We provide grants for composers, lyricists and arrangers for creative work and/or for the expenses of creative work. We aim our grants at music creators near the top-level of Finnish music-making who, based on their application, have the potential to reach a higher level.
The working grants available in the fall round of 2026 are €8,000, €16,000 and €32,000. The grants for expenses can be applied for an amount between €8,000 and €32,000 as needed.
In the below overview of the upcoming September application round, please, find tips and clarifications of our application process. We have again read your feedback from the previous round and have made some changes to our application form.
A completely new edition to our application process is our newly published policy for not funding works that are completely created with AI-tools. Read our full AI policy here.
Detailed instructions can be found from our Grants for music creators page; please, also familiarise yourself with our Frequently Asked Questions page for any questions that may arise before logging on to the online service.
An online info session will be organized on Teams in Finnish on Tuesday 8 September 2026 and in English on Wednesday 9 March 2026, both from 14.00 to 15.30.
September application round in a nutshell
In general
- The next application round for music creators is open from 1 to 21 September 2026.
- We provide grants for composers, lyricists, arrangers and their working groups, music publishers or others parties representing the music creator. Applicants must be Finnish citizens, persons residing permanently in Finland (P or P-EU permit) or a registered company or organisation based in Finland.
- We provide grants for creative work and/or for the expenses of creative work. You can apply for a working grant or a grant for expenses.
- The use of the grant starts no earlier than on 1 January 2027 and it must be used, depending on the grant amount and type, by 31 December 2027 or 31 December 2028.
- The applications are first processed by the Foundation staff. After this, the applications are evaluated by a nine-member Expert Committee. The Foundation Board makes the final decision on recipients by the end of March.
Working grant
- The working grant covers normal living expenses during the grant period, and up to 50% can be used for costs related to creative work.
- The working grant is available for private individuals and working groups.
- The working grants are either €8,000, €16,000 or €32,000.
- The €16,000 and €32,000 working grants are either for full-time or for part-time (50%) work.
- The €16,000 and €32,000 working grant periods must be insured with the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution (Mela), and personal grants must be reported to the tax authorities.
Grant for expenses
- The grant for expenses can be applied for costs related to creative work, such as purchases or international travel costs.
- can be applied in an amount between €8,000 and €32,000 as needed by the applicant.
- The grant for expenses is available for private individuals, working groups, registered organisations and companies representing a creator.
- If the grant has been awarded to you personally or to your working group, you can not use it for your own creative work during a specific timeframe.
Application form
You can apply for a grant on our online service starting 1 September 2026 and the application round ends on 21 September 2026 at 23.59. The form and the link to the form opens on September 1st.
The application can be edited up to 24 after it has been submitted. You can make the application in Finnish, English or Swedish.
The application form is divided in four sections:
BACKGROUND INFO AND PERMIT
At first we want to know who applies for our grants, and whom we are not yet reaching. These answers have no affect in your chances to get a grant. We will also ask questions related to our application criteria and ask you to confirm that you have read our AI-statement and agree to it’s terms.
APPLICANT INFORMATION
Tell us about yourself, your working group, your company or organisation as a creator of music. Add a résumé to the application and if you apply as a company or organisation, add the latest annual report, financial statement and a current Trade Register extract.
GOAL
Describe your plan for the use of the grant. This includes the purpose of the grant, the amount applied, the time period and what impact the grant would have for you at this point in time. If you apply for a grant for expenses, please, add a detailed budget.
WORK SAMPLES AND COMMITMENT
In the final stage, please, attach work samples as files or website links. Detailed instructions are on the actual application form.
Checklist for applicants
- Make sure you are applying funding specifically for making creative music and/or related costs.
- Ensure that you are applying for the correct time period, and are not applying for a grant retroactively.
- Check that no more than 50% of a working grant is allocated to costs and that you are not applying a grant for expenses for working.
- Make sure that all work samples and links are working and are direct links to the sample.
- Submit your application on time! You can edit it for 24 hours after submitting it.
Contact
If you have already checked our FAQ page but still have any questions about the application process, please, email us at . (linkki)