General grants for youth associations

General grants may be applied for by non-profit organisations that are registered and have been in operation for at least one year. The costs of the activity must be verifiable from the organisation’s accounts. 

The grant is awarded for the regular activities of an association in which at least 30 children or young people under the age of 29 are actively involved. This numerical requirement does not apply to activities for special groups whose target group is limited, for example, due to a disability or other special characteristic. One-time event participants are not counted as active participants. 

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: 

• Activities that do not have regular and ongoing content specifically aimed at children and young people
• Lupa liikkua Lupa harrastaa activities
• Organizing camps
• Catering, recordings, or publications
• Youth activities of organizations with the right to levy taxes, student organizations, parent associations, educational institutions, companies, or private individuals 

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 community 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 showing how the grant has been used
• for recipients of large grants (over €50 000), balance sheet specifications and a cost centre report on the use of the grant confirmed by the auditor or operational auditor

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

Number of participants under 29 and the scope of activities 

• The total number of participants in the activities per year.
• The number of regular participants (participants per month), with emphasis on leisure activities for 7–17-year-olds (this emphasis does not apply to youth civic engagement activities).
• The activities are year-round. 

Planning and Goal-Orientation of Activities 

• There are clear plans and descriptions of the activities and their objectives.
• The activities correspond to the objectives of the grant.
• The activities take into account young people’s participation in planning and implementation, openness and equality, and ecological sustainability. 

Financing of Activities 

• The association has a need for support, but its overall financial situation is stable
• Own fundraising is balanced in relation to operational costs and received grants
• The grant recipient may not 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 amount of the grant. 

The grant decision is made by the Culture and Leisure Committee. The applicant will be 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 at the time of awarding. 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. 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

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 

As part of the grant community’s own marketing, the Tampere.Finland logo is recommended for use. In situations where the funding of operations is publicly communicated, Tampere’s coat of arms is always used in referring to the City of Tampere. You can download the logos from the Tampere brand page.

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 showing how the grant has been used
• for recipients of large grants (over €50 000), balance sheet specifications and a cost centre report on the use of the grant confirmed by the auditor or operational auditor

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.