Individual working grants
Objective of the grant
The objective of the grant is to enable professional artists to engage in long-term artistic work and to promote the creation of high-quality art in Turku. The grant is intended for artistic work and may be awarded for a period of one to six (1–6) months.
Eligibility
Professional artists whose municipality of residence is Turku are eligible to apply for this grant. Only individuals may apply for the grant.
A professional artist is a person who creates, performs or interprets art as their main or secondary occupation. A professional artist has completed education in a field of the arts or has otherwise acquired professional expertise in a field of the arts.
Assessment criteria
- Applicant’s previous merits as a professional artist
- Quality, feasibility and impact of the work plan
Applicant’s previous merits as a professional artist
- The grant recipient has demonstrated professional merit through their previous artistic activities.
Quality, feasibility and impact of the work plan
- The artistic content of the grant recipient’s work plan is of high quality.
- The grant recipient’s work plan is significant for the artist’s own practice or, more broadly, for the field of the arts or the region.
- The grant recipient’s work plan is clear, coherent and realistic in relation to the scope and objectives of the project.
- A grant is not awarded to the same artist in two consecutive years or to a person who has a one-year or multi-year working grant awarded by another party for the year for which the grant is being applied.
- The grant is not awarded to cover expenses or for study purposes.
- The grant does not require the recipient to take leave from other employment.
Grant amount
The amount of the grant is determined annually based on the January level of state artist grants awarded by the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency.
In 2027, the calculated amount of the grant for one month is EUR 2,300. The grant is tax-free for the recipient.
Recipients of grants lasting four months or longer must pay the MYEL insurance contribution under the Farmers’ Pensions Act from the grant. For insurance purposes, grant-funded work lasting more than four months must also be carried out continuously.
Aboa Grant
Objective of the grant
The objective of the Aboa Grant is to enable a distinguished professional artist based in Turku to engage in long-term artistic work, promote the creation of high-quality art and artistic renewal, and strengthen Turku’s position as a city of art.
The Aboa Grant is a one-year (12-month) working grant awarded annually to one professional artist based in Turku.
Eligibility
Professional artists whose municipality of residence is Turku are eligible to apply for this grant. Only individuals may apply for the grant.
A professional artist is a person who creates, performs or interprets art as their main or secondary occupation. A professional artist has completed education in a field of the arts or has otherwise acquired professional expertise in a field of the arts.
Assessment criteria
- Applicant’s previous merits as a professional artist
- Quality and impact of the work plan
- Significance of the work for cultural life in Turku
Applicant’s previous merits as a professional artist
- The grant recipient has demonstrated significant professional merit through their previous artistic activities.
Quality and impact of the work plan
- The grant recipient’s work plan is clear and coherent.
- The artistic content of the grant recipient’s work plan is of high quality, original and artistically ambitious.
- The grant recipient’s work plan is significant for the artist’s own practice or, more broadly, for the field of the arts or the region.
Significance of the work for cultural life in Turku
- The grant recipient’s work plan has the potential to strengthen cultural life in Turku and increase the visibility of high-quality art in the city in a manner that takes into account the specific characteristics of the field of the arts.
- Where possible, the grant includes an opportunity to exhibit or present an artistic work at one of the City of Turku’s arts institutions. Alternatively, the outcome of the work may form a visible part of the City of Turku’s cultural provision in another way.
- The grant may be awarded to the same artist only once.
- The grant is not awarded to a person who has a one-year or multi-year working grant awarded by another party for the year for which the grant is being applied.
- The grant is not awarded to cover expenses or for study purposes.
- The grant recipient must pay the MYEL insurance contribution under the Farmers’ Pensions Act from the grant.
Grant amount
The amount of the grant is determined annually based on the January level of state artist grants awarded by the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency.
According to a decision by the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency, the amount of the grant is EUR 2,296.25 per month from 1 October 2026 and, according to preliminary information, will remain the same at the beginning of 2027. The grant is tax-free for the recipient.
Fill in the application form online
Fill in the electronic application form: Grant application service (in Finnish or Swedish).
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