Frame has received an 80,000-euro project grant from the Ministry of Education and Culture to support the participation of Finnish art galleries in international art fairs in 2026–2027. Two application rounds will be held during the project. The first application round is open from June 8–24, 2026, during which funding can be applied for to participate in fairs taking place in 2026.
Who can apply
Art galleries operating in Finland that participate in international art fairs. The applicant may be a company or an organisation.
Eligible costs
Finnish art galleries may apply for funding to cover art fair participation fees, transportation costs, and insurance. The art fair must take place outside Finland during 2026.
The grants available in this call range from 5,000 to 15,000 euros. The grant will be paid upon completion of the project, upon submission of receipts. The grant may be used only for expenses related to the fair for which support was applied for.
This is a state subsidy distributed by Frame, which is why a delegation agreement approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture is signed with the grant recipients.
In accordance with state subsidy regulations, VAT is accepted as an expense only if the organization cannot deduct it for tax purposes.
How to apply
The first application round is open from June 8–24, 2026.
Applications must be submitted using the application form. If a gallery is applying for grants for multiple fairs, a separate application must be submitted for each one.
In addition, the project’s total budget must be submitted as a separate attachment.
Attachments must be submitted during the application period to applications@frame-finland.fi.
Evaluation and decisions
In evaluating criteria, emphasis is placed on the international significance of the fair, the quality of the gallery’s operations, and the importance of participating in the fair for the gallery’s activities. The evaluation also takes into account how many of the artists in the gallery’s fair presentation are Finnish or work in Finland.
Applications will be evaluated by a panel of experts consisting of an art expert and FUTUARTS Oy founder Aura Seikkula, and lawyer, art collector, and fundraising expert Pekka Lehtinen. The evaluation meeting will be chaired by Frame’s CEO, Juha Huuskonen.
Decisions regarding the June 2026 application round will be made and communicated to applicants by July 1, 2026.
Reporting
Grant recipients are required to report on the use of the state subsidy after the project has ended.
In addition, the project will compile data on the international fair activities of Finnish galleries and their impacts. Information will be collected from galleries via a survey after the fair, and galleries participating in the project will be invited to a joint development and feedback meeting. Key performance indicators to be monitored include art sales, international contacts established for the galleries and the artists they represent, exhibition invitations, and other collaboration opportunities.
Further information:
Juha Huuskonen, CEO, Frame Contemporary Art Finland
juha.huuskonen@frame-finland.fi
T. +358 40 570 96 17.
SIC Gallery at Riga Contemporary Art Fair in 2025. Frame supported participation with a grant.