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Grants

08.06.2015

Is Finland Becoming Polarized?

The purpose of the funding programme “Is Finland Becoming Polarized?” is to increase our understanding of social justice and inequality in Finland.

Youth unemployment, social exclusion, income inequality. Do social scientists know the reasons behind social problems? Tax havens, grey economy, violent demonstrations. Should data journalists make interpretations? Social classes, school rankings, immigrants. Do the studies published in scientific journals only count as real research? Deprivation, high-rise suburbs, Roma beggars. What makes a journalist an investigative journalist? Preparatory courses, payday loans, the price of living. Why are researchers unable to attract attention to their results? Why are journalists not getting answers from researchers?

The purpose of the funding programme Is Finland Becoming Polarized? is to increase our understanding of social justice and inequality. The foundation will fund cooperative projects which deal with inequality and its perception in society. They should engage in research on this theme and make the results known to public. The aim is to reveal mechanisms and connections between income, health, participation in working life, education, minority rights, and environmental issues, for example. The overall issue is to discuss the success or the failures of the Finnish welfare state.

The aim is to achieve co-operation on equal terms between researchers and journalists, which begins at the planning stage of the project and influences its budget. The contact person of the Is Finland Becoming Polarized grant call at the foundation is Dr Kalle Korhonen, head of research affairs.

 

Funding Rounds

There were four funding rounds in the Is Finland Becoming Polarized? programme:

  • 2 June – 4 August 2014 (projects requiring swift action and preparations for larger projects)
  • 5 August – 30 September 2014
  • 21 November 2014– 22 January 2015 (projects requiring swift action)
  • 15 February – 15 March 2015

The funding rounds are independent of each other: you do not have to participate in an earlier funding round in order to apply in a later one.

 

Events and Project Examples

We have supported the co-operation of journalists and researchers with two networking events. Read more about the events and the projects born with the help of Is Finland Becoming Polarized? programme here.

 

Press releases