Funding for Taike grants and subsidies to be reduced by 5 percent in 2024 – Taike will continue supporting the renewal of all fields of the arts despite the cuts

The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) has begun processing state subsidies for communities and project grants for artists and working groups that were applied for in autumn 2023. Taike received a higher number of applications than in previous years. Altogether 1198 subsidy applications are being processed, which is around a hundred more than the previous year. Approximately 3900 applications for project grants were received this year, which is around 10 percent fewer than in 2022.

The amount of state appropriations allocated for grants and subsidies has been cut by 5 percent compared to 2023. The cuts amount to 1.3 million euros, representing the most significant budget cut in the history of Taike.

With the growing number of applications, the cuts will mean more intense competition among highly qualified applicants. A total of 24.4 million euros has been allocated for this autumn’s calls for applications in the form of community subsidies and artist grants.

Decisions by the end of March

Decisions for this autumn’s calls for applications will be made in stages. Decisions regarding operational subsidies will be made by the end of January, decisions on other community subsidies by the end of February, and decisions on project grants by the end of March 2024.

The distribution of the cuts among the different forms of support has not yet been decided, and before making its final decisions, Taike will wait for the parliament’s budget decision. However, Taike is prepared for a decrease in allocations also for other forms of support.

Funding to be cut by 15 percent at most

The cuts will not be divided evenly among all forms of support. For example, multi-year operational subsidies, artist-in-residence grants and cultural diversity support will not be affected by the cuts. Taike believes that the long-term support of art communities is important in the face of reduced funding in order to secure the opportunity for renewal that is essential to the arts sector. Support for artist-in-residence activities is central to promoting the internationalisation of Finnish art, while cultural diversity subsidies help secure resources related to the equality of different population groups.

Other forms of support are subject to cuts of approximately 15 percent at most. The biggest cuts will be made among subsidies for cultural magazines and online publications, as well as regional grants. In the case of cultural magazines, a more detailed needs assessment based on the economy will be conducted. The amount of regional grants will be reduced as they partially overlap with other Taike grants. 

Further information:
Kaisa Rönkkö, Director, [email protected], tel. +358 295 330 874
Henri Terho, Head of Arts Support, [email protected], tel. +358 295 330 901