- Go to our feedback to organisations regarding research and development projects within higher education and universities
- Go to our feedback to providers of education and other actors within the educational field
- Go to our feedback to local associations and organisations
Feedback to Organisations Regarding Research and Development Projects within Higher Education and Universities
All experts we engage to assess the applications are experienced and well‑qualified researchers in their respective scientific fields, capable of evaluating applicants’ merits, previous publications, and their prospects for successfully completing their research project. Over the years, we have collected our experts’ comments and compiled a list of tips for people applying for funding for scientific research, including doctoral students. You can read it on the Swedish Cultural Foundation’s website.
In 2026 we received applications as follows:
- Higher Education and Adult Education: 98 applications, 47 approved
- Social Sciences and Economics: 42 applications, 19 approved
- Humanities: 32 applications, 13 approved
- Pedagogy: 39 applications, 19 approved
- Natural Sciences: 64 applications, 24 approved
Funding For Research on Swedish In Finland
Providing funding for scientific research in pedagogy, humanities and social sciences is a very important purpose for the Swedish Cultural Foundation. Because of our mandate, we require that research in these disciplines has relevance to the Swedish‑speaking community in Finland for us to grant funding.
Our experts and elected representatives frequently engage in thorough discussions on this matter, since relevance can be defined in several different ways. Quite often, comparative studies are requested — studies where a Swedish‑speaking context is compared with, for example, a Finnish‑speaking one — to highlight characteristics specific to Swedish in Finland.
Funding For Research Projects in Natural Sciences
The number and size of the grants awarded to natural science research projects depend on the annual return of the special funds whose purpose is to promote research in medicine, veterinary medicine, biomedicine, biology, physics, chemistry and other natural sciences.
Since the overarching mission of the Swedish Cultural Foundation is to support the Swedish language in Finland, we can only fund research that has a connection to this. For example, the research may be conducted at a Swedish‑ or bilingual university. Read more about how we define the concept “Swedish in Finland” on our website.
The Difference Between Research and Development Projects
Please note that grants for research and development projects must be applied for using different forms. Applications concerning surveys and reports that are not pure research are considered development projects.
Common Causes for Rejection
Through the headings below, you can read brief information about the most common reasons for rejection within your sector.
Broad Funding Base and Unrealistic Amounts
We see an increasing trend, especially within research, of very large requested sums and applications where the applicant expects the Swedish Cultural Foundation to finance the entire project.
We encourage applicants to build the broadest possible funding base for their research projects. It is rarely possible or justified for the Swedish Cultural Foundation to be the sole funder of a large project.
A balanced budget in the application form and an attached, clear and detailed budget significantly increase a project’s credibility.
If in the future you intend to apply for a very large amount, we recommend contacting the Swedish Cultural Foundation’s staff during the autumn to discuss the application.
Distinctions Between Public and Private Funding
Funding projects within higher education and universities that strengthen Swedish‑speaking Finland is an important part of our mission. At the same time, we are careful throughout our funding operations not to support activities that, according to law, must be financed with public funds.
Projects Benefiting Students
A general observation from the assessment of project funding applications from higher education institutions is that our experts and elected representatives are inclined to support projects that clearly benefit students and actively involve them. However, project plans often lack figures showing how many students will be affected. This is something applicants should keep in mind for the future.
Multi‑Year Projects May Reapply
We are not always able to award multi‑year project funding, even for projects our experts consider valuable and worthy of support. If your project has been awarded a smaller sum, it is entirely acceptable to apply for continued funding. In such cases, please make sure to clearly explain in the next application how the project has progressed with the help of the initial grant.
Highlight Ethical Aspects of The Research
Many applications lack sufficient information about how ethical considerations will be handled in the specific research project. It is not enough to simply refer to general ethical principles of the university or institution.
Travel Grants Have Continuous Application Periods
Please note that researchers and doctoral students may apply for travel grants year‑round for, for example, attending conferences or taking courses. Therefore, we do not grant this type of funding during the November round.
Feedback to Providers of Education and Other Actors within the Educational Field
In 2026 we received applications as follows:
- Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, Upper Secondary Education: 87 applications, 54 approved
- Other Education‑Related Activities: 142 applications, 100 approved
In the category of “Other Education‑Related Activities” are, among others, grants to youth workshops, student associations and actors working with various forms of inclusion and integration.
Distinctions Between Public and Private Funding
Funding various educational projects that strengthen Swedish‑speaking Finland is an important mission for the Swedish Cultural Foundation. At the same time, we are careful throughout our funding activities not to award grants to activities that, by law, must be financed with public funds.
Another reason for rejection may arise when organisations conducting bilingual activities direct all their public funding — from the state or municipality — to the Finnish‑speaking part of their operations and then expect the Swedish‑speaking part to be financed with private funds. Public funding must always be used for both language groups.
Broad Funding Base
A common reason for rejecting an application is that the funding plan relies entirely or heavily on the Swedish Cultural Foundation. If the whole project depends solely on support from the Swedish Cultural Foundation, our experts and elected representatives often conclude that the project lacks conditions for long‑term sustainability and therefore choose not to grant support at all. A lack of other funders may also indicate that the applicant has not sought additional funding or that other funders do not believe in the project.
A balanced budget in the application form, together with an attached, clear and easy‑to‑read detailed budget, also increases the project’s credibility.
Initiatives Supporting the Well‑Being of Children and Young People
The Swedish Cultural Foundation gladly supports initiatives that strengthen the well‑being of children and young people, and we receive such applications from many different actors. We would like to remind applicants that it is important to describe their activities thoroughly and demonstrate that they fulfil a need rather than duplicate something already offered by other actors. This is particularly important for new actors in the field.
Since social and health services are not included in the areas that the Swedish Cultural Foundation supports according to its mandate, applications that fall between education and social/health services often raise questions among our experts and elected representatives. Sometimes applications are rejected because the educational element is not considered strong enough.
Production of Pedagogical Materials
Regarding teaching materials and other pedagogical resources, the Swedish Cultural Foundation’s elected representatives have established a clear guideline: during the November application round we only award grants to produce pedagogical materials intended to be provided free of charge to the target group. This is because our mission does not include supporting commercial activities.
In cooperation with other Finland‑Swedish foundations, we award separate personal author grants to educational authors and translators who have contracts with publishers.
- Läromedelsstipendier för yrkesutbildningen
- Läromedelsstipendier för grundläggande utbildningen och gymnasiet
Integration in Swedish
Questions regarding integration in Swedish in Finland have long been important to the Swedish Cultural Foundation, which can also be seen in this year’s funding to the field of liberal adult education. Many new actors are appearing in the field — we remind all applicants of the importance of clearly describing their organisation and activities.
Looking ahead, our experts and elected representatives call for initiatives that promote genuine inclusion — initiatives that not only offer activities for newcomers and people with foreign backgrounds but also create encounters where Swedish in Finland and other languages and cultures meet on equal terms. Funding for such initiatives can also be sought through the programmes Hallå Språkprojekt and Hallå Språkmöten.
Feedback to Local Associations and Organisations
This feedback is directed at various types of local associations and organisations, such as:
- Youth associations
- Local heritage associations
- Choirs
- Amateur theatres
- Local art associations
- Student associations
In the text we highlight some recurring shortcomings in this year’s applications that may be useful to consider for future applications.
Common Causes for Rejection
Through the headings below, you can read brief information about the most common reasons for rejection within your sector.
The Application Concerns Purposes The Swedish Cultural Foundation Does Not Support
The Swedish Cultural Foundation is a non‑profit foundation and cannot support commercial projects or products. We also do not award grants for acquisitions or investments. We also do not prioritise grants for translations.
Insufficient Connection to Swedish In Finland
A fundamental requirement for receiving any grant from the Swedish Cultural Foundation is that the application has a sufficient connection to Swedish‑speaking Finland. Read more on our website.
Please note that we cannot support activities conducted in Finnish in Sweden, nor Sweden‑based actors who lack a connection to Swedish in Finland.
Incomplete Or Incorrect Attachments to the Application
All associations must attach the most recently approved annual report, financial statements and an operational plan for the year(s) covered by the application. We often see deficiencies particularly regarding operational plans: old operational plans are attached instead of the correct ones. If the application concerns the activities for 2026, the operational plan for 2025 does not assist in assessing the application.
It is sufficient that the operational plan has been approved by the association’s board at the time of submission. You do not need to have held your autumn meeting before submitting the application. the Swedish Cultural Foundation’s staff are happy to answer questions about the required attachments.
We encourage all associations to familiarise themselves with Föreningsresursen and the materials and example documents available there. If you are a member of a federation or similar umbrella organisation, you can also ask them for help. Good governance is a prerequisite for an association to be eligible for grants.
Focus On What Is New in Your Activities
Many organisations apply for funding every year. Therefore, we encourage all applicants to highlight what is new or what you intend to develop during the upcoming operational year. This helps the experts and elected representatives assessing the applications; one of the most common questions is:
“What has happened since last time?”