Instructions for Grant Recipients

Grant Usage Period

The grant must be used within two (2) years from the date of the award and for the purpose it was awarded. You do not need to separately inform the Foundation upon accepting the grant.

Commencing the Project or Work Funded by the Grant

The grant recipient should primarily follow the schedule presented in their work plan.

Grants for Science, Art, and Public Education
Grant decisions are made in November. At its earliest, the work or project may begin in December of the year the grant is awarded. The work must begin no later than during the calendar year following the year the grant is awarded.

Major Cultural Projects
Grant decisions are made in March. At its earliest, the project may begin in April of the year the grant is awarded. The work/project must start during the year the grant was awarded.

City Funds and Dedicated Funds
Grant decisions are made in March. At its earliest, the work or project may begin in April of the year the grant is awarded. The work/project must start during the year the grant was awarded.

Grant decision and documents

The grant decision and instructions on using the grant are available as PDF documents in the grant online service. The decision will not be sent by mail. The following documents can be found in the system:

• Grant Letter
• Grant Decision
• Brochure on insurance for grant recipients (Mela), required by law

The Grant Decision document includes the recipient’s name, title/position, intended use, amount of the grant, working period, and the award date. The Grant Letter includes the grant recipient’s instructions, and the confirmation code required to make a grant payment request.

Follow these instructions to access the documents and confirmation code:

1. Log in with your online banking credentials or mobile ID.
2. Click “Payment Request” at the bottom of the page.
3. On the next page, about halfway down, you will see blue links titled “Myöntökirje” (“Grant Letter”), “Myöntökirja” (“Grant Decision”), etc.
4. Click the “Myöntökirje” link. This will open a PDF document which you can save on your own computer.
5. The confirmation code is found in the ”Myöntökirje”, and it is specific to each grant.

 

Working grant and share of expenses

The grant (for a private individual) is considered a personal grant, not a salary related to employment or work in public service. A full-time working grant is intended to allow the recipient to work on the project without other full-time employment. A working grant makes the activities described in the application possible, covering living expenses and any work-related costs for a specified period.

Grants for Science, Art, and Public Education
A personal grant of €45,000 is intended for 12–18 months of work and related expenses, as specified in the application. A grant of €45,000 includes a working component, and may also include an expense component. Applicants define the expense component in the application, based on their needs. Based on their working plan, applicants can flexibly choose whether to use the entire grant for working time, or also include expenses.

Example:
A grant of €45,000 is awarded for 12 months of work and expenses. The applicant has allocated €36,000 for work and €9,000 for expenses. The monthly working grant is €3,000 (€36,000 / 12 months).

Expense grants

If a registered organization pays compensation for work from the grant, it is considered salary and subject to employer contributions. Organizations cannot reallocate the grant as sub-grants.

Grant payments and payment date

The payment schedule of the grant must align with the project/working plan grant usage schedule. Grants can be withdrawn in one or several installments, per need.

To request payment, log into the grant system and submit a payment request for the desired months. The payment date is at the beginning of the month, usually the first business day, unless otherwise stated.

Payment requests must be submitted by the 16th of the previous month. We cannot guarantee that requests submitted later are processed by the next month’s payment date.

Grants are paid to the bank account specified by the recipient in the system:

• Personal working grant recipients provide their personal bank account.
• Organizations provide the organization’s account. If the grant received by an organization includes individual working grants, the individuals manage their shares of the grant.

Note: With the first payment request (and again if the account changes), organizations must provide confirmation of bank details signed by two authorized signatories.

 

Interruptions and agreeing on changes

Grants awarded by the Foundation for personal work are intended for full-time, uninterrupted work and expenses, if any, during the approved period (in months). The approved period can be checked from the Grant Decision letter.

It is possible to interrupt and extend the grant period due to full-time employment, parental leave, or illness. Any interruptions or changes must be agreed on with the Foundation in advance.

Grant recipients must notify the Foundation of any changes to the project or work (e.g. changes in contact information, project contacts, work interruptions, overlapping funding, or cancellation of the project).

Submit a free-form change request in writing by email to the Foundation’s offices at: toimisto(at)kordelin.fi. The grant may not be used until the change request is approved.

Grant cancellation

If the grant is not withdrawn within two years of the award date, it will be automatically cancelled without notifying the recipient separately. The grant will also be cancelled if the project is not carried out. If an already paid grant is not used in accordance with the guidelines, it may be reclaimed. The Foundation may suspend payment if the recipient violates the Foundation’s guidelines for grant recipients.

Part-Time Employment During Grant Period

During the grant period, you may work up to 50% of full time in paid employment.. Please note that working elsewhere during the grant period does not affect the grant’s duration. The recipient must independently determine the grant’s impact on their other income, social security benefits, and taxation.

Taxation and the Grant

Grants awarded for scientific or artistic work are tax-free up to the amount of the state’s annual artist grant. Tax regulations may change, and their interpretation may vary. The Kordelin Foundation does not provide tax advice or guarantee the accuracy of provided information. With any unclear issues, grant recipients should seek the advice of the tax authorities (vero.fi).

Grant recipients must report the grant received from the Alfred Kordelin Foundation on their tax return. The Foundation reports grants to the Finnish Tax Administration, and they will appear in pre-filled tax returns. Grants and awards are taxable in the year they are paid. Read more about grant taxation.

Grants and statutory social insurance (Mela)

The Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela takes care of the grant recipients’ social security pertaining to pensions, accident insurance, and group life insurance. Insurance payments amounting to approximately 15-20% of the sum of the working grant are stipulated by law.  The obligation to take out an insurance policy applies to recipients of individual grants. The grant recipient must contact Mela themselves to check and verify their insurance obligations.

The Kordelin Foundation has an obligation to report and, if required, give additional information to Mela on the grants it has awarded. We inform Mela of those grants awarded to natural persons or collectives that have a duration of at least four (4) months, and that surpass the minimum threshold for which insurance is required.

More information on social security for grant recipients is available at Mela’s customer service: mela.fi | Grant Recipients

Grant usage report

Grant recipients must submit a grant usage report to the Foundation. Do this immediately after completing the work/project supported by the grant, but no later than 3 months after the last payment or the project’s end.

The grant usage report must detail the work/project funded by the grant. Reports are filled out and submitted through the online grant service.
For projects and working groups, the leader responsible must submit the report. New grants cannot be awarded if earlier grants remain unreported or not paid out.

Note: grants for Major Cultural Projects and Post Doc Pool grants must be reported to the Foundation using separate forms and within agreed timelines.

Mentioning the Foundation

When communicating about your project or work, please do mention the Foundation. The name of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation should appear as a funder on the project’s websites, media releases, online news, and other project materials, e.g. programs and publications, whenever applicable

In media releases and online news, we request that you use the name in the form: Alfred Kordelin Foundation.
You may use the logo alongside the name if this is applicable in your communications. In printed materials, such as programs and publications, the logo may also be used alone without the name in writing. Download the Foundation’s logo here.

On social media channels, we encourage the use of hashtags #kordelininsäätiö and tagging @kordelininsaatio. We are active on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

We are happy to share updates about your project also via our own channels, and are happy to receive information on any events your project may organize. Send us your press releases, invitations, and advertisements at: toimisto(at)kordelin.fi

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