The Kordelin Foundation promotes breakthroughs in society. Major Cultural Projects are our key projects, the highlights of our work. We enable timely and ambitious projects with social, scientific, educational and/or artistic significance. The projects aim to create change and activities with an impact that extends beyond the grant period.

Purpose of the Grant

We support ambitious projects that aim for breakthroughs and have social, scientific, educational and/or artistic significance. A Major Cultural Project advances its field by creating new knowledge, new approaches, content or, for example, new expertise.

In the arts, this may mean, for example, broadening the audience base or developing new international activities or collaboration. In science projects, in addition to producing knowledge, emphasis is placed on how research-based knowledge is applied in practice. Public education projects seek solutions to a current social phenomenon or challenge. Major Cultural Projects may also be multidisciplinary.

The evaluation emphasizes the project’s long-term objectives and the step forward that the grant could enable. The aim is for the project to lead, for example, to a new partnership, further funding, wider adoption of a model or another lasting change. It is essential that the knowledge, results, expertise, models, methods or, for example, networks created during the project remain in place after the project has ended.

The evaluation also emphasizes the project’s timeliness, significance and distinctiveness. We want to enable new perspectives, pathways and solutions.

The grant is intended for organizations and is awarded for a two-year period. The grant amount is EUR 100,000–300,000. Applicants may also apply for a smaller grant where justified. Grants are awarded annually to 3–6 projects.

Bridge Funding may be granted to Major Cultural Projects that have already been completed. See section Bridge Funding below.

Who Can Apply?

The grant is intended for registered organizations operating under a Finnish Business ID, such as associations, cooperatives, universities, research institutes and companies. A working group, such as a research group or an artist group, may apply if the official applicant is, for example, a university or another organization. Sole traders and private individuals are not eligible to apply for a Major Cultural Projects grant.

How will applications be evaluated?

Evaluation of the applications will be based on the following considerations:

• The project’s social, scientific, educational and/or artistic significance.
• The nature and scale of the development step the project aims to achieve and the level of ambition of its objectives. The means by which the project intends to achieve its objectives.
• How timely and distinctive is the project. What is  the current phenomena to which it relates.
• The new knowledge, approaches, expertise or perspectives that the project will produce and develop.
• The continuity and permanence that the project aims to achieve and its long-term objectives. How the activities will continue and be made possible after the project period. How the project’s outcome or results can be applied or utilized.
• Feasibility and collaboration. The project has a credible implementation plan, realistic resourcing and sufficient expertise. Collaboration and networks support the achievement of the project’s objectives and broaden its impact.

Applications are evaluated in three pools:

Pool 1: Science
Pool 2: Art
Pool 3: Public education

Applicants select the pool in which their application will be evaluated.

The evaluation process consists of 5 stages:

1. Experts evaluate all applications according to the evaluation criteria.
2. Applications are discussed and evaluated at a joint meeting of the pools.
3. A total of 6–9 projects are selected to proceed to the second round and are invited to an interview. The interviews are conducted by the Foundation’s experts and staff. The interview questions will be provided to applicants in advance.
4. Based on the interviews and applications, the experts submit a proposal on the projects to be funded to the Foundation’s Board.
5. The Foundation’s Board makes grant decisions in April.

Amount and Duration of the Grant

A Major Cultural Project is a two-year project, and funding for both years is applied for in a single application. The grant amount is EUR 100,000–300,000. Applicants may also apply for a smaller grant where justified.

Organizations may apply for a grant for project expenses. The grant may be used i.e. for the salary costs of people participating in the project and other project expenses. Funding for salary costs may be applied for a maximum of 24 months. In such cases, the organization itself is responsible for the standard obligations of an employer.

Applicants may also apply for a combination of a grant for project expenses and personal working grants. In this case, part of the grant is paid as personal working grants to the individuals participating in the project and named in the application, while the portion intended for project expenses is paid into account administered by the organization.

A personal working grant may be awarded for a maximum of 24 months. Applicants determine the amount of the working grant themselves. Please note that the amount applied for must also cover the Mela insurance contribution: For more information, please visit the Mela website. For taxation matters, please consult the Finnish Tax Administration.

Any overhead charged by the organization may amount to no more than 5% of the grant applied for from the Kordelin Foundation.

Applying for a grant

The application period is 15–31 January 2027. The application period closes on 31 January 2027 at 4:00 p.m. Finnish time.

Applications are submitted through the online grant system. Applications can only be prepared and submitted in the system during the application period.

Applying for a grant requires electronic identification using Finnish online banking credentials or a mobile certificate. On behalf of an organization, the application is completed by the person responsible for the project. The application and all attachments must be submitted through the grant system within the application period. The Foundation does not accept incomplete or late applications or attachments.

Attachments

• CV of the person responsible for the project and/or working group members (mandatory). We recommend using the CV template for researchers created by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) where applicable.
• CV of the individuals working in a project (mandatory). We recommend using the CV template for researchers created by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) where applicable.
• Project plan (mandatory). The detailed project plan must include concrete objectives for both years of the project.
• Confirmation of interest (mandatory). The Foundation requires the applicant to indicate during the application stage that a project partner has confirmed their interest in the project. This can be verified by attaching an email or a document from the partner. Contracts should not be submitted.
• Project budget (mandatory)
• Report on operations and financial statement (mandatory)

Instructions for preparing and submitting attachments

• Name the attachments in a way that describes their content, avoiding special characters.
• All attachments must be in PDF format and submitted through the grant system as separate files.
• The maximum size of each individual attachment is 3 MB.
• If the application is incomplete, the system will prevent its submission until the required information has been added.

Reporting and general terms of the grant

The project may begin immediately after receiving a positive grant decision. The project must begin during the year in which the grant is awarded.

Grants are not awarded retrospectively.

A report of use of the previous grant from the Kordelin Foundation must be submitted before applying for a new grant.

Major Cultural Projects must submit an interim report after the first year and a final report when the project has ended. Applying for Bridge Funding requires the submission of a final report.

The interim report is submitted through the online grant system. Payment of the grant for the second year is conditional on the project leader submitting an interim report demonstrating that the project has progressed as planned. If the interim report is not submitted or the project has not progressed according to plan, the Foundation cannot pay the second-year grant. We also maintain contact with project teams during the project period.

The final report must be submitted through the online grant system no later than one month after the end of the project. The final report will be reviewed in an evaluation discussion with representatives of the Foundation.

Bridge funding

Major Cultural Projects previously supported by the Foundation may apply for Bridge Funding to support the continuity of their activities and strengthen their impact. Bridge Funding is intended for projects that have active ongoing operations and a clear, realistic plan for the measures through which the project will be taken to the next level.

The plan must describe the change that the project aims to achieve, for example in terms of growth, partnerships, audiences or its revenue model, and how this change will be implemented in practice. The need for funding must be justified, and Bridge Funding must be targeted at a clearly defined objective and development phase. For example, the funding may be used to acquire expertise in sales or fundraising.

Applicants must assess the realism of their budget as well as, for example, the likelihood of securing other external funding and their own strengths in relation to this.

The evaluation of applications emphasises the credibility and feasibility of the plan. The amount of funding awarded is EUR 50,000–150,000.

Bridge Funding is applied for using a separate form in the grant system. The application period is 15–31 January, closing at 4:00 p.m. Finnish time.

Grants and taxation

For further information please see our Grant Recipient Instructions. Tax regulations can change and interpretation of them may vary to some extent. The Kordelin Foundation accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information and provides no taxation advice. In unclear cases, grant recipients should seek guidance directly from the Finnish Tax Administration.

Frequently asked questions

Please see Frequently asked questions.

Decisions

The Board of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation makes decisions on the grants to be awarded in April. All applicants will be notified of the decision by email.