The grant reform will be applied to the vast majority of grants in the field of sport and will therefore affect a large proportion of grant applicants. From 1 January 2027 onwards, the general grant for sport will replace the following current grants: the operating grant, the facility use grant, grants for other associations promoting sport and physical activity, the orienteering map grant and the clearing grant.
Grants to meet requirements of current operating environment
One of the key goals of the Helsinki City Strategy 2025–2029 is to promote the wellbeing of children, young people and the elderly in particular, and to target special support to vulnerable population groups. The vision for the City of Helsinki’s Sports Services also emphasises the promotion of mobility and physical activity for the same population groups. The reform aims to increase physical activity for children, young people, the elderly and special groups by targeting grants specifically at these groups, while the grants for physical activity for working-age people will be dropped.
“We want our grants policy to be genuinely effective. We know that the physical activity among children, young people and special groups is worryingly low, that the number of older people is growing rapidly and that working-age people are mostly self-motivated. That's why we need to draw clear boundaries – we need to make choices for maximum impact," says Miika Kyllönen, Partnership Director for Sports Services.
The grant reform also aims to increase the safety, responsibility and accessibility of sports activities. The grant conditions include minimum criteria for responsible and accessible activities that applicants must meet in order to receive a grant. In the future, active measures by associations to promote these issues will also increase the amount of the grant.
“Hobbies in Helsinki must be safe and accessible. Too many children and young people have experienced bullying, harassment or racism in their hobbies. Members of minority groups are particularly vulnerable. In addition to this, the hobby activities we support must be activities that are accessible to people with less experience, poor language skills or functional limitations. Taking these matters into account will also increase the attractiveness and retention of sports activities," Kyllönen continues.
In the future, grants will be awarded on the basis of harmonised principles to different types of sports and diverse associations.
Grants only intended for certain types of sports will be discontinued and the eligibility criteria will be changed to allow new types of sport and seasonal sports to be included. Grants for sports facility usage will also be changed so that all sports are treated equally. These actions will promote the vitality of different types of sports and associations promoting physical activity, thus providing more and more diverse opportunities for Helsinki residents.
The new criteria will make it easier to apply for grants. On the other hand, monitoring concerning grants will be stepped up to ensure that the associations receiving them comply with the conditions imposed on them.
Preparation in broad cooperation with stakeholders
Specialists and clubs have been consulted in the preparation of the reform. The progress of the reform work has been presented to the Sports Sub-committee, the Deputy Mayor, other municipalities, expert organisations and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The City has involved Helsinki-based sports clubs in the work through a survey on grants, by presenting the reform plans at club meetings and by consulting the Helsinki Club Parliament at various stages of the preparation.
City to support associations through change
The new priorities for the general grant could lead to major changes in the grants awarded to associations. In order to ease associations and clubs into the new system, the reduction of awarded grants will be slowed down for the first two years.
More information on the grant reform will be provided at the club meeting on 18 May 2026. In addition to this, the criteria and conditions for the new general grant will be presented in more detail at the grant information sessions open to all in spring and autumn 2026. More information on the dates and content of the information sessions will be provided later. Free training sessions are also planned to help clubs adapt to the changes.
More information on the new general grant will also be published on the ‘Grants for sports’ page during the summer of 2026.
