Grants and aid

The Ministry of the Environment awards government grants to various kinds of organisations and coordinates the procedures through which they can apply for grants for their activities and projects. Government grants are awarded for needs based on the State budget and development projects that support the objectives of the Government Programme.

The Ministry of the Environment:

  • Awards discretionary government grants for the activities of nature conservation, environmental, housing and building associations and acquisition of recreational areas.
  • Awards government grants for research and development projects.
  • Coordinates certain types of aid granted by the EU (LIFE+ funding and aid for environmental projects from the EU Structural Funds)

Legislation related to grants and aid

The legislative acts applicable to grants awarded by the Ministry of the Environment are the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001), the Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003) and the Administrative Judicial Procedure Act (808/2019). Further details on the legislation and the related terms and conditions will always be provided separately in connection with the calls for applications. Most of the government grants are general or special grants, investment grants or government grants for individuals. Government grants are intended for non-economic activities, while economic activities may be eligible for business subsidies.