The Kordelin Foundation promotes breakthroughs in society. Major Cultural Projects are our key projects that tackle societal challenges through the perspectives of science, art, and public enlightenment. We aim to open up new perspectives and solutions. The projects are ambitious and impactful, aiming for long-term continuity.

Purpose of the Grant

We award grants for ambitious, breakthrough-oriented projects with social, scientific, cultural, and/or artistic significance. Major Cultural Projects provide concrete solutions and create new models of operation. We want to enable new kinds of perspectives, pathways, and solutions, encouraging our applicants to engage with phenomena from new and even surprising perspectives.

The project aims to ensure the continuation of its activities after the project period. The goal is that the knowledge, results, expertise, models, methods, or networks developed during the project will remain after its completion, become integrated into existing structures, or evolve into permanent forms of activity.

The grant is intended for a two-year period, ranging from €100,000 to €300,000. The grant is intended for broad, integrated initiatives rather than individual work.

Bridge funding may be awarded to completed Major Cultural Projects to support their continuity and impact. See section Bridge Funding below.

The foundation actively monitors completed projects.

Who Can Apply?

The grant is intended for collectives and registered associations with Finnish Business ID. A working group (such as a research group or an artist group) may apply if the official applicant is, for example, a university, a registered association, or another collective. Individuals cannot apply for the 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, cultural, and/or artistic significance
• The project’s goals: What concrete solutions does the project propose, and by what means will they be achieved? How can the results be applied or utilized?
• The degree of innovation: What new approaches, thinking, or perspectives does the project generate? How ambitious are its objectives?
• Continuity and sustainability: What forms of long-term impact does the project aim for? How will the work continue after the project period ends?
• Feasibility and collaboration: The project has a credible implementation plan, realistic resourcing, and a team with the necessary knowledge, skills, and experience. Collaboration and networks enhance the project’s impact and help achieve its goals.

Applications are evaluated in three pools:

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

Each applicant will select on the application form the pool in which the application will be assessed.

The evaluation process consists of 5 stages:

1. Experts evaluate all applications based on the criteria.
2. Applications are reviewed in a joint meeting of the three pools.
3. 6–9 projects are shortlisted for a second round and invited to interviews. The interviews involve the Foundation’s experts and staff. Applicants receive the interview questions in advance.
4. Experts make funding recommendations based on the interviews and applications.
5. The board of the Foundation makes the final decisions.

Amount and Duration of the Grant

A Major Cultural Project lasts two years, and funding is applied for in a single application covering both years. The amount of two-year grant can vary, ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 euros.

Organizations may apply for working grants for individuals participating in the project and/or expense grants to cover project costs, in line with the Finnish Tax Administration’s guidelines. In such cases, part of the grant is paid as working grants to individual participants and part as an expense grant to the organization (e.g., a university or registered association).

The duration of a working grant can be max. 24 months. Applicants define the grant level themselves. Please note that the applied amount must also include a Mela insurance payment. For more information, please visit the Mela website.

A collective can apply for a grant to cover project participants’ salaries and project expenses. Grant for salary expenses can be applied for a period no longer than 24 months. In such cases, the collective will be responsible for all relevant employer obligations.

The share of possbile general expenses claimed by registered collective may not exceed 5% of the project’s total costs applied from Kordelin Foundation.

Applying for a grant

The application period is from 15 to 31 January 2026. The application period ends on 31 January 2026 at 4 pm Finnish time. You can apply for the grant using the online grant service. Grant applications can be drafted and submitted in the service only during the application period. Applicants can preview the application forms in advance in PDF format: Major Cultural Projects (PDF).

Applying for a grant requires signing in with personal bank identifiers or a mobile ID. When applying for a collective grant, the application is filled in by the person responsible for the project. The application and its attachments must be submitted using the online grant service 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).
• 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 should be submitted as individual files through the online grant service.
• The maximum size of each individual attachment is 3 MB.
• If the application is incomplete, the service will prevent it from being submitted until all the required information has been added.

Follow-up and general terms of the grant

The project can begin immediately after receiving a positive grant decision. Work must begin within the year 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.

An interim report is required after the first year, and a final report upon completion of the project. Applying for bridge funding requires submission of the final report.

Submit the interim report for the first year of operations to the online grant service. It is a prerequisite for paying out the grant of the second year that the project leader has submitted an interim report, verifying that the project has moved forward according to plans. If the interim report has not been submitted, or the project has not moved forward according to plans, the Foundation cannot pay out the grant for the second year. We will stay in touch with project stakeholders during the project.

Submit the final report within one month of the project’s completion through the online grant service. The final report will be reviewed in an evaluation discussion with representatives of the foundation.

Bridge funding

Bridge funding can be granted to already implemented Major Cultural Projects to support their continuity and impact. This funding is intended for projects that are still active and have a clear plan demonstrating how their chances of securing further funding will improve and how the project’s impact will grow. The amount and duration of the funding can vary, ranging from 50,000 to 150,000 euros. Applications for bridge funding are submitted via the grant system using a dedicated form. The application period is from 15 to 31 January 2026. The application period ends on 31 January at 4 pm 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 case of doubt, the beneficiary should seek guidance directly from the tax authority vero.fi.

Frequently asked questions

Please see Frequently asked questions.

Decisions

The Board of the Alfred Kordelin Foundation will make decisions on grant awards in April. We will notify all applicants of the decisions via email during April.