New Classics is a fund jointly established by the Finnish state and four foundations, and applications for it will be welcomed in September. During this application round, the fund supports the performing arts.
The purpose of the New Classics fund is to support the work and growth of artists who have already established themselves in the field of art in Finland.
The specific objectives are to:
- Support the role and relevance of art in society by also highlighting the experiences of the audiences.
- Encourage organisations and the artists working in them to cooperate across administrative boundaries and forms of funding.
- Improve the cost-effectiveness of artistic production by increasing the life cycle, attendance and circulation of productions and works of art, as well as people’s awareness of them.
The New Classics fund supports the reform of Finnish art and its funding system. A special characteristic of this grant is the use of proceeds from ticket sales as an indicator of how large the grant received will be.
Who can apply?
Performing arts organisations that receive an operational subsidy for specific art forms from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland in 2024 or 2025 are eligible to apply. Recipients of grants for festivals and artists-in-residence subsidies are not eligible to apply.
Performing arts refer to performance activities in the theatre, circus and dance arts, music and other live artistic performances for the public at a specific moment in time, as specified in section 1 of the Act on the Promotion of Performance Arts (1082/2020).
The following are not eligible to apply:
- public entities
- operators receiving state subsidies for culture
- national art institutions.
For what purpose can you apply?
You can apply for this grant for a single production. Production here refers to an artistically structured entity that can be reproduced. A production can include, for example, the presentation of a single work of art or performance, a series of several travelling performances or the realisation of some other artistic performance activity that promotes interaction between the arts and the audience.
The production can be one that has been performed previously or a new premiere. The premiere of the production does not have to take place in 2026. This grant can be used to implement the target production and to promote the applicant’s other activities according to the applicant’s plans.
The purpose of the funding granted cannot be changed. An applicant may also be engaged in other activities at the same time, but they can only apply for the grant for one target production.
Broader effects of the funding
The targeted production must be made in cooperation with at least one performance art operator or a national art institution (including the Finnish Broadcasting Company/the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, FRSO) that is receiving a state subsidy.
Other organisations, such as festivals, can also participate in the collaboration alongside these.
No limits have been set on the nature or scope of the cooperation. The parties are also free to agree on their mutual obligations and the pricing of tickets. The project can take the form of a co-production, guest performances or other financial or artistic cooperation.
How much funding can you apply for?
The final amount of funding paid is based on the proceeds from ticket sales for the target production. Proceeds from ticket sales refer to direct sales revenue from the audience during the funding period, after the deduction of service charges. For example, other grants, subsidies or sponsorship income are not considered sales revenue received directly from the audience. Neither do Art Testers performances or other performances bought in their entirety by foundations qualify you for the calculated amount of the grant.
- The basic amount is between €10,000 and €60,000, depending on the quality and scale of the target production and the applicant’s qualifications for the funding. The basic amount is paid once, in one instalment.
- The calculated amount is equal to the proceeds from ticket sales. However, the total calculated amount for the whole funding period is no more than five times the basic amount.
The funding period will begin on 1 January 2026. The last funded six-month period will end on 31 December 2030.
General information: payment and reporting
The basic amount will be paid on the first day of December following the funding decision.
The receiver of the funding is expected to report the income on which the calculated amount is based every six months of the calendar year:
- The six-month period ending on 30 June will be reported during July (by 7 August)
- The six-month period ending on 31 December will be reported during January.
The calculated amount will be paid on the first day of September or March, provided that the report for the previous six-month period has been received and approved.
How to apply for the grant?
You can apply for this grant using this electronic form.
Applications will open on 1 September 2025 and end on 15 September 2025 at 4 pm. The funding decisions will be published on the New Classics fund website by mid-November. Successful applicants will be informed of the funding granted directly by e-mail.
Please enclose the following with your application:
- project action plan (maximum 4 pages)
- the applicant’s most recent approved financial statements and, if available, annual report
- an annualised budget for each year, with the credit side showing the grant from the New Classics fund in a way that is based on a realistic estimate of the sales revenue.
- a letter of intent or other information about the planned cooperation and its nature.
You can also attach to the application other supporting material that you consider necessary about the artists, the works and production.
How will your application be assessed?
Applications will be assessed using an extended peer evaluation process. Particular attention will be paid to:
- artistic quality
- the specific objectives of the New Classics fund mentioned in the first paragraph of this call for applications
- the credibility of the production and economic plan
- regional and linguistic aspects
- whether the terms of the cooperation are fair to all the parties involved.
Please also note:
The premiere of a funded production does not have to take place in the year following the year of the funding, but can occur at any time during the grant period. Make sure to allow enough time to plan the project well.
- A previous New Classics grant does not prevent you from receiving a new grant, nor does a new grant prevent the continuation of the payment of a previous grant’s calculated amount. If you have received a New Classics grant in the past, please briefly describe in your work plan the current phase of the previous grant project and its relation to the new grant you are applying for.
- A project can include one or more partners. If you are planning to perform the production at multiple venues, make sure to create a realistic plan and tour schedule for the project.
- Visiting activities may also take place abroad. In other words, ticket sales abroad also qualify the project for the calculated amount of the grant, provided that you can provide acceptable documentation of the sales.
- When drawing up a contract with your partners, make sure that the contract takes into account a fair financial division of the proceeds and the calculated amount of the grant, as well as potential cancellations.
- Prepare well ahead before submitting a report on the calculated amount, and make sure that your contracts include a section that requires your partners to provide you with the necessary ticket sales documentation for the report.