Applying for a grant
Who can apply?
We welcome grant applications from Turku-based sports clubs and associations that:
- use sports facilities owned by the private and third sectors for activities aimed at under 20-year-olds
- organise water sports and swimming groups for special groups in privately owned pool facilities, or
- produce navigation and sprint maps for the terrain in the Turku region
When to apply for the grant?
The grant application period is from 1 February to 31 October each year. Apply for the grant based on the actual costs for the current year.
How is the grant amount determined?
We award grants for actual costs paid by the club or association, in line with the grant principles set by the Sports Committee.
The grant percentage depends on the costs applied for and the allocated grant appropriation. The aim is for the grant to cover approximately 70% of the eligible costs related to sports facilities or map costs paid by the club or association. The Sports Committee confirms the available budget annually. The grant amount for each applicant is based on the ratio of approved costs to the available funding.
We provide grants for the rental and use of sports facilities, as well as for the preparation of orienteering and sprint maps. For more information on acceptable costs, see below.
Acceptable costs include the expenses paid by the applicant club or association for renting sports facilities and for using those facilities. The approved user fees for the applicant’s own or rented sports facilities are proportionate to the amount of activity involving individuals under the age of 20 (excluding pool costs for adapted physical activity). Any income from other users of the facility will be deducted from the applicant’s user fees for their own or rented sports facilities.
We primarily provide support for the use of sports facilities located in Turku. You can also receive a grant for the costs of sports facilities located outside Turku if there are no suitable facilities in Turku or if there are insufficient time slots available at the facilities for that specific sport in Turku. We review the assistance for using sports facilities outside Turku annually, based on the applicant’s report and the reservation situation of municipal sports facilities.
Acceptable costs include:
- Rents for sports facilities and fields for under 20-year-olds when the space/field has been used for sports training or sports-related competition activities
- Rents for pool facilities used for adapted physical activity for individuals of all ages, when the facility has been used for non-competitive sports activities
- Rental, land lease, cleaning, lighting, maintenance, insurance, key and HVAC expenses related to the maintenance of a sports facility owned or leased by the applicant
- Regular maintenance work on sports facilities owned or leased by the applicant, provided it is essential for the safe use of the facilities and aligns with the specific requirements of the sport
The grant does not cover:
- Rents and user fees for sports facilities for over 20 year-olds (excluding pool costs for adapted physical activity, which is supported without an age limit)
- Facility costs for sports activities held in other cities, when the activities are primarily intended for people from outside Turku
- Rents and user fees for auxiliary training facilities
- User fees for the City of Turku facilities
- User fees for sports facilities supported by the City of Turku (such as Rajupaja Areena from 1 August to 31 March)
- Costs incurred during the period when the facility is not used for sports activities
- Costs for storage, warehouse, office and parking spaces
- Costs related to cleaning, consumables, tools, equipment, carpets, gritting, and fuel, as well as other small purchases and services related to the maintenance of the sports facility
- Costs related to sports equipment, furniture, interior decoration and coaching
- Costs related to repairing equipment and machinery
- Telephone, telecommunications and audio costs
- Costs for sports facilities, purchases and additional arrangements and activities related to event organisation
- Late payment and collection fees, and invoicing fees
- Planning costs for orienteering maps, such as fieldwork and travel expenses
- Orienteering map implementation costs, such as map drawing, printing and associated costs
- Costs for outsourced orienteering maps
How to apply for a grant?
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1Fill in the application form online
Fill in the electronic application form: Grant application service (in Finnish)
We recommend using the Mozilla or Chrome browser. The form requires identification.
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2Submit the required attachments
Submit the following attachments related to the sports facilities:
- A form summarising the expenses for the entire year 2025.
- Provide a report on the operational data for the entire year and evaluate the year-end operations as preliminary data. Confirm the year-end information with attachments in early 2026.
- Invoices for facility costs
- Receipts for payments related to facility costs
Provide the following attachments for orienteering maps:
- A document summarising the maps produced and their costs
- Examples of maps
- Receipts for the payment of costs
- A form summarising the expenses for the entire year 2025.
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3Wait for the grant decision
The Sports Committee reviews the grant applications at its meeting in December.
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4Update the year-end information
Update your application with the required attachments no later than the beginning of the following year, once the information for the remainder of the year (October–December) is confirmed. We will pay the grant based on the actual costs incurred.
To the grant recipient
Payment of the grant
We will pay the grant retroactively; in other words, in the year following the realisation of costs.
However, under certain conditions, the club or association may withdraw either a portion or the full amount of the grant in advance, before the final decision is made. Read more about the advance withdrawal policy below.
The advance withdrawal policy applies to sports clubs and associations organising physical activities:
- for which the Sports Committee has awarded a grant for the reimbursement of training facility rents of at least EUR 2,500 in the previous calendar year, and which are also applying for a grant in the current year
- that have not received a grant in the past but have a lease valid for at least three years, costing at least EUR 10,000 annually.
The advance withdrawal practice begins on 1 January of the grant year and ends when the Sports Committee has made a final decision on the grant type for that year. We deduct the prepaid amount from the annual grant awarded to the applicant.
We can pay up to 50% of the grant amount awarded to the club or association in the previous calendar year, or 50% of the current year’s annual lease amount in advance, subject to a repayment agreement. If the advance payment exceeds the final grant amount, the city will recover the excess amount. If the applicant does not apply for the grant in the year in which the advance withdrawal has been paid, we will recover the advance withdrawal.
Reporting changes
When the expenses of the club or association vary from the previous year, the applicant must promptly contact Sports Services as soon as they become aware of the change.
In addition, sports clubs that are newly established or relocating to Turku must contact Sports Services well in advance of registering their club in Turku. Report any changes using the change form. Unreported changes may be disregarded during the grant processing by Sports Services.
For example, report the following changes:
- mergers of sports clubs
- acquisition or rental of a new sports facility
- giving up a sports facility managed or owned by the club
- impacts of operational changes on facility costs
- increases in facility rent or maintenance costs (beyond the usual index increase)
- any other similar changes affecting facility costs