General grants for cultural and art communities

Professionally operating, non-profit cultural and art communities based in Tampere that are registered and have been operating for at least one year are eligible to apply for support. The costs of the activity must be verifiable from the organisation’s accounts. 

Grants can be awarded for the core activities of professionally operating and locally significant cultural and art communities. 

Grants may only be awarded for activities that comply with the City of Tampere’s general principles for grants. Please refer to the general award criteria for more detailed information.

Grants are not awarded for:  

• communities whose main activity is organizing cultural hobby activities
• national associations
• basic arts education 
• individual events or other activities deemed to fall within the scope of Project Grants for Culture

The application period for grants is once a year. Applications are submitted via an electronic application form. 

The applicant must submit the following documents in addition to the application form: 

• An action plan for the year for which the grant is being applied
• A budget for the year for which the grant is being applied
• the organisation’s rules or articles of association (if not previously submitted or if amended)
  Note: The rules of a cooperative or the articles of association of a company must include a provision stating that the organisation’s assets or any potential profit are not distributed to its owners.
• the most recent activity report or annual report approved by the annual meeting
• the most recent signed financial statements approved by the annual meeting
• the most recent signed auditor’s or operational auditor’s report (audit report)

Did your organization receive a grant last year? 

The use of a general grant is always reported in connection with the next general grant application round. Please note that even if you are not applying for a new grant, you must still report on the use of any previously awarded grant. The grant recipient must provide the information and documents required for the grant provider to monitor the appropriate use of the grant.

If the organisation has activities other than those for which the grant has been awarded, the documents must clearly show the content and costs of the activities for which the grant has been awarded. In addition to the above-mentioned financial statements, the following are required as attachments to the report on the use of the grant:

• A cost centre-specific income statement or other accounting report if the grant was not awarded to cover all of the organisation’s activities. (Recipients of grants exceeding EUR 50,000 must submit a cost centre report on the funded activity, signed by an auditor.)
• Recipients of grants exceeding EUR 50,000 are also required to submit detailed balance sheet specifications

Organisations whose financial year differs from the calendar year must submit all documents covering the grant period.

When assessing applications, attention is given to the content and scope of the activity to be supported. In addition, consideration is given to the planned nature of the activity, the applicant’s own funding contribution, and how grants awarded by the City in previous years have been used for their intended purpose. The applicant’s financial situation is also taken into account when assessing the need for and appropriateness of the grant.

In activities involving children and young people, the rights of the child must be recognised and respected.

When awarding grants, state aid regulations and the competition and market effects of the grant are taken into account.

A new grant cannot be awarded if the recipient has failed to submit a report on the use of previously awarded grants for which the reporting deadline has passed.

More detailed assessment criteria

Relevance of activities to the objectives of the grant 

• The activities increase the diversity of the city’s cultural offerings
• The activities promote residents’ participation and well-being, accessibility of culture, equality, and cultural interaction
• Ecological sustainability is considered in the activities
• The activities promote networking and cooperation with other actors 

Number of participants and scope of activities in Tampere 

• The activities are established and regular
• The activities reach a wide audience
• Number of events open to all (public events and/or exhibitions; 1 exhibition = 1 public event)
• Total audience numbers
• Number of people employed by the organization (all those who have received salary or fees from the organization)
• Number of volunteers working for the organization 

Planning and goal-orientation of activities 

• There are clear plans and descriptions of the activities and their objectives
• The activities are evaluated and developed according to needs 

Financing of activities 

• The organization needs the grant, but its overall financial situation is stable
• The grant is always partial funding. The recipient must also have its own fundraising to organize the activities
• Own fundraising is balanced in relation to the costs of the activities and the grants received
• The grant recipient cannot pay salaries or fees that are unreasonably high; a disproportionately large share of administrative costs in the previous financial year’s total expenses will reduce the grant 

Quality and impact of activities 

• High quality of the cultural and artistic content
• The activities are carried out professionally
• The significance of the activities in their field locally, regionally, and nationally
• Any activities that promote professional artistic work

The decision on the grant is made by the Culture and Leisure Committee. Applicants are notified of the decision by email. The city may set specific conditions for the use of the grant, which will be communicated to the recipient when the grant is awarded. The grant may only be used for the purpose specified in the grant decision. If the purpose is not specified in more detail in the decision, the grant must be used for the purpose stated in the application. 

Grants are paid once the decision has become legally binding, unless otherwise stated in the decision or if specific payment conditions are set. If the grant decision does not specify the payment schedule, grants are paid as follows: 

• grants under 10 000 euros are paid in one instalment
• grants of 10 000 - 49 999 euros are paid in two instalments
• grants of 50 000 - 99 999 euros are paid in four instalments 

A grant may only be used for the purpose specified in the decision. If the purpose is not specified in more detail in the grant decision, the grant must be used for the purpose stated in the application.

The grant must be used during the year for which it has been awarded. Any unused portion of the grant must be returned, or an extension of the usage period must be applied for.

The awarded grant is applicant-specific and may not be transferred for use by another organisation. However, the City of Tampere may, at its discretion and with prior approval, permit the transfer of the grant.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs are those that are necessary for the supported activity and reasonable in amount.

The grant may not be used for fundraising expenses, business or investment activities, or for increasing financial assets or other investments. Grants may not be used to acquire fixed assets.

The following are also excluded from eligible costs: gifts or tokens of appreciation for members, charitable donations, interest or loan repayments, debt collection costs, alcohol expenses, membership fees paid by the grant recipient, depreciation, and renovation or major repair costs of premises.

Grant recipients are required to ensure that procurement is carried out responsibly. If the grant is used to pay salaries or fees, the recipient must take care of tax withholding and other statutory payments.

Administration and finances

The administration and financial management of organisations receiving grants must comply with applicable legislation. Grant recipients must organise their bookkeeping and auditing in accordance with the law and in such a way that the use of the grant can be clearly tracked and separated in the accounts.

The organisation must record the full amount of the grant awarded by the City in each year as income for the year in which the grant was awarded.

An organisation that has received a rent subsidy from the City must report the subsidy in its financial statements and annual report.

If an organisation receiving a grant engages in business activities, the business activities must be clearly separated from the non-profit activities—either into a separate foundation or company, or within an association at least into a separate cost centre.

The organisation’s governance must also be arranged in a manner appropriate to the nature and scope of its activities.

Use of the Tampere.Finland logo

When communicating that city funding has been received, the Tampere.Finland logo should be used. The logo can be downloaded from the City of Tampere’s brand website. Using a unified logo strengthens Tampere’s visibility, recognition, and attractiveness.

No cooperation with the Russian state

As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, associations and communities receiving general or premises grants from the City of Tampere are not allowed to cooperate with the Russian state or its official representatives. If this is deemed to have happened, the full amount of the general grant will be recovered and any premises grant will be refused, and no further grant or other support from the City of Tampere will be awarded to the organisation. This condition is based on the policy that the Finnish state has towards Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The City of Tampere will comply with the Finnish Government's policy. 

Grants awarded by the City of Tampere constitute public funding. They are inherently subject to oversight of the use of public funds and accountability for the results achieved through the grant.

The use of general grants is reported in connection with the grant application round in the year following the use of the grant. If the organisation does not apply for a grant at that time, it is still obliged to submit a report on the use of the grant within the specified deadline. If the association has activities other than those for which the grant has been awarded, the documents must clearly show the content and costs of the activities for which the grant has been awarded.

In the report on the use of the general grant, the income and costs of the activity must be itemised. In addition, the following documents for the grant year must be submitted as attachments:

• the activity report or annual report approved by the annual meeting
• the signed financial statements approved by the annual meeting
• the signed auditor’s or operational auditor’s report (audit report)
• a cost centre-specific income statement or other accounting report if the grant was not awarded to cover all of the organisation’s activities. (Recipients of grants exceeding EUR 50,000 must submit a cost centre report on the funded activity, signed by an auditor.)
• recipients of grants exceeding EUR 50,000 are also required to submit detailed balance sheet specifications

Organisations whose financial year differs from the calendar year must submit all documents covering the grant period.

The grant provider has the right to inspect the recipient’s accounting and administration and, if necessary, to carry out other audits and request documents related to the activities. The City’s internal audit function may be used in carrying out supervision.