The working grants available in the spring 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.
When can you apply?
Grants for music creators are offered twice a year. The Foundation’s spring round is March 1-21 and the autumn round September 1-21. Applications are only accepted during the application period and via the Foundation’s online service. Applications submitted by any other means will not be taken into consideration.
What can you apply for?
We award grants for creative work and/or for expenses or services that contribute to the career of the music creator. You can apply for a working grant or for a grant for expenses.
Examples of eligible uses:
- Creative artistic work.
- Purchase of equipment or software related to artistic work.
- Residency travel and rent.
- Travel related to professional development.
- Musician’s fees for performances organized by the applicant.
- Communication and marketing costs related to the applicant’s career advancement.
- Participation in training enhancing applicant’s skills and career.
You can also apply for a grant for an international residency and working abroad that focuses on achieving international breakthrough. This grant covers the travel and living expenses of the music creator and, when applicable, their music publisher. If a grant for breakthrough is paid to the music creator’s publisher, the publisher may not reclaim the funded travel and living expenses from the music creator.
The grant is not awarded for regular performances or tours of the applicant or their ensemble, or for the costs of releasing recordings (such as mixing, mastering). Unless the recording is made to support an international breakthrough of the music creator or their work, and the recording is needed for building a professional portfolio.
Who can apply?
Eligible to apply are composers, lyricists, arrangers and their working groups, music publishers or other parties representing the music creator.
Applicants must be Finnish citizens, persons residing permanently in Finland or a registered company or organisation based in Finland. A working group must have a designated main applicant responsible for the use of the grant and the reporting to the Foundation, other group members and other relevant parties.
Only one personal application per round can be submitted. The same applicant can also be part of a working group but not the main recipient of the working group responsible of submitting the application. The applicant cannot apply grants for the same purpose as a private individual and as part of a working group.
Having previously received a grant does not prevent reapplying for a grant from the Foundation.
Working grant or grant for expenses
Our working grants are intended for creative work to cover normal personal living expenses over a specific time. These include housing, food, transportation, health care and other essential daily living costs.
Working grants are either €8,000, €16,000 or €32,000. Up to 50% can be used to cover the costs of creative work. Such expenses include purchases supporting creative work, essential operational costs, bought services or fees, and travel related to making an international breakthrough.
All but the applicant’s own artistic work must be outsourced or compensated by a salary or fees with employer obligations met (such as incidental hiring expenses).
Working grants are for private individuals or working groups. A sole proprietor may also apply for a working grant as a private individual. When a working group applies for a working grant, the main recipient is responsible for distributing the grant via our online service, and for all required reports to Mela (Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution) and the tax authorities. They must also inform the Foundation without delay of any changes to the working group.
Working grants are tax-free up to the annually stipulated Finnish state’s artist grant amount. For more information on the taxation of grants, see the website of the Finnish Tax Administration.
A grant for expenses covers costs resulting from creative work, such as acquisitions or bought services, travel costs or reimbursable salaries or fees. Any amount between €8,000 and €32,000 can be applied for as needed.
Grants for expenses are open to individuals, working groups and registered associations or companies representing the music creator.
As applicants can submit only one personal grant application per round, they may apply for either a €8,000, €16,000 or €32,000 working grant or a grant for expenses in the amount between €8,000 and €32,000. The invidual applicant can submit a personal application and they can also be part of a working group but not the main recipient of the working group responsible of submitting the application.
We award grants only in the applied amount.
Use of the grant
The €8,000 to €32,000 grants for expenses and the €8,000 working grants awarded in the spring of 2026 must be used between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2027.
The €16,000 working grant is awarded either for six months full-time work or 12 months part-time work (50%), and must be used between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2028.
The €32,000 working grant is awarded either for 12 months full-time work or 24 months part-time work (50%), and must be used between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2028.
A working grant for a working group (€8,000, €16,000 or €32,000) is awarded for a maximum of 12 months, and must be used between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2028.
Up to 50% of the working grant can be used to cover the costs of creative work, which reduces your working period. Read more in detail from our Frequently asked questions.
An awarded full-time working grant cannot be combined with another working grant for the same period.
Evaluation criteria of applications
Applicants must be professional and demonstrate long-term commitment. Proven artistic ability and audience commitment in relation to the genre of the music is essential. In the application, we request information about income received from music to assess if the applicant can be considered to be on a professional level as a music creator.
The application should highlight the professional vision of the applicant, the intended use of the grant and the impact the applicant is seeking to make. The goal may be artistic, exposure of the music creator or their work, or career advancement of the music creator to boost their professional skills to a new level. We also want to know why it is important that the applicant is awarded the grant at this particular moment.
When applying for a working grant to assist achieving an international breakthrough, the applicant’s international network is also evaluated.
Who evaluates the applications?
Our expert committee consisting of music creators and experts in the music industry and/or in creating music assesses the applications.
The application evaluation is a two-phased process. Firstly, the experts review the applications independently. Secondly, they meet to discuss the applications and their individual evaluations in a group setting to give their recommendation to the Foundation’s Board.
The recommendation is checked by the Foundation’s staff and then submitted to the Board. The Foundation Board decides on grants twice yearly in May and November. The exact dates of these meetings are not disclosed.
The Foundation does not provide status updates on the application process or justifications for its decisions.
When are decisions announced?
Decisions are emailed to applicants shortly after the relevant Board meeting. The decision is sent to the email given in the application. We recommend to also check your spam folder.
After the awarded grants are published on the Foundation’s website, they may be freely and publicly communicated by the recipient to relevant parties.
Payment and reporting
Grants for creators and projects are paid once a month, on the 25th of each month. A payment request must be submitted through our online service at least 15 days before the desired payment date. A grant can be requested for payment no earlier than the first month of the grant period. The latest possible payment date depends on the amount and type of the grant.
The €8,000 to €32,000 grants for expenses and the €8,000 working grant are paid in one instalment. The €16,000 working grants are paid in two €8,000 instalments. The €32,000 working grants are paid in four €8,000 instalments
Payment and reporting instructions are sent by email to all recipients of awarded grants, and they must submit a report of the use of the grant within the specified timeframe.
For more information on payments and reporting, please, visit our For the grant recipient page.
Insurance for working grants
Insurance is legally mandatory for all working grants awarded for four or more months. The recipient must allocate approximately 15% of a working grant (four months or longer) to cover the insurance premiums. It is the recipient’s responsibility to acquire the insurance and pay the premiums.
Mela, the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution, provides social security for grant recipients related to pension, accidents and group life insurance.
For more information on social security for grant recipients, please, visit the Mela website.
Data protection
By applying for a grant from the Teosto Cultural Foundation the applicant provides personal information about themselves and possible working group members, which forms a register of personal data for the Foundation. The right to collect, store, use and otherwise process personal data is regulated by law.