News

The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency has decided on the awarding of general grants for the arts and culture to communities in 2026. General grants have been awarded to 214 applicants, which is slightly fewer than last year. These grants have been distributed widely across different fields of the arts and across different parts of Finland. They support the work of professionals, long-term activities, the renewal of the arts sector and the availability of art.

The Finnish Arts and Culture Agency has decided on the distribution of government grant appropriations among forms of support. Total funding has been cut by 200,000 euros, and efforts have been made to balance the effects across the different forms of support. The agency also decided to award state prizes and regional art prizes in 2026, which will affect the amount of government grants allocated. More support will be allocated to artists than in 2025.

In December, Parliament decided on appropriations for 2026. Appropriations for artist grants will remain unchanged, but cuts will be made to non-statutory appropriations for the arts and culture.

The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) and the National Audiovisual Institute (KAVI) have merged at the start of the year to form the new Finnish Arts and Culture Agency. The new agency carries out tasks related to the promotion of the arts and culture, media education and a safe media environment, as well as archiving and promoting knowledge of audiovisual culture. The merger will not result in any changes to services, although some contact information may change.