Our Kuopio grant – support for community activities

• one-off or project-based self-motivated activities or the launch of regular activities
• activities that are open to everyone, however, the activities may have a target group. The activities must reach a wide range of people belonging to the community’s target group.
• the costs of the above-mentioned activity, event or project, such as fees, material, marketing and facility costs (not for the city’s own facilities according to the current grant guidelines)
• projects whose content is planned and feasible and has a realistic budget
• projects that take care of physical and social safety, considering the nature of the event or activity.
• especially the activities of children, young people, the elderly and special groups

• as a personal working grant
• to internal activities within a group or community
• activities that are for-profit or whose main purpose is fundraising, including events aimed at raising funds for charity
• recordings, publications and audiovisual productions
• food and beverage service
• the maintenance of the services provided by the city, the rents of the city’s facilities
• investments or the acquisition or renovation of immovable property
• prizes, fireworks
• generally not for exhibitions
• costs of writing a history or other preparatory work
• the only funding for the activities

Grants can be applied for by associations, non-profit organizations, working groups, independent producers, and artists. When the applicant is an unregistered working group, the contact person of the group is designated as the applicant. Other members of the group are mentioned by name in the application and are jointly responsible for the grant. The same applicant/applicant organization can generally receive a one-time grant only once a year. The applicant must be of legal age.

Support can also be applied for by a company, as long as the event being organized is not aimed at making a profit. For example, a company in the cultural or arts sector can be the applicant.

• The activities must be free of charge and open to everyone
• Activities and events must be substance-free. There can be no serving of alcohol during the event.
• The space must be accessible as far as possible
• The activities promote inclusion, a sense of community, diversity and/or equality.
• The activities complement the local cultural, event or hobby offering.
• Discretionary form of grant

Please also note that the event organizer is responsible for all permits related to the event and any associated costs. The City of Kuopio is not the organizer of the events; each event organizer is responsible for their own event and its execution. The city’s role is to facilitate events, for example by providing co-financing to the organizers.

Our Kuopio support is a discretionary form of grant and is always partial funding. The amounts granted are up to 4 000 €.

The recipient of the grant must also have their own fundraising for organising the activities. In addition to money, volunteer work can also be accepted as self-financing (calculated value €10 / hour).

The application must be submitted in advance, no later than 1 month before the start of operations. Applications are processed once a month (applications are not processed during the holiday period in July). Support cannot be applied for retroactively. The application form will open on January 7, 2026. The grant is open for continuous applications throughout 2026 as long as the funding lasts.

Production grant is applied for via electronic services: https://easiointi.kuopio.fi/. In the service, you can monitor the processing status of your form, view the forms you have sent, and download them to your computer. It is also possible to leave the form incomplete and return to continue it later. Remember to familiarize yourself with the production grant criteria and instructions before completing the application!

Using the service requires strong authentication and is done with Suomi.fi identification. The authentication method can be, for example, online banking credentials or a mobile certificate.

You have the option to conduct transactions both as a private individual and as a representative of your organization, provided that your organization has authorized you to act on its behalf in electronic transactions.
You can find the instructions for using the service here: https://www.kuopio.fi/uploads/2024/04/sahkoinen-asiointi-kayttoohje-2024.pdf

Please note that we do not provide information about the processing stage of applications. Once a decision has been made, it will be sent to the email address provided in the application. You can also track the status of your application through the e-services portal. The processing of an application takes an average of 4 weeks, depending on the number of applications received.

To ensure the application is processed as smoothly as possible, the application should include, among other things, the following information:

– the name and date of the event/activity
– the organizer’s information
– a more detailed description of the event or activity
– the planned event location
– event funding
– in the total budget section, the applicant should break down the event’s expenses and income (e.g., Our Kuopio grant, own funding such as volunteer work, sponsorships, grants, other subsidies)

It is especially important to mention if the event receives any other support from the city or if there is a rent waiver for using any city facilities for the event.

Please note that an incompletely filled application form will delay the processing of the application. Therefore, make sure to fill in all sections carefully.

The support is paid retroactively upon submission of a report. The recipient of the grant must submit a report on the use of the support no later than two months (2 months) after the end of the event/activity.

The support is paid based on actual expenses, up to the amount granted. Receipts must be attached to the report form. The grant report must be completed and the support must be applied for payment during 2026, no later than 12 December.

For a justified reason, the grant can also be partially paid to the applicant in advance.

If salaries or fees are paid with the grant, the applicant must submit payment receipts related to the payment of wages in connection with the report of use form, which show that, in addition to the payment of wages, the applicant has taken care of earnings-related pension contributions, unemployment insurance contributions and other mandatory non-wage payment expenses. Especially in the case of individuals and working groups, the palkka.fi system is recommended for the payment of salaries and remuneration. Certified copies of receipts are accepted as receipts.

• diversifying the local event offering and residents’ opportunities to participate
• the systematic and feasible nature of the project
• Estimated number of participants
• openness, accessibility, equality and ecological sustainability of operations
• the applicant’s own fundraising is in balance in relation to the costs of the event or project

My event is during Our Kuopio festival. How can I participate?
Anyone can organize an event as part of Our Kuopio festival. You can join the festival’s program by registering your event in the Kuopion Seinä event calendar under the “Meidän Kuopio festivaali” category by July 27.

How can I participate in the Night of the Arts program?
You can participate by registering your event on Kuopion Seinä event calendar or by directly contacting the event producer by July 27.

My event takes place during the Our Kuopio Festival. How and where can I apply for support?
For events at Our Kuopio Festival, you can apply for OurKuopio grant by filling out the application form (applications open on 7.1.2026). Please note that support must be applied for at least one month before the event or the start of the activity. You can apply for support at any time. Applications are processed in the order they are received.

My event is in September. Can I apply for support, and if so, how does that happen?
You can also apply for Our Kuopio grant for events that take place outside Our Kuopio festival. Please note that support must be applied for at least one month before the event. Applications are processed in the order they are received, so it is advisable to submit your application on time.

How exactly is the grant paid?
Our Kuopio support is paid retrospectively up to the amount granted, based on actual expenses. To receive the grant, the event organizer fills out a report form, where all event expenses and income are recorded. The financial statement must be submitted within two months of the event, but no later than December 12, 2026.

For a justified reason, the support can also be paid to the applicant partly in advance.

Is payment made to the contact person for each event, or directly to the accounts of each individual, such as musicians?
Our Kuopio grant is generally transferred to a single account.

If the compensation is for work performed (e.g., a musician’s performance fee = the musician themselves is the applicant for the support), it is paid directly to each individual. If the recipient of the fee is a private person without a business ID, the fee is paid with a tax card. If the performer is a company, the fee can be invoiced directly from the city (a YEL certificate is required).

How does it affect things whether, for example, a performing musician is an entrepreneur, a ‘regular’ employee, or a student?
It doesn’t matter. Everyone can apply for Our Kuopio grant. Of course, there may be differences in the level of fees. A student’s fee is always lower than that of a professional.

What expenses need to be reported? Should receipts be attached?
The report should show all expenses and income related to the event. Receipts must be attached to the report and kept for 12 months for possible inspection.

I am a professional in the creative field, but I do not have a business ID. Can I apply for the Our Kuopio grant?
Yes, you can. The fee is paid via tax card if you do not have a business ID. Other expenses are reimbursed based on actual costs.

Is the Kuopio city theater’s amphitheater stage available free of charge during Our Kuopio festival?
Yes, it is. Inquiries and reservations should be made directly to Anna Rantakoski, tel. 044 718 2472, anna.rantakoski@kuopio.fi

I have an event idea, but the time and place of the event are still being finalized. Can I apply even though not all event details have been confirmed?
You can apply to be included in the festival program even if some event details are still being worked out. In the implementation, criteria such as the venue must be taken into account. Exact event details must be submitted for the festival by July 27 at the latest, and for year-round events, one month before the event.

How do I know if my application has been processed?
You can track the status of your application in the e-services portal. Once a decision has been made, it will be sent to the email address provided in your application. Be sure to also check your spam folder. Information about the decision will also be available in the e-services portal. The processing of an application usually takes about 4 weeks, depending on the number of applications received. Please note that we do not provide information about the processing stage of applications via email or phone.