Culture and Leisure Division’s shared grant allocation principles updated

In its meeting on 12 December 2023, the Culture and Leisure Committee approved updated and supplemented grant allocation principles. They will be applied in all grant decisions made by the division, alongside the general guidelines for city grants.
Helsinki from above
Photo: Kari Ylitalo/Helsinki Partners

The division’s shared grant allocation principles have been clarified in terms of ethical principles by making compliance with the UN’s children’s rights a precondition for the awarding of grants, among other things. With these principles, the division wants to further strengthen the ethical operating culture of grant recipients. This will continue to require cooperation, transparency, honesty, fairness and equal treatment from the city and the grant recipients.

In accordance with its strategy, the city also aims to combat climate change and expects its partners to take action to reduce environmental impacts as well.

In addition to the division’s shared grant allocation principles and the city’s general guidelines, grants are allocated in accordance with the European Union’s rules on state aid.

The decision made by the Culture and Leisure Committee on 12 December 2023 supersedes the previous decision on the matter from 14 December 2021. The committee’s sub-committees – Sports, Youth, and Culture and Libraries – decide on the criteria for awarding grants based on the grant principles and make the decisions on the allocation of grant appropriations.

The Culture and Leisure Division awards grants for a total of roughly €30 million annually. 

Read more about the division’s grants:

Grants for culture(Link leads to external service)

Grants for sports(Link leads to external service)

Grants for youth activities(Link leads to external service)

Our experts will be happy to provide further details on the division’s updated grant allocation principles:

Ulla Bergström, Partnership Manager (Culture), tel. +358 9 3102 2013, ulla.k.bergstrom@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
Taina Korell, Head of Unit (Sports), tel. +358 9 3103 8038, taina.korell@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)
Markku Toivonen, Partnership Manager (Youth), tel. +358 9 3108 9053, markku.toivonen@hel.fi(Link opens default mail program)

Read the decision made by the Culture and Leisure Committee in December (in Finnish only):

Avustuksen myöntäminen, avustusten myöntämisen periaatteet, kulttuurin ja vapaa-ajan toimiala | Päätökset | Helsingin kaupunki (Link leads to external service)

The division’s shared grant allocation principles (PDF) (Link leads to external service)