Svenska kulturfonden (The Swedish Cultural Fund) will likely make grants worth a record-breaking 38 million euros this year. That’s over 50% more than last year. This is according to a report by Yle.
After the economic depression at the start of the 1990s, the Cultural fund has grown fast. Returns have grown by between 5% and 50% per year since 1995, a year in which the fund gave 2 million euros to support causes.
The Swedish Cultural Fund works to support and strengthen the Swedish language in Finland, to develop skills, competence and creativity amongst Swedish-speaking Finns, and to support solidarity amongst and the identity of the Swedish-speaking Finns.
On an everyday level, it’s probably most well-known for granting scholarships to university students via its participation in the Swedish Study Fund.
Svenska kulturfonden is celebrating its 100th anniversary during 2008.
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Friday 28.3.08 at 0:03
Dave the Revelator
I’d like to see my digital photographer 16 year old son get a piece of that action — he goes to swedish speaking school here and it is his mother tongue.
How difficult is the application process? Do you know what kind of projects they support more than others? I guess I should be checking their website, but any information you can glean from perhaps personal experience would be very appreciated.
Friday 28.3.08 at 7:17
Jonas
If we’re speaking of student scholarships, when he gets to university/college, he should definitely apply. Their priority areas change from time to time, generally they focus on what there is a shortage of (for instance, right now there is a shortage in many Swedish-speaking teaching posts). Also, they focus on foreign exchange support (seems to be a theme right now, Hanken is making a term abroad compulsory for all its students, so this could be interesting for how the Study Fund reacts on that one). You can find more information on it at http://www.studiefonden.fi and especially http://www.studiefonden.fi/anvisningar/prioriteringar/ for what they prioritise.
If you talking more general projects, maybe something to do with photography or culture, then it’s harder to offer amateur advice! But Kulturfonden do certainly support all manor of activities within culture, the arts, sport, local-tv, clubs, associations etc etc. They also do support individual persons too. There are also countless smaller “funds” (generally from people’s wills) that have very specific criteria (generally reflecting the interests of the person whose will it was and sometimes you have to be from their home area etc too), maybe there is one out there for photography. Here’s all the ones that will make grants this year for instance (some aren’t annual): http://www.kulturfonden.fi/ansokningar/ordinarieansokan/specialfonder_2008/
Otherwise, more generally, look here: http://www.kulturfonden.fi/ansokningar/ordinarieansokan/for_vem_/
The application process for everything is pretty easy, you do it all online now: https://ansokan.kulturfonden.fi/. For the student scholorships during February and for most of everything else, in November. Some of the smaller ones are year-round applications.
But the best and easiest thing you can do is to visit Fyrk (“dosh”), which is the joint online database of all the fund support and scholorships. http://fyrk.luckan.fi/fyrk/
Sunday 30.3.08 at 15:48
Tom
Hello from France!
…If we go down this road and boycott the games…isn’t it going to upset the Chinese People who will only understand what the Party will tell them ?
Monday 31.3.08 at 19:28
Pave
Hooray for elitism.
It’s good that at least somebody is giving out grants, I suppose, but knowing that Swedish speaking Finns are economically in a better position than Finnish speakers already, I don’t think this is good news. Except for Dave’s son I guess
How about using the money to support the Finnish society at large? Or building common ground between Finnish and Swedish speakers, if you must benefit the Swedish speakers somehow? I think that would be better than financial aid if it’s not easy to live in a country where most people don’t speak your mother tongue.
Monday 31.3.08 at 20:41
Jonas
It’s a myth that Swedish-speaking Finns are economically in a better position than the Finnish-speaking Finns (sadly
). I think most people in Helsinki believe that because they see the Eira types or Stockmann old money types about the town, and that’s about the only contact that they have with Swedish-speaking Finns. Outside the capital (well, in it also), people are doing the same kind of things as the Finnish speakers – no significant differences, perhaps maybe slightly more are farmers or are more ruralbased. Österbotten, Åboland and western and eastern Nyland/Uusimaa are all a world away from Grankulla and far more reflective of the “real” Svenskfinland. Of course, there are regional variations just as much as amongst the Finnish-speakers. I should probably do a blog entry on stereotypes soon – they are interesting and sometimes amusing.
But yes, it’s good that the funds are supporting. You can of course argue that they are more needed, as sustaining Swedish culture/education/media etc is more of a challenge than the Finnish equivalants, which are obviously not at all under threat and more sustainable through commercial means. I’m sure Finnish-speaking Finland has more than the capacity to support its own activities in the areas Kulturfonden works.
As I mentioned, this is the 100th anniversary of Kulturfonden and one of the aims in this anniversary year is to interest and reach more Finnish-speaking Finns so that they know about the Swedish-speaking culture in this country. But that process also requires that they see past the stereotypes. It’s always been the case that Finnish-speaking Finns studying in Swedish can (and do) apply to the Study Fund.
Monday 6.9.10 at 12:13
grigor
i would like can students and cultures funs apply for funds grants