The goal of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation’s Major cultural projects program is to support current projects that can be in the field of science, art, cultural activities or multidisciplinary combinations of these. Five major cultural project grants were awarded, totaling 1,005,000 euros.
The projects promote cultural diversity, the production and sharing of information, and the inclusion of communities. In addition, they support the Finnish education and research system and national identity.
—The needs and ideas emerging from the field are very rich and multi-voiced, and this year’s five grant recipients reflect this in a great way, says Jukka Seppälä, chairman of the major cultural projects evaluation group.
Heureka and its partners received 175,000 euros for the Tietokirjafanit -project, the goal of which is to support children’s and young people’s reading skills and hobby of reading and to accumulate scientific capital through various events. The partners of the project include Lukukeskus, Oodi, Tiedeseurat and the libraries of Vantaa. The project aims to respond to the social challenge of the decline in the hobby of reading, especially among children and young people.
The University of Helsinki will receive 210,000 euros for a research project led by Professor Minna Laakso, which focuses on supporting the Finnish language development of multilingual children with immigrant backgrounds who have Finnish as a second language. The project offers new scientific information and practical operating models for early childhood education and families, which can improve school success and social inclusion of multilingual children.
Valamo monastery will receive 100,000 euros to transfer its manuscript collection to a database, which will make the monastery’s unique material widely available digitally. The project increases our understanding of Finnish history, Orthodox tradition, and promotes the appreciation of cultural diversity.
Tekstin talo will receive 250,000 euros for the implementation of the Text Laboratory event complex, which will strengthen the skills of text authors and the public’s interest in text culture. The text laboratory project offers spaces and resources for professionals and enthusiasts in the creative field and promotes the culture of writing and reading in Finland, bringing Finnish literature and text culture to the fore at home and internationally.
The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters will receive 270,000 euros for the History of Finnish Science project, which sheds light on the development of Finnish science through history. The project offers new information and understanding about the role of science in Finnish society at different times and, in addition, it sparks a discussion about determining the subject areas of research and the role of science in society today and in the future.
The application period for the Major Cultural Projects program was 1–31 2024. The foundation received 163 applications. The Alfred Kordelin Foundation is a private non-profit grant foundation that supports science, art and public educayio annually with more than six million euros.
Further information
Erik Båsk
Managing Director
Alfred Kordelin Foundation
erik.bask@kordelin.fi