Home Grants For grant applicants Guidelines for making a grant application Guidelines for making a grant application Grant applications are submitted on our online grant service. The application form can only be accessed when the call is open in September. Please read the instructions carefully before applying! GrantsFor grant applicants Kone Foundation’s focuses in awarding grants Criteria for applying Evaluation and decisions Guidelines for making a grant application Propose a peer reviewer Frequently asked questions For grant recipients General information about the grant Grant payment, social security and taxation Grants+ Project communications Kamari – “The Chamber” Kone Foundation logos and mentioning the Foundation’s support Funding programmes and thematic grant calls Funding programme: Is Democracy Eroding? (2021–2025) Thematic grant call 2022: The current state and challenges of Finnish democracy Thematic grant call 2021: Language, Power and Democracy Previous thematic grant calls Metsän puolella initiative (“In the Woods“) Guidelines for making a grant application Vuoden Tiedekynä Academic Writing Award You can go directly to each section by clicking the titles below. Go back to the top of the page by clicking the black arrow at the bottom right corner. Application form and the online grant service Selecting the evaluators for your application Attachments Appending a reference letter (recommendation) to your application Checklist for applicants Back to the top Application form and the online grant service Apply for funding by submitting your application and attachments using the Online Grant Service. The service is open during the annual application period in September. Applications cannot be submitted after the deadline. This section includes guidelines for using the Online Grant Service. Please read these instructions carefully before filling out and submitting your application. Once you are logged in, detailed information about the different sections of the application form can be found behind the ‘?’ symbol. The application form can be accessed only when the call is open. You can watch a video presentation of the application form below: Grant Coordinator Laura Lees presented the application form in an info session in August 2023. Once you have registered, a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you have provided. The email address also serves as your username. If you do not receive the confirmation email within a few minutes, please check your junk mail/spam folder. Log in using your account information, or if you are a new applicant, register as a new user. Create a new application. Fill in the required information. Submit the application to Kone Foundation before the deadline. Applications cannot be sent via email or post. Please note: after the deadline, applications cannot be edited in any way. Only applications submitted during the application period will be considered. After submitting the application, the status of the application will be marked as ‘Application received’. No separate email will be sent upon receipt of the application. Within a week of the deadline, the status of the application will update to ‘Application under evaluation’. Language of the application The application and attachments can be in Finnish, Swedish or English. Certificates may be in languages other than those mentioned above. The application form GRANT CALLS Choose the grant call you are taking part in. Grant call In the woods APPLICATION TYPE Choose whether you are filling out the application as an individual applicant, working group or organisation with a Finnish business ID. Individual applicants must fill in the application under their own names. If the applicant is a working group, the members of the group must elect a leader to submit the application in his/her/their own name. You may also give your working group a name. If the applicant is an organisation with a with a Finnish business ID, a leader must be selected for the project. Read more about the role of the project leader. Application form tabs 1. APPLICANT Fill in the basic information. Research applicants using the ORCID-identification code can provide this information in their applicant data. If you’re applying as an organisation with a Finnish business ID, please note that the registration numbers recorded in the Register of Associations are no longer in use. Business IDs have been used since September 2019. The details for working group members who are not applying for a personal monthly grant must also be listed on this page. Working group members’ names will be published on Kone Foundation’s website. 2. TYPE OF PROJECT The applicant must choose a category for the project: Research Art Research and art Another type of cultural work Please note that in the Foundation’s funding decisions, the proportion of other kinds of cultural work is marginal. You may also list on the form keywords or fields related to the project and its themes. You can read more about cooperation between the arts and academic research and the Kone Foundation here. 3. DESCRIPTION Fill in the working title. In the summary (max. 2,000 characters), please provide a short description of your project’s or study’s primary content and the intended methods for implementing the work. You must also provide a more detailed work or research plan as an attachment. Applicants’ summaries are important in the evaluation of the applications – the summary is usually the first section the evaluator reads from the application. The Foundation may use applicants’ titles and summaries in the Foundation’s communications (such as on its website), and the text from these sections will be published if the grant is awarded. The applicant must provide a brief description of the project’s duration and a timetable on the application form. 4. FUNDING On the application form, select the primary purpose for the funding: Academic research and/or artistic work Doctoral thesis Popularisation of research Organising an event, exhibition or other production For the last two alternatives, please state the intended target audience. The applicant must select whether the grant request is for a multiyear project or a project lasting a maximum of one year. The Foundation is willing to support an unbroken span of work. If you are planning a multiyear project such as a doctoral thesis, we recommend that you apply for funding for the same project at once. We usually recommend that working groups and organisations applying for larger project funding in the arts (min. 150 000 euros) contact the Foundation’s application advice before submitting an application. For larger grants, this will streamline the processing of applications at the time of application period. Fill in the information for the monthly grantee(s). Individuals doing scholarly or artistic work are awarded personal working grants instead of salaries. Grants awarded by private foundations such as Kone Foundation are exempt from taxes below the limit of the Finnish state grant for artists. Kone Foundation funding is specified as personal monthly grants and other expenses on the application form. The amount of the personal monthly grant varies, depending on the stage of your career. Grant classifications for the grant call 2023 onwards are: Grant 1: early career applicants and those working on their doctoral thesis €2,700/month (€32,400/year) Grant 2: mid-career applicants (min. 10 years of artistic work) and those working at the post-doctoral level €3,200/month (€38,400/year) Grant 3: late-career applicants (min. 20 years of artistic work) and experienced researchers (e.g., adjunct professor level, ‘dosentti’ in the Finnish academic system) €3,800/month (€45,600/year). If you are applying for monthly grant 2 or 3, please describe your career phase. Personal monthly grants are usually awarded for full-time work for a minimum of one month. Smaller grants are available (25%, 50% or 75% of full grant) for part-time work. You can also apply for a grant for an unnamed person if the members of the working group are not known at the time of application. In this case, select “Unnamed” as the monthly grant recipient and specify the duration and the role of the unnamed monthly grant recipient in the project. Recipients of annual grants can take around one month of holiday per year without their grant being suspended. Compensation for work lasting less than a month, such as a performance fee, can be applied for under ‘other expenses’ but not as a monthly grant. When applying for funding to cover fees and salaries, tax and overheads must be taken into account. If funding is requested for other expenses (e.g., travel, salaries, materials), a budget must be included as an attached PDF. If you apply for funding for travel expenses, we encourage you to avoid flying if possible and to favour low-emission travelling. Flights within Finland, which should be avoided for sustainability reasons, can be funded only when they are well justified. 5. OTHER FUNDING Please list all grants received during the preceding three years and any applications pending at the time of applying for Kone Foundation funding. Applicants are requested to inform Kone Foundation immediately if other funding is received from any other source during Kone Foundation’s application processing for the same purpose. For projects, applicants must indicate on the application if they have sought funding for the same project from other sources. If an applicant is granted funding without having informed the Foundation of funding from other sources, Kone Foundation may repeal its decision. Kone Foundation grants are usually not awarded to applicants who have already secured financing for the project in question (grant or salary) for the entire upcoming year. Research grant applicants must also indicate on their applications all salaried doctoral programs for which they have been awarded a grant or for which applications are pending. They must also inform of any paid work related to the project or any other overlapping funding for this application. We also wish to know if the applicant has received or applied for funding from Kone Foundation before. 6. EVALUATORS Please check the separate guidelines for Selecting the evaluator of the application. 7. ATTACHMENTS AND LINKS See the section Attachments. 8. REFERENCES See the section Appending a reference to the application. 9. PROXIMITY According to the Foundations Act (a Finnish Law), all foundations are required to provide information on their transactions with related parties. The Act has a broad definition of a related party of a foundation. Please note that related parties may apply for funding from Kone Foundation. Foundations are required to disclose if they award funding to persons within the “narrow” definition of a related party. The executives of the Foundation cannot participate in the processing of applications from related parties in the broad sense. For these reasons, all grant applicants will be asked about their relationship to key Foundation personnel. The question is based on the new Foundations Act of 1 December 2015. 10. FEEDBACK The feedback section is optional and can be skipped on the application form. We want to continuously improve our grant application process, so we invite you to give us your views. Your feedback will not affect the evaluation of your application and will not be visible to the evaluator. Kone Foundation aims to promote accessibility in its grant applications. In the feedback section, you can raise any comments, suggestions or concerns you may have, for example, regarding disabilities when using the application guidelines or the application form. Responses will be treated anonymously and confidentially by the Foundation. 11. SUBMISSION The application (and attachments) must be submitted by 15 September, 16:00 (Finnish time). Please note that after the deadline, applications cannot be edited in any way. You can submit your dissertation permit or degree certificate as an attachment to the application in the “Attachments and links” tab by 15 November. References may submit their reference letters via the online service until 22 September, if the reference request has been sent during the application period. If the applicant wishes to add the reference letter themselves, they must submit it as an attachment by the application deadline. If, after submitting your application, you wish to edit the text before the deadline, please choose “cancel application”. This does not clear your application data. After editing the application, please submit the application again. The status of the application will then read “Application received”, and within a week of the deadline it will update to “Application under evaluation”. No separate email will be sent upon receipt of the application. After the submission period, you cannot change or submit your application anymore. Only applications submitted via the online service will be considered. Research applicants may also give permission to share information about the grants they’ve received to the National Research Information Hub, which gathers and shares data about research conducted in Finland. Selecting the evaluator(s) for your application The applicant will select which field they want the expert assessing their application to represent. A maximum of three selections can be made, but please note that the applications will generally be assessed by one’s first choice of expert. If your application is multi-disciplinary, you can choose up to three reviewers, but choose the profile closest to your work as profile no. 1. If you are applying for a grant for doctoral thesis work, even in artistic research, please choose the first evaluator profile from the profiles listed under Research. The evaluators change every year. The names of the evaluators are not disclosed. Peer reviewers can be proposed to the Kone Foundation using the proposal form. The evaluators do not see your previous applications or possible reports on your awarded grants. Evaluator profiles in research for the 2023 application call are: Archaeology Artistic research: music Artistic research: performing arts and film studies Artistic research: visual arts Arts studies Cultural sciences Educational science Environmental education Environmental science; biological, chemical and physical Environmental technology Gender Studies History Linguistics Literary Studies Media and communications studies Philosophy Political and administrative sciences Political economy Social psychology Social work and social policy Sociology Societal-environmental research Evaluator profiles in arts for the 2023 application call are: Art curating Arts criticism, art journalism Film Literature and verbal art Media and sound art Museum work, cultural heritage Music Performing arts Site-specific and time-based art Visual arts Attachments The applicant’s ability to successfully complete the project is evaluated based on the work plan, curriculum vitae and other supporting documents attached to the application. All attachments must be uploaded by the deadline of the grant call, 15 September, 16:00 (Finnish time). References may submit their reference letters via the online service until 22 September, if the reference request has been sent during the application period. If the applicant wishes to add the reference letter themselves, they must submit it as an attachment by the application deadline. Degree diplomas and permission for the public defence of academic dissertations awarded after the deadline can be sent using the Online Application Service by 15 November. Applicants can also inform the Foundation of funding received from other sources using the online application service. All necessary attachments should be uploaded to the Online Application Service and attached to the application as a PDF. The maximum size for one file is 6 MB. Please select the file type from the drop-down list on the online application form. Please note that we cannot accept attachments by mail or email. The application cannot be edited anymore after the submission period. Attachments and applications received afterwards are not considered. REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS research or work proposal curriculum vitae budget (a budget is included in the application if the applicant is applying for more than a monthly grant) portfolio (applications for artistic work or artistic research) reference (compulsory for doctoral researchers, recommendable for post-doc researchers in their early career) copy of degree certificate (research applicants) Work group: research or work proposal curriculum vitae for each project member (or summaries) budget portfolio (applications for artistic work or artistic research) copy of degree certificate (individual research applicants with monthly grant) Organisation with a Finnish business ID: research or work proposal curriculum vitae for each project member (or summaries) budget portfolio (applications for artistic work or artistic research) copy of degree certificate (individual research applicants with monthly grant) copies of the annual report, financial statement and auditor’s report from the previous year Please note: if you have received a prior grant from Kone Foundation for the same purpose, include a short description of your progress in your work/research plan. DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHMENTS Research and work proposal Those applying for a grant for academic research attach a research plan to their application. For all other applications, a working plan is required as an attachment. The maximum length of the research or work proposal for individual applicants is 4 pages, including bibliography. The maximum length of a research or work proposal for work groups or institutions is 8 pages. In the evaluation of proposals, attention is paid to: merit (academic merit in research projects) feasibility implementation of the Foundation’s key focuses In general, the research proposal should include the following sections: Introduction: the background of the research and its subject matter, as well as the significance of the proposed research in light of this background. Aims and objectives: what is to be studied and why. The objectives must be indicated as clearly as possible, for example through proposed research questions. Research materials and methods: the research data or literature and the method chosen for analysing or handling these materials. Work outline: a short estimate of the expected duration of each phase of the project. References and sources: a concise list of the most important sources of the research. It is important to clarify the theoretical framework behind your research. In doing so, follow the practices of your own field. We fund research in a broad range of disciplines and do not aim to teach academics how to perform their research. It is also important to highlight the ways your work responds to the Foundation’s key focuses. If you have received funding for the same purpose from Kone Foundation, the plan should provide a brief account of what has been accomplished during the previous Kone Foundation funding period and the project’s current status. In addition to the above-mentioned, the research proposals for work groups or institutions should include: Names of participating researchers Indication of applicants’ familiarity with the subject An explanation of any possible multidisciplinarity or interdisciplinarity factored into the project. Projects that are not research projects must include an attached work plan. A sufficient work plan answers the questions: Why? How? When? Who? and Whom with? The work plan for artistic work may include several projects or parallel productions to be worked on during the grant period. For artistic work applications, the objectives and content of the work plan may be a description of the artistic practice and/or a future exhibition, performance, etc., if known at the time of application. The work plan should include: project aims and objectives a description of intended working methods names of the participants and possible partners schedule ways in which your work responds to the Foundation’s focuses If you have received funding for the same purpose from Kone Foundation, the plan should provide a brief account of what has been accomplished during the previous Kone Foundation funding period and the project’s current status. The work plan for work group must highlight the role of each person involved in the project. Curriculum vitae (CV) The applicant must attach a CV from all individuals that would be receiving a working grant or individuals doing salaried work in the project if their contribution to the project is essential. The purpose of the CV is to provide a concise overview of the applicant’s education and experience. It should include work experience, previous research, previously received grants, key publications, presentations given and teaching experience. It is especially important to include information of particular relevance to the project for which Kone Foundation funding is being sought. A researcher’s CV can be based on the template provided by the Finnish Advisory Board of Research Integrity. The CV should not exceed four pages. Please do not attach a separate publications list. The CV can also be a link to an online CV. Budget If a personal monthly grant alone is required to implement the project, there is no need to attach a budget to the application form. If the applied funding is a part of a larger project with several funders, please attach the project’s total budget to the application. It is important to try to estimate costs plausibly and precisely in the budget. Other possible sources of funding must also be mentioned. Even if only a portion of the funding of a project is being applied for, the cost estimate for the entire project must be presented. In projects that span several years, it is better to devise the budget according to the years of activity rather than calendar years. Please prepare a separate budget annex for other expenses to be claimed for the project. Estimate the expenses realistically and accurately. Even if you are only applying for part of the funding from the Kone Foundation, you must submit a budget plan for the entire project. A detailed and itemised budget will make it easier for the Foundation to make a funding decision. For larger projects, the funding base may include several donors. Clearly indicate in the budget the contributions that will be requested from the Kone Foundation. In addition to a separate, detailed project budget, the budget must be outlined in the online application form. The project’s annual personal monthly grants and any other expenses of the project (such as travel, material and equipment expenses; additional labour force or salaries; and outsourced services and other costs) must be specified. You can also apply funding for other expenses if you’re in need of assistance e.g. during travelling. In the budget, please indicate any overhead, if required by the research institution. Use the field ‘Other expenses’ on the online application form. Please note that Kone Foundation does not award more than a 15% overhead, and overheads are only counted as ‘other’ expenses, not as personal monthly grants. See a sample budget Portfolio Grant applications for arts and artistic research funding must include a portfolio. A portfolio showcases the artist’s ability in the relevant field and conveys an impression of them as an artist. A portfolio thus showcases the applicant’s level of artistic expression, quality of artistic thinking and any other particular proficiency that the applicant finds relevant to mention. The contents of the portfolio are to be chosen by the applicant. A portfolio can contain images, texts, links or a list of literary output. The portfolio can be submitted as a PDF, or you can compile it on your own website and include the link in your application. If you apply for a grant as a working group, you can attach a shared portfolio to the application. References Read more about references here. Certificates If the grant application includes individual researchers working as a monthly grant recipients, please include a certificate of their most recent academic degree and/or the most relevant certificates for the research project. The copy of the certificate does not need to be officially authenticated. A degree certificate can also be included in other applications, if desired, but it is most important for the CV to include education and qualifications. Degree diplomas and permits for the public defence of academic dissertations awarded after the Kone Foundation September deadline can be sent by 15 November using the online application service. Applicants can also use the online application service to inform the foundation of funding received from other sources. Appending a reference letter (recommendation) to your application References play an important role in grant applications for both doctoral studies (mandatory) and post-doctoral applications. Either a supervisor or other person familiar with the applicant’s work or the proposed project may submit a reference. If the same reference source submits references for more than one doctoral researcher, the applicants’ order made by the reference source plays an important role in the evaluation process. References can be submitted for other types of applications as well. In the case of art applications, a reference can help the evaluator in the evaluation process. The reference source should know the applicant and the project for which funding is sought well enough to add value to the application. For example, it may confirm the relevance of the project in the field of arts (projects that are innovative in the field) or open up the planned cooperation to the evaluator of the application. For an individual artist’s application, the reference does not carry much weight in the evaluation of the application. Two ways to submit a reference 1) The reference source submits the reference via an email link Requests for written recommendations are sent to potential references by email on page 8 of the application form. The email address of the reference source is thus required in order to issue a request. We also advise that applicants contact a potential reference source well before the application deadline to provide enough time to compose and submit the letter of reference. The reference source then submits their reference letter using the link emailed to them via the Kone Foundation online grant service, which directs the reference as an attachment to your application. The request is automatically sent in Finnish and in English and can be replied to in both languages. NB! If the reference source has not received the reference request sent, we recommend checking the spam folder first. In the service, the reference author can view your project or research plan that has been included as attachments to the application but cannot view any other parts of your application. Please note that updating or removing the attachment on the application will update the version viewable in the reference service. Submitted references are not visible to applicants in the online service. Reference sources may submit reference letters via the online service until 22 September, if the reference request has been sent during the application period. 2) Attach the reference letter to your application yourself If you have received a reference letter personally and wish to submit it yourself, you may attach it to the application as a PDF. In this case, you must submit it as an attachment by the application deadline, 15 September 16:00 (Finnish time) Checklist for applicants Before applying for a grant, please read through this checklist to plan your application according to our guidelines. 1. Make sure you are eligible to apply for Kone Foundation funding. Please read through Kone Foundation’s focuses in awarding grants and Criteria for applying. Does your project match with them? Also, are you a professional within an academic or artistic field? Kone Foundation does not fund non-professional activities. In addition we recommend reading our instructions for grant recipients. It is important to be aware e.g. of issues regarding social security for grant recipients before leaving an application. Grant recipients who have received funding for periods of four months or more and whose grants exceed the minimum level for pension payments are required to take MYEL insurance. 2. How long will your project take? Are you applying for a grant for several years or just a few months? As a rule, we do not fund working periods of less than six months for individual applicants (excluding funding for finishing doctoral dissertation). In working groups the minimum duration of a personal grant for research or artistic work is one month. Grants may be funded for a maximum of four years at a time. If you are planning a multiyear project, we recommend that you apply for funding for the same project at once. Grants awarded following the September funding call can be used, at earliest, at the start of the following year. Grants are not awarded retroactively. 3. A personal monthly grant or salaried work? Individuals performing academic research or artistic work are awarded personal working grants. If the work is not artistic or academic OR the duration is less than 1 month of grant work, individuals must apply for a grant to pay wage costs and to cover fees and salaries. 4. Amounts of monthly grants? The amount of the personal monthly grant varies according to the stage of your career. If the applicant applies for the larger monthly grant, a description of the applicant’s current career stage must be included in the application. Grant classifications for the grant call 2023 onwards are: Grant 1: early career applicants and those working on their doctoral thesis €2,700/month (€32,400/year) Grant 2: mid-career applicants (min. 10 years of artistic work) and those working at the post-doctoral level €3,200/month (€38,400/year) Grant 3: late-career applicants (min. 20 years of artistic work) and experienced researchers (e.g., adjunct professor level, ‘dosentti’ in the Finnish academic system) €3,800/month (€45,600/year). Personal monthly grants are usually awarded for full-time work for a minimum of one month. Smaller grants are available (25%, 50% or 75% of full grant) for part-time work. 5. Other expenses? Will you apply for funding for expenses such as travel, materials, wages or services? If your application includes a funding request for other expenses, please attach a budget for such. We also request an overall budget for larger projects that include funding from other sources. If you are applying for a personal monthly grant, a budget is not required. 6. Attach a separate work or research plan to your application. A research or work plan must be attached to all applications as a PDF, in addition to the summary requested on the application form. For more guidelines on how to write a plan, see Attachments. 7. Will you be applying for funding for the same project from other sources? Applicants must immediately inform Kone Foundation if funding is received from any other source during Kone Foundation’s application processing or if your situation changes significantly after the application has been submitted. Research grant applicants must also indicate on their applications all salaried doctoral programs for which they have received grants or for which applications are pending. They must also inform the Foundation of any paid work related to the project to be funded. 8. Compulsory attachments Before submitting your application, please check the Attachments section to see which attachments are required for your application. 9. Will I need references? As for all references, it is essential to ask someone who knows your project well enough and can support it. References are only compulsory for doctoral studies grant applications. They are useful in post-doctoral applications and can be submitted for other types of applications as well. Either the supervisor or another person familiar with the applicant’s work or the proposed project can submit a reference. References can be submitted for other types of applications as well. In the case of art applications, a reference can help the evaluator in the evaluation process. The reference source should know the applicant and the project for which funding is sought well enough to add value to the application. For example, it may confirm the relevance of the project in the field of arts (projects that are innovative in the field) or open up the planned cooperation to the evaluator of the application. For an individual artist’s application, the reference does not carry much weight in the evaluation of the application. Important dates General grant call is open 1.-15.9. Send your application with the attachments via the online service by 15 September, 4:00 P.M. EEST (Finnish time). Reference sources may submit reference letters via the online service until 22 September, if the reference request has been sent during the application period. Degree diplomas and permits for the public defence of academic dissertations can be sent by 15 November using the online application service. Funding decisions are announced in early December. Return to the For grant applicants main page.