Support for International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland supports International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) that operate politically and administratively independently from governments, at national, regional and international levels, and have a diversified international funding base. INGOs work alongside intergovernmental organizations and develop international standards. They support local organizations by offering expert assistance, political support and connections to international networks.

Finland’s support to INGOs contributes to Finland's Government Programme, foreign policy, development policy and international human rights policy in themes and sectors that are of strategic importance to Finland. Finland’s support to INGOs is guided by the goals and principles of Finland’s development policy in accordance with the goals of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. The INGO support must complement Finland’s other support to civil society organizations. INGO support is not granted to Finnish organizations that have their own separate funding instruments.

Support to INGOs is discretionary government funding granted by the Ministry and subject to annual parliamentary approval in Finland. The Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (Valtionavustuslaki 688/2001) (unofficial translation in English) is applied to all INGO support procedures and the use of the grants.

Advance Information: Call for Proposals 2026 for Humanitarian Mine Action in 2027-2029

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (the Ministry) will open a Call for Proposals for International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) concerning Project Based Funding for Humanitarian Mine Action for the period of 2027–2029. The Call for Proposals is planned to be open from Thursday 6th August 2026 until Friday 4th September 2026. The applications need to be received by the Ministry no later than 16.00 HRS (Finnish time, UTC/GMT +3) on Friday 4th September 2026.

The total amount of funding to be distributed based on the applications received through this Call for Proposals is at maximum EUR 9 000 000 for the period of 2027–2029, and at maximum EUR 3 000 000 per year. The focus areas of the Call and the maximum allocations for each focus area are indicated under the heading Focus areas of the Call for Proposals.

Eligibility to apply under this Call is defined under the headings Principles for Support and Eligibility and minimum requirements.

Support to INGOs is discretionary government funding granted by the MFA and subject to annual parliamentary approval in Finland. The Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (Valtionavustuslaki 688/2001) (unofficial translation in English) is applied to all INGO support procedures and the use of the grant.

Finland’s Approach to Humanitarian Mine Action

Finland has been supporting humanitarian mine action (HMA) since the 1990s, and it is an integral part of Finland’s foreign, security and development policies. HMA is a comprehensive effort to promote stability, peace, security, and sustainable development. It protects lives, restores livelihoods, supports peacebuilding, recovery, and development. HMA is an important element in the continuum which flexibly combines crisis prevention, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, reconstruction, and development cooperation.

Finland’s support for humanitarian mine action employs a comprehensive approach that contributes to wider efforts to promote global security, stability and development. The goal is to support and strengthen long-term security and development in the supported areas. Supporting local communities through partnerships and employment, promotion of gender equality and a human rights-based approach are essential in Finland’s approach.

Humanitarian mine action comprises five pillars: mine clearance, mine risk education, victim assistance, stockpile destruction and advocacy. In addition to these five pillars, local capacity building remains important. Finland’s comprehensive approach to mine action emphasizes the importance of context specific analysis and combining several pillars of action in accordance with the needs at hand.

Focus Areas of the Call for Proposals

The focus areas of the Call for Proposals and respective maximum funding allocations are listed below. The maximum amount of funding available for each focus area is provisional. The MFA may also reallocate funds between focus areas.

Applications can cover one or more focus areas. For example, one application can include one project in Ukraine, another project in Syria and global support. The Ministry plans to grant funding to maximum three applications but reserves the right to fund more or fewer applications. Funding can also be granted to only selected parts of an application. For example, even if the application includes projects in three countries, the Ministry might decide to only grant funding to one country.

The total amount of funding to be distributed based on the applications received through this Call for Proposals is at maximum EUR 9 000 000 for the period of 2027–2029, and at maximum EUR 3 000 000 per each year.

1. Funding for humanitarian mine action in Ukraine

  • The maximum total amount to be allocated to this focus area is EUR 6 000 000 euro for the period 2027–2029.
  • Priority will be given to projects focusing on demining.

2. Funding for humanitarian mine action in Syria

  • The maximum total amount to be allocated to this focus area is 1 500 000 euro for the period 2027–2029.
  • Priority will be given to projects focusing on demining.

3. Funding for humanitarian mine action in Palestine

  • The maximum total amount to be allocated to this focus area is 1 000 000 euro for the perdios 2027 - 2029.
  • Priority will be given to projects focusing on explosive ordnance risk education and victim assistance.

4. Funding for Global Support for humanitarian mine action

  • The maximum total amount to be allocated to this focus area is EUR 500 000 euro for the period 2027–2029.
  • Priority will be given to projects benefitting a wide geographical area related to e.g. developing good mine action, providing victim assistance or providing risk education.

Principles for Support

Funding will be available for applications that fulfil the OECD criteria for official development assistance (ODA). Supported organisations should be International Non-governmental Organizations (INGO) that operate politically and administratively independently from governments, and at national, regional and international levels. They should have an organizational structure that supports operations across multiple countries or regions, and a diversified international funding base.  

Finnish government grant funding is discretionary. Grants can be awarded to applicants who meet the minimum requirements applicable to them, and whose application meets the minimum requirements for the application. The evaluation of applications consists of the minimum requirements, qualitative assessment criteria and an overall consideration in relation to individual applications, the set of projects awarded support and the available appropriations. Elements of the overall consideration include the Ministry's previous verifiable experiences and assessments on the applicant and the applicant’s previous use of government grants. Applicants and applications will not proceed to the qualitative assessment phase if they do not fulfil the minimum criteria.

Meeting the criteria does not automatically entitle the applicant to receive a grant. Decisions on grants are made based on the evaluation of the applications. The call does not oblige the Ministry to award grants to all applicants, nor to award the full amount requested by the applicant, nor award funding to all parts of the application. If the applicant is granted less than was requested or to only select parts of the application, they must adjust their plans accordingly.

The discretionary government grant cannot cover the full amount of the total costs incurred from the activities of the proposal. To fulfill this legal obligation, applicants need to specify their funding sources (e.g. public, private etc.).

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs grants funding based on the Act on Discretionary Government Grants and the Standard Terms and Conditions of Discretionary Government Grants for Non-Governmental Organisations Receiving Development Cooperation Funds (later Standard Terms and Conditions). The successful INGO candidates will sign an agreement for project support with the MFA and agree to follow the Standard Terms and Conditions for the Government Grant. Applicants must familiarize themselves with these terms and conditions and the agreement before applying for a grant. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs may also impose special conditions on decisions on discretionary government grants. The contract duration will be three years (January 2027 – December 2029) and the proposal should cover this period.

The purpose of discretionary government grants will be specified in the government grant decision and its appendices. Pursuant to section 13, subsection 1, of the Act on Discretionary Government Grants, discretionary government grants may be used only for the purpose stated in the government grant decision and its appendices. Discretionary government grants may not be used for parts of the grant recipient’s operations for which the grant was not awarded. Uses deviating from the purpose of the government grant include economic activities that cause more than minor distortion to competition and the market in a member state of the European Economic Area. An illustrative list of non-eligible costs is included in the Standard Terms and Conditions.

For applicants who have received government grants awarded by the Unit for Civil Society or other MFA units for 2026–2029, the application must specify the amounts/purposes of the grants.

The readmission of nationals and support for the international rules-based order are conditions for Finland’s development cooperation. Finland will not give development aid to governments or entities that support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Finland will support the EU’s efforts to encourage third countries to readmit their nationals by means of development cooperation instruments and visa policy, for example.

Government grants can not be awarded to an applicant who is subject to sanctions or decisions on asset freezes imposed by the European Union, the United Nations (UN) or Finnish authorities. The government grant recipient must ensure that another user of the grant (the recipient of redistributed funds) is not subject to sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United Nations (UN) or Finnish authorities, or to asset-freezing decisions. A maximum of one application per organisation can be successful in this Call and we encourage applicants not to submit more than one application per organization. Applications that do not meet the minimum criteria or whose applicants do not meet the minimum criteria will not be evaluated.

The MFA encourages potential applicants to closely review the eligibility criteria and minimum requirements as well as the Standard Terms and Conditions that will be applied and only apply if the minimum requirements are met and the applicant is able to use the grant following the Terms and Conditions.

The discretionary government grant will be granted to a single INGO, not a consortium. The INGO receiving the grant can have implementing partners, including other INGOs and local partners. Project implementation can be carried out directly or through implementing partners, including re-granting or redistribution of funds. The grant recipient is always fully responsible for the appropriate use of the grant as per the Grant Decision, the General Terms and Conditions and the agreement.

The Ministry cannot grant funding to Finnish NGOs in this Call for Proposals. If a Finnish NGO is a partner of the INGO applicant, funding cannot be granted for administrative costs of the Finnish NGO.

The number of proposals funded and the maximum amount of funding available are provisional. The MFA reserves the right to fund more or fewer applications than is indicated.

Eligibility and Minimum Requirements

In order to be eligible for support, the recipient must:

  • be an International Non-governmental Organisation (INGO) that operates politically and administratively independently from governments, and at national, regional and international levels, and with an organisational structure that supports operations across multiple countries or regions, and a diversified international funding base
  • have been registered as a legal non-profit organisation with the respective registration body in its country of jurisdiction for at least three years (the country of jurisdiction refers to the country where the INGO’s headquarters are registered)
  • have had an annual expenditure of at least 3 million euros in the previous two financial years, as audited by an external, independent and qualified auditor
  • have at least three different nationalities represented in its governing structure (Board, Executive Committee or equivalent)
  • have verifiable operations in at least three or more countries; operations mean a project, programme or another activity implemented by the applying organisation in a country
  • have experience of managing development cooperation grants totalling at least EUR 2,000,000 during 2023–2025; these grants must have been awarded by a state donor, the EU or a UN organisation, and must meet the OECD DAC criteria for development cooperation 
  • have funding from at least two other sources
  • have included in its statutes a provision on development cooperation, or the applicant must submit a report to the MFA on its development cooperation/ODA-eligible activities
  • have demonstrated balanced finances and fundraising that supports its activities when applying for a grant, as well as for the three preceding financial years
  • have professional and appropriate general administration and financial management in place in relation to the government grant applied for
  • have mechanisms in place to ensure that its activities do not negatively affect the realisation of human rights (the ‘do no harm’ principle)
  • have guiding principles and verifiable processes to ensure non-discrimination, accessibility, inclusiveness and equal treatment in their work; and
  • have organisational policies on risk management, anti-corruption as well as on sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment, in line with the Ethical Code of Conduct of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for Development Cooperation and the Guidance Note on the Prevention and elimination of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

In order to be eligible for support, the proposal must meet the following minimum criteria:

  • Contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • Meet the criteria for Official Development Assistance (ODA) as defined by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).
  • State clearly the window for which funding is applied.
  • Demonstrate the required self-financing for the requested government grant in accordance with the conditions.
  • Include a minimum of 10% own contribution to eligible total costs; the own contribution must be financial, not in-kind, and needs to be verified in the project’s annual audit.
  • Clearly state the proportion of funding applied to be used in ODA eligible country which does not include project management or administration expenses in non-ODA eligible countries.
  • Not include an overhead of over 10% of the project’s actual total costs (including overheads) per year; overheads refer to general expenses related to the administration of the INGO that support project implementation but are not directly part of it. They may include, for example, the INGO’s premises rental costs, the internet, electricity, IT support or accounting costs.
  • Be at least human rights-sensitive as defined in the Guidance Note of Human Rights-Based Approach in Finland's Development Cooperation.
  • Include a risk assessment and a human rights and gender equality impact assessment. 
  • Provide information on organisation's actions to prevent and to respond to prevention and elimination of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH).
  • Adhere to results-based management or an equivalent system.
  • Include a proposal for an external evaluation before the end of the project period.
  • Cover activities for which awarding a government grant is deemed necessary considering other financial support received by the applicant.

Please note: Applicants and/or applications that do not meet the minimum criteria will not proceed to qualitative assessment.

Criteria for qualitative review of applications

Proposals of eligible INGO’s that meet the above Minimum Requirements and are in accordance with the Principles for Support will be evaluated and assessed according to the following criteria.

Substantial relevance of proposal and quality of results framework:

  • Relevance and degree to which the proposal contributes to the objectives set in the Humanitarian Mine Action Concept of Finland
  • The Degree to which the proposed activities contribute to Finland’s development and foreign and security policy goals
  • Quality of adherence to Foreign Ministry’s cross-cutting objectives in development policy and the human rights-based approach. The cross-cutting objectives are gender equality, non-discrimination (with an emphasis on the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities), climate resilience, low emission development and protection of the environment (with an emphasis on safeguarding biodiversity).
  • Quality of the results framework outlining impact, outcome, outputs and including clearly set indicators, targets and assumptions
  •  Quality of partnership approach at international and national levels, including local ownership and participation of affected groups

Risk management, monitoring systems, organizational management and financial stability:

  • Financial stability (e.g. ability to cover operational expenditures by fundraising or other activities)
  • Strength of organizational management and finance structures and procedures
  • Organizational risk management policy, structures and procedures that address risk comprehensively
  • Quality of the project risk management approach, including the project risk matrix and risk assessment
  • Reliable and high-quality monitoring, evaluation and learning as well as reporting systems and approaches

Organization’s substantial focus and experience:

  • Expertise in and experience of humanitarian mine action
  • Quality of networks and experience of operating in the countries to which the grant is applied for
  • Experience of operating in fragile contexts, preferably in the target countries of the project proposal

In addition to the above-mentioned minimum requirements and qualitative criteria, the Ministry will exercise its overall consideration in relation to individual applications, the set of projects awarded support and the available appropriations. Elements of the overall consideration include the Ministry's previous verifiable experiences and assessments on the applicant and the applicant’s previous use of government grants.

How to Apply

The application form and its attachments are sent to the Ministry through the online application portal applyforgrants.fi. The application form will be availbale once the Call for Proposals is opened. The completed, signed application form and its attachments must be received by the Ministry no later than 16.00 HRS (Finnish time, UTC/GMT +3) on Friday 4th September 2026. Applications arriving after the given deadline will not be considered.

The Ministry is not able to provide technical assistance on using the online application portal applyforgrants.fi. Applicant organizations are kindly asked to carefully review the guidance for using the service on the following website: https://www.valtiokonttori.fi/en/services/government-grant-services/apply-for-grants/#user-instructions. For additional questions related to the applyforgrants.fi service and technical issues please contact: tuki.haeavustuksia@valtiokonttori.fi by email or call their customer service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Finnish time ( +358 295 50 3760).

The Ministry will not consider any other attachments than the ones listed below. The application form and its attachments must be written in English. Applications and attachments (except for registration documents) in any other language will not be considered.

The Ministry can request additional proof or information regarding the minimum requirements or qualitative requirements.

Required attachments to the application:

  • Latest annual report of the INGO.
  • The INGO's audited financial statements from last three financial years, including management letters.
  • The INGO's strategy and budget for the current year.
  • Account on INGO's governing structure's composition (including nationalities and gender distribution of members in the highest governing body).
  • Copy of the registration document of the INGO.
  • The INGO’s confirmation on signature rights.
  • Copies of the documents containing the official rules of the INGO (including organisational governance and management structures, organisational finance and financial management, procurement, and audit procedures, organisational risk management policy, structures and procedures, organisational monitoring and evaluation procedures).
  • Anti-corruption policy of the INGO.
  • Ethical code of conduct of the INGO.
  • Non-discrimination and/or gender equality policy of the INGO, where available.
  • Results framework outlining impact, outcome, outputs including clearly set indicators, targets and assumptions (based on results-based management or equivalent system).
  • Programme/project document (Outline of a Project Document). Maximum length 10 pages. Pages exceeding 10 will not be considered.
  • Detailed multi-year budget for the project including clearly noted allocations for the Call focus areas (for example, work in Syria and work in Ukraine). Applicants need to specify other funding sources for the project (e.g. public, private etc.) and whether they are confirmed. The share of possible overhead costs must be clearly noted.
  • Project risk matrix analysing risks, mitigation strategies and corrective measures including for unintended negative impacts.
  • Human rights and gender equality impact assessment of the project.
  • Monitoring and evaluation plan, including an external evaluation before the end of the project period and a possible mid-term review. The costs of the external evaluation can be included in the project budget. For more information, please refer to Guidance note on MEL and evaluation plans

The processing of applications takes approximately three months. All applicants will be informed about the decision.

Inquiries

Questions concerning technical aspects of using the online application service should be sent to the State Treasury’s customer service (contact details under heading How to Apply).

Other questions related to the Call for Proposals should be conveyed to the Ministry in written form by e-mail to the following email address: ingo.um@gov.fi no later than 16.15 HRS (UTC/GMT +3) on Wednesday 12st August 2026. The subject field of the e-mail must include “Call for Proposals for INGOs, Questions”.

The questions and the Ministry’s answers will be published by 16:15 HRS (UCT/GMT +3) on Monday 24th August 2026 on the Ministry’s website. The units or employees at the MFA, including those in charge of the call, are regrettably not in a position to answer questions received separately.

Relevant Call Materials

Relevant Guiding Documents

Previous INGO Calls for Proposals

The latest previous INGO Calls are described below. INGO funding has been centralized to the Department for Development Policy in 2025 and is managed in close cooperation with other relevant Departments at the Ministry.

The 2024 Call for INGOs for Support in Human Rights Work

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs granted EUR 10 million for the human rights work of nine international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) for 2025–2026. The Call targeted project applications in the following thematic focus areas: Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination; Human Rights Defenders in Defence of Democracy; and Business and Human Rights.

Discretionary government grants were awarded to the following organisations:

  • Christian Blind Mission UK, EUR 1,225,000
  • International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), EUR 1,200,000
  • World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), EUR 1,180,000
  • Access Now, EUR 1,180,000
  • Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), EUR 1,154,150
  • International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), EUR 1,140,000 euroa.
  • International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), EUR 1,086,750
  • International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), EUR 1,034,100 
  • International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World), EUR 800,000

More information: See the 2024 Call Description at the applyforgrants.fi portal (link).

The 2022 Call for Call for Proposals for INGOs on SRHR, Tax Justice and Food Security

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs granted EUR 13 million for 2022-2025 to six International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), tax justice and transparency and food security for children and youth.

Older Calls for Proposals:

Related information