Basic arts education is primarily long-term instruction in various art forms aimed at children and young people. It provides students with the skills to express themselves and to develop their hobby in a goal-oriented way. It also offers a foundation for applying later to vocational or higher education in the respective field of art.
In Helsinki, you can find offerings in all fields of basic arts education, whether your interest lies in architecture, visual arts, crafts, media arts, music, literary arts, circus, dance, or theatre. Basic arts education is regulated by law and follows national core curricula.
Currently, more than 20,000 children and young people receive basic arts education in Helsinki. Some institutions offer instruction in several languages. The City of Helsinki develops basic arts education in cooperation with various stakeholders.
This section contains information for individuals interested in participating in basic arts education.
Institutions providing basic arts education are located throughout Helsinki. We have listed all institutions offering basic arts education in Helsinki on one page.
Basic arts education is long-term and progresses from one level to another. The teaching is based on national core curricula defined by the Finnish National Agency for Education for each art form separately. This makes it possible for students to later apply, for example, to vocational or higher education in the respective field. However, at the initial stage, a child or young person does not need to have an interest in pursuing professional education in the field.
In this section, you will find information on, for example, grants for basic arts education. Grants are intended only for operators that have already been approved by the City as providers of basic arts education.
Please note that legislative changes in basic arts education may lead to changes in the city’s support schemes and processing. We will provide information about the changes on this page.
The City awards grants for basic arts education. Applications are processed by the Unit of Partnerships, Grants and Projects of the Cultural Services and Support Service, within the Culture and Leisure Division. The decisions are made by the Culture and Leisure Committee’s Culture and Library Sub-committee at the end of the year.
Grants are targeted at institutions that have an approved curriculum and that have been approved by the City of Helsinki as providers of basic arts education. Grants can be applied for once a year for the following year.
For development projects lasting 1–3 years, grants were awarded in 2023–2025 with the aim of strengthening the regional accessibility of basic arts education and the diversity of art forms offered. The grants aim to enable the testing and establishment of new operating models and to promote cooperation between operators.
An annual budget of €300,000 has been allocated for the call, which is targeted at Helsinki-based operators of basic arts education outside the central government funding system.
Basic arts education development grants will not be awarded for the year 2027.
The Culture and Library Sub-committee of the Culture and Leisure Committee awarded a total of €300,000 in development grants for the 2023–2025 period for the year 2025.
Go to read about the currently ongoing development projects.(Link leads to external service)
In the Facilities section of the Culture and Leisure partnerships page, you will find information on spaces offered by the City, especially for partners, as well as spaces that residents can freely book.
The main responsibility for communication lies with the providers of basic arts education. However, the City communicates general information about basic arts education through its own channels, such as its website and newsletters for partners.
Harrastukset.hel.fi is a City of Helsinki website that brings together hobbies available in Helsinki into a single search service. If you organise hobby activities for children and young people in Helsinki, you can publish your activities on the site.
Go to read how to submit a hobby to the harrastukset.hel.fi service.(Link leads to external service)
Go to explore the City’s Service Map.(Link leads to external service)
Get to know the partnership letter for culture (in Finnish).