Project support to civil society organisations
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs grants discretionary government transfers to Finnish civil society organisations (CSOs) for their development cooperation projects. Calls for proposals are opened every two years.
- Principles of support
- Application
- Conditions for project support
- E-services
- Basic information form
- Application forms for project support
- Implementation and reporting
Principles of support
Project support for Finnish CSOs is an important form of civil society development cooperation and part of Finland's development policy implementation. CSOs engaged in development cooperation projects enhance the diversity and impact of Finland’s development cooperation in developing countries around the world through their own fields of expertise and practices. According to the Guidelines for Civil Society in Development Policy (2017), strengthening civil society is both a development policy objective and a means to promote Finland's other development policy objectives and the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Project support also promotes Finland's foreign policy objectives, such as the implementation of human rights policy objectives.
Description of the project support (PDF, 411 KB)
Application
Application round 2023–2026
The application period is open from 24 January to 4 March 2022. During that time, applications can be submitted for discretionary government grants for development cooperation projects in 2023–2026.
Call for proposals 2023–2026 (PDF, 93 KB)
Application round 2022: Questions and answers 28 February 2022 (PDF, 632 KB, in Finnish)
Advance information on application for project support for 2023–2026 (22 November 2021)
Conditions for project support
E-services
Ministry for Foreign Affairs uses e-services and its electronic forms for the administration of project support. Find out about the e-services.
The project support application and annual report forms are submitted in PDF format. To download the forms you will need to have the latest version of the free Adobe Reader software(layout.types.url.description). Save the forms on your own work station before opening them (Save target as). You can edit, save or forward forms to others before you submit the application.
All other forms, such as forms for basic information form, commitment, disbursement request form, complementary information form, and change of use application are browser-based. NOTE: These forms can no longer be downloaded in PDF format.
Basic information form
Before submitting an application, the applying organisation must submit a basic information form through the Foreign Ministry’s e-services. The basic information form should be submitted well in advance of the end of the application round. If necessary, the basic information form may be supplemented after it has been filed. Applicants for grants must use the code given in the acknowledgement of receipt to be able to submit new applications for project support in application cycles. After submitting the basic information form, you will receive a notification on your electronic user account, which includes the case ID code (which is in the form of UHA20XX-000XXX). Write this ID code under section 1.2. of the project support application or continuation project application.
The basic information form will be submitted only once also in cases where the actor is applying for several discretionary government transfers in the same year.
Submit the basic information form together with the following appendices: action plan, budget proposal, annual report, financial statement, audit report and other possible documents, such as revised rules and extract from the register of associations.
Application forms for project support
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Application form (PDF, 197 KB) (UML2020-0013.2.1)
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Instructions for filling in the application form (PDF, 703 KB)
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Application form for continuation project (PDF, 207 KB) (UML2021-0014.1.1)
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Instructions for filling in the continuation project application form (PDF, 703 KB)
Mandatory appendices:
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Appendix 1. Additional information on the application (Word, 29 KB) (Opens New Window)
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Appendix 2. Letter(s) of intent with the partner(s).
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Appendix 3. Results matrix
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Appendix 4. Risk matrix
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Appendix 5. Assurance (PDF, 17 KB, in Finnish or Swedish) (Opens New Window)
Please note that when you name the appendices, special characters (such as , . - / ä ö) must not be used. When you save appendices, make sure that the file format is also saved (for example action_plan_2013.pdf). The total size of the appendices may not exceed 10 MB. If necessary, part of the appendices can be submitted using the complementary information form.
Additional instructions:
Application round 2021–2024
List of projects to which support was granted in the call for proposals in 2020
Implementation and reporting
Forms for commitment, disbursement request, complementary information, and change of use application are browser-based.
Account of the project status form, to be used when the first instalment is requested to be paid before the annual report is submitted (by 30 April):
The form should be attached to the disbursement request in the e-services.
Reporting
Organisations report on their use of the granted discretionary government transfers via the Foreign Ministry's e-services. The reports must be submitted by 30 April. Applicants should also submit their basic information forms annually by the end of April.
The appendices to the annual reports are also sent electronically only.
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Form for annual reporting of project support (PDF, 143 KB) (UML2020-0019.1.7)
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Filling instructions concerning the form for annual reporting of project support (PDF, 304 KB)
The ID data required for filling in the reporting form can be retrieved from the organisation's electronic user account, project support applications and the decision on discretionary government support as well as from the changes of use if any.