South Karelia Grants

The next South Karelia Regional Fund grant application period takes place from 22 Jan to 9 Feb 2024 until 4 pm local Finnish time (Eastern European Time).

Eligible Applicants

The South Karelian Regional Fund awards grants to South Karelian scientists and artists for scientific or artistic work that takes place in or focuses on the region. The Fund will award a total of 600,000 euros in the January 2024 round of applications.

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 or art. The fund encourages applicants to apply for grants of up to EUR 80,000 for multidisciplinary projects that contribute to the vitality of the region.

Regional Fund Special Purpose Grants

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:

South-Karelia Regional Council Fund
Artturi and Aina Helenius Fund
Lahja and Lauri Hotinen Fund
Elna Käkönen Fund
Aili and Aino Ohela Fund
Aliisa Pitkänen Fund
Mikael and Kerttu Samppa Fund
Aino and Ester Sinkko Fund
Hilja Valtonen Fund

Grant Guidance

Grant-related enquiries should be sent to etela-karjala@skr.fi. Enquiries may also be directed to Manager Päivikki Eskelinen-Rönkä and Coordinator Anu Toivonen.

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 on May 16th. 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 South 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 South Carelia Fund's logo