

No, you can’t. Personal grants are awarded for work lasting 12–18 months. However, it is possible to include an expense on top of the working grant. For example, a personal grant of € 45,000 can be used for 12 months of work (€ 30,000), and €15,000 of the grant can be used for expenses.

Who can apply for an art grant?

The Foundation awards grants to professional artists and communities in the field of art. See the [application description for art.]

Your instructions state the following: “It is possible to start the grant work/project in December of the year of the award at the earliest. The grant work must start no later than during the calendar year following the year in which it was awarded.” Can I apply for a grant for work starting in 2025 or 2026 in this application round?

Yes, you can.

Your application description reads as follows: “A working group can apply if the official applicant for the grant is an association. In this case, the association will apply for a grant for the members of the working group.” Could you give an example?

Example:
Working group X, which has two members, wants to apply for an art grant. The working group contacts an existing and active registered community Y, and agrees on cooperation (e.g. organizing a working group performance in a theatre) and applying for a grant with Y.

Community Y is responsible for preparing the grant application on behalf of the community, and is responsible for the implementation of the project together with the working group. In addition to the project, the community will also describe in its application the agreed cooperation with the working group, and name the members of the working group for whom personal working grants will be applied for. The project budget must also include personal working grants and the share of expenses, if any, to be paid to the community.

If the grant is awarded, personal working grants will be paid directly from the Foundation to the persons named in the application, and will be subject to the normal obligations related to a working grant. The expense share (e.g. salaries, outsourced services) is paid directly to the community’s account.

The community is responsible for ensuring that the project and work carried out with the working group proceeds in accordance with the objective. The community will also provide the Foundation with a report on the use of grants for the members of the working group.

We are applying for a grant as a working group, and the official applicant is community Y. We want to apply for both expense grants for the community, and personal working grants for the members of the working group. However, all members of the working group have not been confirmed at the application stage. Can I apply for a grant even if all members have not been named at the application stage?

No, you can not apply. The members of the working group must be identified already at the application stage, and they cannot be announced afterwards.

Can companies apply? Or state organizations, sole proprietorships, and municipalities?

Yes they can, provided that the project carried out by the company and its objectives are of public interest. A sole proprietorship cannot apply for a grant as a community.

The community has only just been established and does not have a business ID at the time of application. Can the community apply for a grant?
No, it can’t. The community must be registered and have a business ID already at the application stage.

 

Science

Can I apply for a grant in 2025 for both finishing my doctoral dissertation and postdoctoral research, i.e. can I use the grant to both finish my dissertation and start planning my future career? The idea being to finish my dissertation and start planning my future career with the grant I am applying for?

No, you can’t. Science grants are awarded to researchers who have recently completed their doctorate, are at the early stages of their careers, and have completed their doctorate no more than two years ago (less than two years from the date of their degree).

What fields does the Foundation support? Which field do I choose with the application form?

The Kordelin Foundation supports research in the humanities, natural sciences, technology, and social sciences. We fund work that has societal, scientific, educational or commercial development potential. On the application form, the applicant selects the pool in which the application will be evaluated. If the application is multidisciplinary, choose the pool based on what your application represents the most. For the time being, the Foundation does not award grants for research in the field of medicine.

Can I apply for a grant only for working abroad?

For long-term work abroad, you can apply for a grant from the Foundations’ post doc pool. See Foundations’ post doc pool grants.

 

Arts

In 2025, the fields of visual arts, music, architecture, and applied arts are open for applications. My project is a musical/opera. Can I apply for a grant in the 2025 call?

Different fields of art can be applied for in alternate years. In odd-numbered years, applications are open for applications in the fields of visual arts, music, architecture, and applied arts; in even years, for literature and the performing arts. Applications for opera/a musical are primarily directed to the field of music, depending on the content and priorities of the project.

Can I apply for a grant to write my debut novel?

No, you can’t. By first-time author, we mean an author who has not yet published his or her first work. Literature grants can be applied for in even-numbered years.

 

Public education

Can I apply for a grant for non-fiction books, for example?

The Foundation supports larger entities, such as story series, publications and related events. Grants are not awarded for individual publications or articles. For example, if the book project involves an event or other element that makes information available to the public, you can apply for a grant.

Can I apply for a grant for training or development projects if they fit the objectives described in the application description?

Your project should be examined in in light of the application criteria provided by the Foundation. Grants for public education are awarded for projects that strengthen the status of research-based and expertise-based knowledge and promote the dissemination of information to the general public. Grant applications for internal development projects can only be made if they are linked to a larger objective or entity, or if the applicant can justify how the project promotes the objectives as stated in the application description.

Is New Academic Research Required for a Public Education Project?

The public education project can be an academic research project, but academic orientation is not a limiting criterion or requirement. For example, the project may compile existing research or provide information or education. In addition to the knowledge or expertise generated in the project, a key aspect is the target audience of the project and how the audience is reached.

 

Amount and duration of the grant

Can I apply for shorter or smaller grants than the minimum amounts mentioned in the Foundation’s application description?

No, you can’t. The Foundation supports long-term and goal-oriented work. The amount of the personal grant (private individuals) is € 45,000. For communities, the minimum amount of grants is € 50,000. Working groups applying with communities can apply for a grant of no less than € 50,000.

Is there a minimum or maximum limit for the duration of a personal working grant?

The minimum duration of a personal working grant (private individuals) is 12 months, and the maximum duration is 18 months. It is not possible to apply for a grant for a period of less than 12 months.

Can I apply for a personal grant for both work and expenses? Is there an upper limit to the costs?

The personal grant of € 45,000 is intended for 12–18 months of work and expenses, in accordance with the applicant’s application. The grant of € 45,000 includes a working part and may also include an expense part. The applicant determines the share of the costs in the application according to their needs. The applicant can choose flexibly and based on the premises of their plan whether to use the grant entirely for work, or to include an expense part in the grant.

Example.
The applicant is awarded a grant of € 45,000 for 12 months of work and expenses. The applicant has determined the share of the working grant to be € 36,000, and the share of expenses to be € 9000. In this case, the amount of the working grant per month is € 3000 (€ 36 000/ 12 months).

 

Appendices and other general technical questions

Can attachments be submitted after the application period?

No they can’t. The application and all its attachments must be submitted by the end of the application period through the grant online service. We do not accept late attachments or supplement incomplete applications retrospectively.

Whose CV(s) does a community attach to the application?

If the community applies for the grant only as an expense grant (no working grants for the members of the working group), the CV of the project leader must be attached to the application. If, in addition to expenses, the organization applies for personal working grants for the members of the working group, the CVs of the persons in question must also be submitted as attachments.

What is the expression of interest mentioned in the call for applications for art and public education, and what should it be in terms of form and content? Who should be asked to express interest?

The Foundation requires the applicant to demonstrate already at the application stage that the project’s partner has expressed interest in the project. This is verified by attaching an e-mail or other document, received from the above-mentioned party, to the application as a pdf file.  You can ask for an expression of interest from a producer, distributor or publisher, for example. The expression of interest should clearly state the parties, the nature of the cooperation, and the author’s interest/willingness to cooperate with the applicant. Contracts should not be submitted.

The call for applications for science mentions an optional statement. What kind of statement should be attached to the application, and how should the statement be submitted to the Foundation?

The statement is voluntary. Ask the person giving the statement to submit it using a separate form in the statement service by the given deadline. Depending on the relationship between the applicant and the person providing the statement, the statement should support the objectives of the applicant’s application. If the statement is on cooperation, for example, it should describe the nature of the cooperation.

The system does not accept an attachment. What should I do?

Check that the attachment is in .pdf format, and that it does not exceed the maximum size of 3MB. Make the file smaller and/or create the .pdf file again if necessary.

In which language can I apply?

The application form can be filled in Finnish or English. The questions in the application form are available in these languages.

Can I fill in the application form in Finnish and submit some or all of the attachments in English?

Yes, you can. However, for the sake of consistency of the application, we recommend that you use the same language both in the application form and in the appendices.

What should not be attached or written in the application?

Do not include sensitive information, such as health information. Make sure that you have the necessary permits to carry out the project, and that cooperation has been agreed upon before adding the information to the application. Contracts should not be submitted as attachments.

I had already sent my application when I noticed an error in it. How can I edit my application?

You can edit your application within the application period by following these instructions:

1. Log in to the service.
2. The status of your application is “Submitted”.
3. Select “Open” next to your application.
4. At the bottom of the application form, you will see the option “Cancel the submission of your application to the Alfred Kordelin Foundation”. Click this option.
5. The form asks if you want to cancel the submission. Proceed as instructed.
6. The application now has the status ”Incomplete”, and can be edited. Make your changes and save.
7. Finally, resubmit the application by clicking “Send application to the Alfred Kordelin Foundation”.
8. An application has been successfully submitted when its status is “Submitted”.

 

Can I submit more than one application?

Sending more than one application is allowed, but we encourage applicants to prioritize projects and submit one application per applicant.