Apply for a grant or stipend

Grants are awarded to Vantaa associations and other communities or to non-residents, if their supported activities are targeted at Vantaa residents. Those applying for grants for private persons must live in Vantaa. 

The city has different types of grants that are used to fund activities.

Grants can be awarded for activities, events or projects.

General grounds for awarding grants as well as grant-type-specific principles are applied to the application for and awarding of grants.  

• General grounds for awarding grants (in Finnish)

For some grants, applications can only be submitted once a year, while others are open to applications throughout the year.  

The 2026 grant application periods and final application submission deadlines have been officially announced at the start of January. 

The call for applications for grants in 2026 for promoting well-being and health, local civic activities, and professionally operating art and cultural organizations was announced through an official notice in September 2025.

• Public annoucement of grants open to applications 2026 (in Finnish)
• Public announcement of available grants for promoting well-being and health, local civic activities, and professionally operating art and cultural organizations in 2026 (in Finnish)
  
   

You can apply for a grant by submitting an application online through the grant application system. The application forms are only visible in the grant application system while the grant in question is open to applications.  

The online application form will close at 23:59 on the last day of the application period. The accounts on the spending of grants are also submitted through the same system.  

If it is not possible to submit the application through the grant application system, paper applications can be submitted at Vantaa Info points during their opening hours or by mail to the City of Vantaa's Registry: P.O. Box 1100, 01030 Vantaan kaupunki or by email: kirjaamo@vantaa.fi. Paper application forms are provided by the grant types’ contact persons.  :

• Go to the online grant application system 

The activity's target group and content determine which grant you can apply for. In the “Learn more about the grants” section at the top of this page, you can see what kinds of grant opportunities are offered by the city. The city offers project assistance and operating grants. Project assistance is suitable for supporting one-off or new activities, and unregistered action groups can also apply for it. In order to receive an operating grant, the organization must have been operating for at least one year.  

In the application, describe the activities you plan to carry out and the associated costs in detail. Carefully read the instructions on the grant type's webpage about what information is required when applying for the grant.  The webpages include the grant-type-specific grounds for awarding grants, and it is a good idea to read these carefully. Gather the required attachments and information in one place. 

You can apply for a grant by submitting an application through Vantaa’s online grant application system.  

You can log in to the grant application system using strong personal Suomi.fi identification. Suomi.fi identification is a strong identification service with which you can log into several Finnish e-Services. The identification method is used in services where the user’s identity must be verified. You can log into the grant application system with Finnish bank identifiers, mobile ID, or a certificate card.

In order to be able to apply for a grant, your organization must have authorized you to act as a representative of the organization in the Suomi.fi service. Suomi.fi authorization requires that the information in the Register of Associations is in order. The Finnish Register of Associations is a register maintained by the Finnish Patent and Registration Office (PRH). It is the association's task to keep the association’s information and persons entitled to sign for the association up to date in the Register of Associations, as Vantaa’s grant application system will check the association's information directly from the register.  

1. Read the application system’s instructions.
2. Ensure that the information in the Register of Associations is up to date.
3. Get the authorization in order in good time before the end of the application period.  The authorization item used in the City of Vantaa’s grant application system is ‘Submitting a Grant Application’.

Always check the application submission deadline in advance, as late applications will not be processed. 

• Go to the online grant application system
• Finnish Patent and Registration Office's Register of Associations. Submit and maintain your association's information
• Suomi.fi guidance helps in the administration of authorizations

Vantaa-Info points offer technical support for using the grant application system.

• Vantaa-Info points’ contact information 

Applications are processed by the city's grant preparers. This will take time, as there are usually many applicants. The grant decision will be made by the Urban Culture and Wellbeing Committee. The grant-type-specific grounds for awarding grants may specify the month that the committee will make the decision. All committee minutes and agendas can be found at paatokset.vantaa.fi. Each grant applicant will be notified of the decision.

Information about the awarded grants can be found in the minutes for the meetings of the decision-making bodies. The decisions on sports, culture and youth grants as well as health and welfare promotion and local civic activity grants are primarily made by the Urban Culture and Wellbeing Committee.

• Minutes and agendas for the meetings of decision-making bodies (in Finnish)

• Operating Grant
  • The grant is paid once the decision has been made and the appeal period has ended.
  • Before a new grant can be paid, the usage report for the previous year must be submitted.
  • You may apply for an advance payment. The advance may be up to 50% of the grant.
• Project Grant
  • The grant is usually paid only after the usage report has been submitted.
  • You may apply for an advance payment. The advance may be up to 75% of the grant.
• Additional information and inspection
  • The City may request additional information and inspect activities to ensure that the grant is used for the purpose for which it was awarded.

The grant must be used for the purpose it was awarded. It is important to check from the grant decision how and when an account of spending must be submitted to the city. This is done online through the grant application system. Carefully check what attachments are required for the account. If the account has not been submitted by the given date, the awarded grant will be collected from the organization in full.