Grant for Municipal- and Organisation-Helmi programme

Apply for a grant and for the payment of the approved grant electronically in the e-service. In consortia, the application is submitted by the lead applicant, who is responsible for the project. There was no grant application round in 2025, and it is unlikely that one will be organised in 2026 or 2027 either.

In the e-service, the application can be submitted by an authorised person. Persons without separate authorisation can act on behalf of an organisation if they have an existing mandate for transactions or a right based on register data.

The mandate theme for e-service is Applying for subsidies for employment, environment, business and transport.

Authorised persons act on behalf of their organisation through Suomi.fi e-Identification. The service verifies the person's right to use the service when logging in. In addition to authorisations, organisations need a Business ID to use the e-service.

Authorisation follows the instructions for Suomi.fi e-Authorizations.

How to apply for the grant

Apply for the grant in the e-service. Log in to the service using your personal bank identification, mobile certificate, or certificate card.

Fill out the application and add the necessary attachments through the service menu. Internal instructions in the service will help you complete the application. Notifications from the service inform you about the progress of your case. By using the e-service, you can submit the application, respond to requests for additional information, complete your application, and receive decisions related to your case.

Attach to the application:

• Project plan, including description of project background, implementation of measures, timetable, objectives, significance and sustainability.
• Project cost estimate, financing plan and cost breakdown.
• Permits and consents required for project, such as consents of landowners and owners or holders of water areas.
• Map of measures. Map is provided in spatial data format if possible. In addition, extract from valid plan and description of planning situation.
• Possible association register extract.
• For consortia, cooperation agreements with the other participants in the project.

How to apply for the payment of the grant

Apply for the payment of the grant according to the decision in the e-service.

Log in to the service using your personal bank identification, mobile certificate, or certificate card. Fill out the payment application thoroughly on the Payments tab and attach the required documents.

The grant is available for municipal authorities, organisations, foundations and water cooperatives. Projects must focus on the valuable habitats of the themes under the Helmi Programme. Costs may be incurred during the implementation of the project only after the Economic Development Center has made a state grant decision for the project. The award of the grant is based on an overall assessment and assessment of the expected effectiveness of the projects in improving the state of biodiversity.

If the projects are aimed at private countries, the application must take into account the state aid regulations and confirm the landowner's consent to the project in writing. Economic Development Center does not award grants to projects that directly generate financial benefits.

Eligible costs are the acquisition costs directly related to the implementation of the project and the costs of staff employed for the project. Costs related to inventories, plans and impact monitoring that are integral to the project are also acceptable project costs when the concrete maintenance work is also carried out during the project, or other funding and a schedule have been secured for them.

Grants may also be awarded for other costs, such as communication and information management costs related to the project, structures for the protection of significant natural assets, training or VAT costs, should VAT remain definitively payable by the beneficiary.

The grant is awarded for a maximum of 80% of the total eligible costs of the project. For special reasons, a grant may be awarded for a maximum of 95% of the total costs.

Unpaid work cannot be included in the eligible costs. A significant amount of unpaid work in the implementation of the project may justify a higher grant percentage. In this case, the unpaid work performed must be kept in the hourly records and attached to the payment application in accordance with the instructions of the decision.

The grant does not support the rehabilitation or creation of constructed stormwater wetlands, nor semi-natural grasslands established or to be established in such a way that their vegetation is created by sowing or planting seeds. The grant must not overlap with the obligations of the agri-environmental agreement or that the need for action is due to non-compliance. In wooded habitats, support is granted only to protected areas.