Demos Administrative Funding is available for civil society organisations with the primary purpose of strengthening and promoting co-operation and cohesion across borders and among the residents of the Nordics.
A strong and dynamic civil society is a supporting pillar of Nordic democracy and plays a vital role in giving Nordic citizens the opportunity to channel their voices and interests outside political structures. Collaborations and meetings across Nordic borders help to strengthen the Nordic Region but also support efforts to make the Nordics the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.
Demos Administrative Funding is a three-year grant that will open for applications in the autumn of 2024 for the period 2025 to 2027. The funding will be announced every three years.
Application periods
Please also note that the application period for Demos Network, which funds projects themselves, partially overlaps with Demos Administrative Funding in the autumn of 2024, so please make sure that you apply for funding from the correct module.
What is eligible for funding?
Funding is available for the organisation’s day-to-day administration. The organisation’s core mission must be to strengthen and promote co-operation and cohesion among the residents of the Nordics.
Administrative funding can be granted for:
- The organisation’s day-to-day administration, such as meetings, member activities, communication, general administration, premises, office activities, or employees. The activities can include idea exchanges, skills development activities, joint platforms, or cultural collaborations.
- A three-year period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027.
The programme does not grant funding for:
- Commercial activities intended to generate a financial profit
- Activities outside the programme period (1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027)
- Organisations that operate on a seasonal basis and therefore do not employ full-time staff throughout the year.
- Organisations whose primary activities do not focus on strengthening and promoting cooperation and solidarity across borders and among residents in the Nordic Region.
Who can apply?
Funding can be applied for by civil society organisations in all areas of society, i.e., non-profit organisations such as associations, foundations, charities, citizens organisations, interest groups, labour market organisations, religious communities, or other forms of non-governmental organisations.
To be able to apply for funding, the organisation must be established and registered in the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Åland) and operate in the Nordic Region on a day-to-day basis.
- The organisation must have a corporate identity number (or equivalent)
- The organisation must have a democratic structure and operations
- The organisation must be established, stable, and conduct year-round activities
- At the time of application, the organisation must have been operating for three years (the funding isn’t suitable for newly established organisations)
- The organisation must not owe taxes or fees to the state and must not have applied for bankruptcy or be in liquidation
- Please note that individuals cannot apply for funding.
How much funding is available?
There is no maximum amount, but applying organisations must provide their previous years’ accounts in the application. The reasonableness and credibility of the budget are an important part of the assessment in relation to the application. Please note that the budget must cover a three-year period with clear budgeting for each year.
If your organization has annually recurring activities or projects that are considered part of the organization’s regular operations, you may include these activities in your application and budget. Please note that in the budget, you should account for all activity/project costs (including any salary costs directly associated with the activity) in the same section.
Please note that Nordic Culture Point can only disburse payments in equal annual amounts at the beginning of each fiscal year. If your application is approved, you are required to submit an annual status report.
Compulsory budget appendix (Excel)How are applications assessed?
The organisation’s core values
The organisation must conduct operations that take into account democratic values, including the equal value of all people, gender equality, a children’s rights and youth perspective, and anti-discrimination.
Nordic added value
The primary aim of the organisation’s activities must be to create Nordic added value and thus contribute to strengthening and promoting co-operation and cohesion between Nordic civil society organisations and thereby co-operation among the residents of the Nordic Region.
Our Vision 2030
The primary aim of the organisation’s day-to-day operations must be to contribute to the delivery of Our Vision 2030, the Nordic prime ministers’ vision for the Nordic Region to be the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030.
Sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and youth perspective
Sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and youth perspective (also called cross-cutting perspectives) must be consistently taken into account in the organisation’s activities. Read the document and describe in the application how the organisation integrates these cross-cutting perspectives into its activities: Nordic Council of Ministers’ guidance for working with sustainable development, gender equality, and a children’s rights and youth perspective.
Attachments to the application:
- Statutes of the organisation
- Budget for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027
- Latest approved administrative review report/audit report
- Last year’s annual report (2023)
- Last year’s financial statements (2023)
- Annual plan for the years 2025-2026-2027 (not mandatory)
Please note that the application deadline for all programmes is at 15:59, Finnish time (GMT +02:00).
Frequently asked questions about the funding programmes Go to the application portal