Grafia

Grants

Grafia’s call for applications runs every year from the end of June until the end of August. The available grants include project grants and working grants. Grafia gives out grants to projects which promote visual communication design and are feasible. An applicant can receive a grant every two years at the most.

Decisions on Grafia’s grants are made by the annually changing grants working group. The applicants receive the working group’s general reasoning along with the grant decision. The outcome of the summer call for applications is announced in October. We notify all applicants of the decisions by email and publish the names of the grant recipients on Grafia’s website.

Grant of Rights to Kopiosto

Grafia’s grants are funded with copying licences collected by Kopiosto. A membership of Grafia is not essential as long as Grafia considers the project valuable. However, we hope that the applicant has handed over to Grafia the Grant of Rights to Kopiosto. 

You can assign to Grafia the Grant of Rights to Kopiosto via Kopiosto’s electronic Authorisation Service. In the service, select Grafia as the member organisation and Grant of Rights to Kopiosto as the authorisation type. If you have already given the Grant of Rights to Kopiosto, it will still be valid, and you do not need to do it again.

Read more about the Grant of Rights to Kopiosto here.

Kopiosto’s Authorisation Service

Project grant

Project grants are intended to help cover project costs. The project grant cannot be used for your own work on the project. Project costs include, for example, producing a work plan, the reimbursement of subcontracting costs, exhibition or publication costs, or research work in the field of visual communication. The application must include a work plan, samples of work and a CV. The main focus is on supporting production projects. Support for hardware and software purchases are only granted in special cases. 

A project grant may also be awarded to a team in which case the team leader lodges the application. The members of the team must be named in the application. 

The grant is paid to the recipient in one instalment in connection to the grant being awarded. The awarded grants are tax-free up to the amount of the annual State Artist Grant (€25,547.52 in 2023).

Working grant

Working grants are awarded for your work on visual communication design projects. You can apply for a grant for book and exhibition projects or for research in the field. The application must include a work plan, samples of work and a CV. Working grants are not awarded to teams, companies or associations, but their members can apply for personal grants. Grafia does not provide working grants to full-time students or pensioners.

Grafia’s working grants are for 1–3 months. The monthly amount is determined by the tax-free State Artist Grant. In 2023, it was
€2,200/month tax-free. The working grant is paid to the recipient in one instalment in connection to the grant being awarded. 

Grafia reports grants above the insurance limit to the Farmers’ Social Insurance Institution Mela. Mela looks after grant recipients’ social security in terms of pension, accident and group life insurance cover. Statutory insurance contributions are around 15–20% of the amount of the working grant. Mela reports the pension insurance paid by the grant recipient directly to the tax authorities.

The grant recipient is obliged to inform Mela of any changes. Before making any schedule changes to your project, we recommend that you ask Mela how the changes will affect your insurance cover and in particular the duration of the insurance period. 

MYEL-insured grant recipients are entitled to a Mela sickness allowance if they fall ill. If you need more information on grant recipients’ social security, please contact Mela.

Application process

Grafia grants are applied for through an online grant application system. The grant application must include a work plan, samples of work and a CV. A membership of Grafia is not essential as long as Grafia considers the project valuable. However, we hope that the Grant of Rights to Kopiosto has been handed over to Grafia. Unfortunately, it is not possible to get feedback on individual grant decisions.

Tips for grant applications:

  • Take your time to get to know the awarding party and the guidelines.
  • Allow sufficient time for completing the application.
  • Tell who you are, what you are doing and why the application assessor may not know you and your project in advance.
  • Tell us how the project will promote the field of visual communication and why Grafia should support it.
  • A good application is written in plain language and is concise and clear. Extending the application unnecessarily will not improve the outcome. A good application conveys enthusiasm.
  • You should include samples of your work if you are applying for a grant for a visual project.

Please note that if you are also applying for the Luonnos creative space, Grafia does not award both to the same applicant in one year.

Log in to the grant application system

To grant recipients

The outcome of the summer call for applications is announced in October. We let all the applicants know via email. If you have been awarded a grant, please fill in your payment details in the online grant system as soon as possible. The project and working grant are both paid to the recipient in one instalment.

Remember to mention Grafia in your project and use the Grafia logo, for example, on printed matter or publications. You can download the Grafia logo here. On social media, you can tag Grafia and use the subject tag #grafianapuraha #grafiagrant. 

The recipients of grants must submit a report on how the grant has been spent to Grafia by the end of the following year. A new grant will not be awarded if the report of the previous grant has not been submitted. Please be in touch with Grafia office if your work is delayed and, thus, there is a delay to submitting your report. grafia@grafia.fi.

The report is submitted directly through the electronic grant application system.

Log in to the grant application system

Grafia’s grants to members

Grafia members can apply for training and article grants. Training grants are given for training that develops and maintains professional skills. Article grants are awarded for future trips based on the application and the accompanying travel plan and text sample. 

Find out more and apply for members’ grants in the members-only area of the website.

Here are some frequently asked questions about Grafia’s grants: