North Karelia Grants

The next North Karelia Regional Fund grant application period takes place from 22 Jan to 9 Feb 2024 until 4 pm local Finnish time.

Eligible Applicants

The North Karelia Regional Fund will award 1,160,000 euros in grants in 2024 for projects focused on North Karelia, to applicants born or currently residing in the region, as well as for scientific or artistic work taking place in or focused on the region.

Applying for a Grant

You may apply for a grant on the Online Application Service and provide a reference on the Online Reference Service. All applications and references must be submitted to the online service before 4 pm local Finnish time (EET) on the deadline date. Applications and references submitted in any other way will not be considered. The applicant should familiarise themselves carefully with the application guidelines and make sure they have appended all requested attachments in their application. More information on the January round of applications can be found here.

Grant Focus Areas

It is possible to apply for grants in all fields of science and art.

The Fund may award two-year grants for scientific follow-up research, artistic work, and implementing events.

Regional Fund Special Purpose Grants

A joint project for sciences from the North Karelia and North Savo Regional Funds

A joint science grant of EUR 100,000 from the North Karelia and North Savo Regional Funds is available for a high-quality project combining different scientific disciplines. The working group of the project must involve participants from both provinces, from universities or other research institutions. The project requires strong participation from both provinces.

If you are applying for a grant for a joint project, select as the field of application the field that most closely matches the field of your project. In addition, from the list select any other fields matching your project. On the Grant page, select Special Purpose Grants > Joint Grant for Sciences

An application should be submitted to one regional fund only, not both.

Spearhead Projects

Spearhead projects requiring larger-than-usual funding will receive a minimum of 40,000 euros in the form of one or two grants. Such projects require fresh or exceptional points of view, content, quality, or design.

Art for Everyone Grant

20,000 euros have been earmarked for Art for Everyone projects in the January round of applications. The aim of this form of support is to promote the equal realisation of cultural rights and to improve the quality of life of people in need of special support or care, through art. The work or project may take place in welfare and nursing institutions or other environments, the residents or users of which may otherwise have limited access to art. Possible institutions include sheltered homes, day centres, and homes of the elderly, hospitals, prisons, reception centres, care units for substance abusers, and child welfare institutions.

Local Culture Projects

A grant may be applied, for example, for projects focusing on local culture of the region and cultural heritage projects, such as documenting cultural heritage, showcasing of cultural environment, promoting urban and neighbourhood culture, and histories of local communities and societies, exhibitions, and events. Local Culture Projects grants may also be related to multi-location or independent-of-place local heritage projects, for home region may be taken to mean a natural environment, a built-up environment, social and mental environment, as well as a virtual home region, which a person themselves finds meaningful. Scientific research into a local culture is not considered a local culture project. Note that applicants for the local culture projects grants must choose the field of science or art that their work most closely relates to.

Donor Funds

The grants are awarded from a general fund and those donor funds open for application in the next round:

Eliel and Ina Engelberg Fund
Alma and Jussi Jalkanen Fund
Joensuu Conservatory Women's Committee Fund
Tarja and Pentti Juntunen Fund
A. E. Kalsta Fund
Veikko Kekäle Fund
Heikki Kirkinen Fund
Anna Koskimaa and Aada Nevalainen Fund
Irja and Ahti Lakka Fund
Antti and Siiri Lehvonen Fund
Kaino Norokumpu Fund
Outokumpu Oy (plc) Fund
Valter and Elin Parviainen Fund
The North Karelia Savings Bank's Fund
Yrjö Wahlgren Fund
Eini and Jorma Veikkolainen Fund

Grant Guidance

Grant-related enquiries should be sent to pohjois-karjala@skr.fi. Enquiries may also be directed to Manager Asko Saarelainen and Coordinator Maarit Hämäläinen-Koljonen.

Grant Decisions

The grant decisions are made by an administrative committee consisting of regional experts from various fields. If necessary, outside experts can be called upon to evaluate applications. The grant decisions of the January round of applications 2024 will be announced by the end of May. Both favourable and unfavourable grant decisions will be sent to grant applicants by email approximately two weeks before that. The 2024 grants can be withdrawn from 22 May 2024.

If you need the logo of the North Karelia Fund for your website, newsletter, social media or brochures, you can download it from the link below. If you share information about your grant on social media, we would be especially appreciate it if you use the tags #kulttuurirahastontuella or #skr2024 (grant year).

Download the logos