General grants for cultural minorities

Grants can be applied for by associations or non-profit organizations of ethnic and linguistic minorities of Tampere. Associations or non-profit organizations must be registered in Finland. They also must have operated for at least one year. The costs of the activity must be verifiable from the organisation’s accounts. 

Grants can be awarded for the core activities of organisations representing ethnic and linguistic minorities in Tampere.

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: 

• operations that are not regular and continuous
• small associations (as a general rule, the activity must involve at least 25 active participants).
• individual events or other activities which are considered to be covered by Project grants for Culture
• student organizations within educational institutions
• the practice of religious or political activities

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

Correspondence of operations with the goals of the grant

• Diversification of local cultural offering
• The activities promote the participation and wellbeing of the municipal residents, accessibility of culture, equality, and cultural interaction
• Ecological sustainability has been taken into account in operations
• Networking is promoted in the activities as well as in collaboration with other actors 

Number of participants and scope of activities 

• The activities are well-established and regular
• The activities reach a comprehensive group of people
• Total number of regular participants
• Total number of regular members of the applicant association or non-profit organization
• Total number of events arranged in Tampere with their total quantity and visitors
• Activities that support integration organised in Tampere in co-operation with other associations and the number of participants

Continuous planning and development of operations

• The activities and their objectives are clearly described and planned
• The activities are assessed and developed as needed

Financing of activities

• The association/non-profit organization has a need for support, but its overall financial situation is stable
• Own fundraising is balanced in relation to operational costs and received grants (a grant can cover 80% of the applicant’s acceptable expenditure at maximum)
• The disproportionately large share of administrative expenses in the total expenses of the previous fiscal year exerts a negative impact on the grant

Quality and influence of operations

• Cultivation of own culture and identity (in particular, promotion effort on behalf of the cultural identity of children and youth)
• Activities that support integration and promoting connections with the majority population

The grant decision is made by the Culture and Leisure Committee. The applicant will be notified of the decision by email. Remittance, use and reporting of the grant are explained in the positive decision. The grant may only be used for the purpose specified in the grant decision. If the decision does not specify the purpose in detail, the grant must be used for the purpose stated in the application. 

Grants are paid once the decision becomes legally binding, unless the decision specifies a different payment schedule or sets conditions for the payment of the grant. 

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 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.