Assessment of cultural grant applications

• Annual grants are intended for Espoo-based professional art and cultural organisations, local heritage associations and cultural associations. The organisation must be registered.

• An annual grant is general assistance for its recipient and should be used for activities which are in line with the purpose and operating plan presented by the recipient of the grant.

•  Assistance cannot be granted if the financial situation of the association is so poor that no general operational conditions exist. 

• Project grants are intended for the implementation of artistic and cultural projects and events taking place in Espoo.

• A project grant may be used for operations in accordance with the application in the year it was granted and in the following year.

• The Culture Committee may award grants, for example, for the implementation of a cultural event even after the event has taken place if the project grant application was received before the event date.

• basic education, vocational education and training or afternoon activities for comprehensive school pupils

• as a rule, rents on premises

•  party-political or religious events

• events discriminative against any group of people

• events organised by parents’ associations, or Christmas parties or annual celebrations of communities or associations

•  two productions with the same content to the same applicant during the same application period

• repetitious activities of the same type to the same applicant.

Applications for grants for professional artists are evaluated for the artistic quality of the submitted work plan, the professional merit of the applicant and how the artistic work will be visible in Espoo or renew the art field in Espoo. The applicant’s domicile must be Espoo. 

• As a rule, art grants are not awarded to the same artist in two consecutive years. 

• The grant recipient must give up full-time paid work for the duration of the grant period.

•  The grant recipient must take out personal pension and accident insurance. The insurance must be applied for within three months of the start of the grant period. The application is to be submitted to the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela. Additional information from the MELA website(external link, opens in a new window).

• The grant includes, where possible, a chance to exhibit the result of the artistic work in Espoo or, alternatively, making the result of the work a visible part of the cultural activities in Espoo in some other way.