At its meeting on Thursday 10 April, the Sports Sub-committee of the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Committee decided on the grants for the promotion of sports and physical activity in Helsinki. The decisions covered operating and sports facility usage grants for sports clubs and grants for other associations promoting physical activity, as well as grants for the promotion of sports and physical activity for the elderly from the City’s state inheritance funds. The grant application periods ended in February.
In the 2025 budget, €9,171,000 from the operational economy was allocated for grants for sports, of which €7,714,500 was distributed as grants at the April meeting of the Sports Sub-committee. In addition to this, state inheritance funds allocated in the budget for the promotion of older people’s physical activity and cultural activities were granted to projects promoting older people’s physical activity in line with previous years. The remainder of the allocation for grants for sports will be distributed under other grants in 2025.
An operating grant is a general grant for the activities of Helsinki-based sports clubs. A total of €2 million was awarded to 274 sports clubs under this grant. The sports facility usage grant, which has the largest monetary value of the City’s grants, was granted to Helsinki-based sports clubs to support the facility costs of activities that take place outside the subsidised sports facilities owned by Sports Services. A total of €5,591,000 was awarded to 224 sports clubs under this grant.
Grants for sports also support activities organised by associations other than sports clubs. Grants totalling €123,500 were awarded to 31 other associations promoting physical activity.
Special grants for the promotion of physical activity and cultural activities for older people are awarded from the City of Helsinki’s state inheritance funds. The grant is a discretionary targeted grant meant for activities that promote the physical activity, wellbeing and functional capacity of older people in Helsinki. The Sports Sub-committee awarded a total amount of €700,000 to 32 applicants under this grant. The Culture and Library Sub-committee will decide on the grants for advancing cultural activities for the elderly at its meeting on 22 April 2025.
The types of grants for sports and their application periods are published annually in the grant announcement, in a separate application guide for grants for sports and on avustukset.hel.fi/en.