Norwegian-Finnish Cultural Foundation – Grants

Money for work that genuinely links Norway and Finland. Music is one of the foundation's named priority areas, alongside visual arts, design, film and photography, performing arts, art journalism and literature — so a tour, a co-commission, an exchange or a collaboration between Norwegian and Finnish musicians all fit, provided the bilateral element is the point of the project rather than a detail. The foundation says it prefers work with clear bilateral added value over what a purely national project would achieve, and it favours reaching audiences who know little about the other country.

Applicants must be individuals, organisations, associations or institutions based in Norway. Municipalities and government bodies cannot apply, and if you are based in Finland you apply instead to the sister Finnish-Norwegian foundation.

Grants are small — typically NOK 10,000 to 30,000 — and the foundation describes itself as primarily a co-financier, so plan on it topping up a budget rather than carrying one. It will not pay for technical equipment, materials, repairs or construction, nor for administration and salaries that are not tied to delivering the project. Student exchanges, sport, and broadly Nordic or European activity without a specific Norwegian-Finnish focus are also excluded. Your project must not have begun before the decision arrives, which rules out applying retroactively.

The public pages are thin on process: they do not state the deadline, the application language, which attachments are required, or how long a decision takes. Contact the office before you plan a project around a date.