Please note that these are preliminary guidelines. The final application instructions will be published on this page when the call opens on 1 July 2026.
Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges
Objectives
Objectives of the Community Grant
The Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges community grant is intended for local experiments and solutions related to climate-resilient mobility, energy and/or food in Tampere, implemented by the communities and residents of the Tampere region.
Background and objectives of the Urban Prosumers project
The community grant is implemented as part of the Urban Prosumers research project coordinated by Tampere University. The project is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, and it supports the implementation of the EU’s Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission in the Tampere region.
The aim of the Urban Prosumers project is to study and develop participatory models, tools and resources that cities can utilise in the development of citizen-driven climate and nature work. The name of the project comes from the English words producers + consumers, referring how the residents can act in the role of both producers and consumers in the promotion of sustainable solutions, services and information.
The Urban Prosumers project brings together communities, residents and other actors in the Tampere region to identify local needs aligned with the EU Mission and to develop solutions to them together. EU Missions are the European Commission’s initiatives for finding practical solutions to difficult societal problems.
The City of Tampere is involved in the EU’s Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, which aims to drive 100 European cities to achieve climate-neutrality by 2030. Tampere’s long-term climate measures are guided by the Climate Neutral Tampere 2030 Roadmap. Achieving climate-neutrality requires reducing climate emissions e.g. from transport, construction, housing, energy use and consumption.
Community grant funding
The Residents’ Solutions to Sustainability Challenges community grant is based on European Commission’s FSTP funding, i.e. financial support for third parties. In this funding mechanism, the Urban Prosumers project distributes part of its own EU funding to smaller actors through a grant application. The community grant is awarded by Tampere University.
What is the grant for?
Community grants can be awarded for activities that support the objectives of the Urban Prosumers project and produce one or more of the following results:
- Practices, services or models related to sustainable mobility, energy and/or food that benefit people or communities in Tampere
- Technological innovations that enable people to both produce and use sustainable solutions
- New funding models for communities’ climate actions
- New operating models for residents’ participation in the production and use of sustainable solutions
- New information on what prevents or enables people’s participation in the production and use of sustainable solutions
- New forms of cooperation for climate actions between residents and local actors
- Business opportunities and ideas for the Tampere region related to sustainable mobility, energy or food
The sustainability solutions to be funded can be implemented in different forms, such as new services that support sustainable mobility, energy and/or the food economy, digital applications, civic education models and training materials, and the development of forms of cooperation between residents and the City of Tampere.
Please note that the solutions and experiments implemented during the funded community projects must take place in Tampere or focus on Tampere. The aim is that community projects benefit a wider group of people than the applicant’s own community.
We have collected examples of existing solutions on the Urban Prosumers project’s website, but we also encourage the development of completely new solutions: Examples of solutions.
On our website, you can find information of the workshops organised by the Urban Prosumers project as well as other materials to support the ideation of community projects and grant application preparation (see Materiaalit, in Finnish).
Community grant information
- Name of the call: Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges community grant
- Application period: 1 July – 30 September 2026
- Implementation period: 1 February – 30 September 2027
- Duration: The duration of the community project can be a maximum of 8 months
- Amount applied for: EUR 5,000 – 60,000 per grant
- Amount to be distributed: Total EUR 180,000
- Grant provider: Urban Prosumers project (Tampere University)
We fund a minimum of three community projects, at least one of which is related to sustainable mobility, one to energy, and one to food. It is possible to combine different themes, but the applicant must choose a primary theme for their community project in the application form.
We reserve the right to cut the grant. The details of the grant and any changes will be agreed before the subgrantee agreement is signed at the beginning of 2027.
Who can apply for the grant?
Eligible applicants are:
- non-profit organisations (e.g. registered associations, social enterprises, NGOs, housing companies)
- SMEs and micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives
whose registered domicile (kotipaikka, home municipality) is in one of the municipalities of the Tampere Region (Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi). Please note that during the community project, the solutions and experiments must be targeted at Tampere.
The applicant must have a Finnish bank account for the payment of the grant. Applicants are asked to attach the key documents of their operations electronically to the application (extract from the Trade Register/Register of Associations and Community Rules, if available).
Community grants can be applied for by either individual actors or by consortia formed by several actors. The consortium must appoint one of the applicants as the lead applicant, who will be responsible for application submission, coordination and reporting.
Applicants that are not eligible are:
- public law entities (e.g. the state, municipalities, other public authorities, wellbeing services counties and churches), higher education institutions or other research institutes, large companies and unregistered associations. These parties can be partners, but the grant cannot be allocated to their costs.
- private individuals. Individuals may be involved in community projects as participants or may be paid fees or compensation for work by the grant recipient (see Tax Administration’s guidelines).
- entities subject to EU sanctions. Entities on the EU’s sanctions list are not allowed to apply for the community grant or be partners.
What can the grant be used for?
The grant can be applied for the following expenses:
a) personnel costs
b) justified travel and accommodation expenses
c) other purchased services, work and goods necessary for the implementation of the community project;
Personnel costs are paid only to the extent that they are directly related to the implementation of the community project. The grant recipient is responsible for the employer obligations related to the employment relationships of its personnel working in the community project.
The recipient of the grant may also pay fees and compensation for work either as wages or trade income (see Tax Administration’s guidelines). In this case, too, the recipient of the grant is responsible for all the legal obligations related to this.
Travel and accommodation expenses are only granted if justified, as the activities must be local in principle.
Accepted purchase costs include, for example, costs related to the organisation of possible community events (facility rents, catering); materials for local experiments; communication-related costs; and other costs related to community engagement and interaction.
Small-scale investments are allowed:
- In the case of larger projects (EUR 10 000 or more), the total amount of investments must not exceed 50% of the grant amount applied for.
- In the case of smaller projects (less than EUR 10 000), the total amount of investments may not exceed EUR 5 000.
- Potential investments must benefit the wider community than just the applicant, which should be justified in the application.
- Each beneficiary follows the practices of their own organisation regarding the recording of investments in their financial accounting (depreciation, direct purchases etc.).
A single procurement may not exceed EUR 20,000. The grant recipient must make purchases and subcontracts on the basis of the best value for money principle and in such a way that there is no conflict of interest.
The grant recipient is responsible for determining their tax treatment and fulfilling the related obligations.
If the applicant is liable to pay VAT on the activities that are the subject of the grant, the applied costs must exclude VAT. In this case, VAT is not an eligible cost.
If the activity that is the subject of the grant is not subject to VAT and the applicant is not entitled to a VAT deduction or refund, the grant can also be applied for the VAT part.
The grant will only be awarded for costs related to the implementation of the community project in accordance with the schedule presented in the application. Any changes must be informed to the grant provider if the amount of the change is more than 20% of the budgeted share.
What can’t the grant be used for?
Community grants are not available for:
- activities that conflict with Finnish law or are contrary to good practice
racist or discriminatory activities - the basic activities of associations and communities (e.g. general administration, continuous operations)
- food and beverage services that are intended for sale or include alcohol
- awards. However, small prizes such as trophies, medals, caps, bags of candy, coffee packets, etc., which are of insignificant value according to the Tax Administration’s instructions and which are not taxable income for the recipient, are acceptable.
In addition, the community grant is not granted for actions financed by other sources of EU funding (no double funding).
Assessment criteria
Applications will be evaluated e.g. based on their feasibility, impact and the objectives and measures that promote climate sustainability. Below you will find more detailed assessment criteria as well as some guiding questions to support the preparation of the implementation plan. It is not necessary to answer all the questions; they are intended to help in drafting the plan and in evaluating the applications.
1) Responding to the objectives of the call (qualitative assessment)
2) Novelty, feasibility and scalability (0–5 p)
- Will the project bring something new to the Tampere region? Is the idea or the solution new? Is there any novelty value in the implementation of the project (e.g. a new method or a funding model)?
- Is the planned solution realistic and feasible?
- Can the results of the community project be applied or scaled up to other environments or wider use?
3) Impact and sustainability (0–5 p)
- How does the community project take into account environmental impacts and promote climate resilience?
- How extensively and diversely will the project and its results benefit local communities and residents?
- What is the financial potential, in case the grant has been applied for business development?
4) Quality of the implementation plan (0–5 points)
- Are the goals of the project clear, the schedule realistic and the budget appropriate?
- How strong is the evidence of the applicant’s previous activities and experience, as well as the financial capacity for implementing the community project?
Applying for the community grant
The call will be published on the Urban Prosumers project’s website and on the EU’s Funding & Tenders portal on 1 July 2026. The application period is 1 July – 30 September 2026. The call closes on 30 September at 23:59 EET.
The application can be submitted either in Finnish or English.
The Finnish web address of the call is https://projects.tuni.fi/urbanprosumers-fi/yhteisoavustus. The English web address of the call is https://projects.tuni.fi/urbanprosumers-fi/community-grant.
The community grant is applied by using an electronic application form. The form includes following information:
- Information of the applicant(s) (e.g., name, organisation type, home municipality, business ID), contact details of the contact person for the application
- Basic information about the community project (title, short description, theme, expected results)
- Confirmation that no other EU funding has been received or applied for the same activity
- Attachments to the application:
- Implementation plan (up to 6 pages, preferably in PDF format)*
- Extract from the Trade or Association Register (for all applicants, if consortium)**
- Community rules (for all applicants, if consortium)**
* A template to support the preparation of the implementation plan will be published by 1 July.
** Except from private entrepreneurs.
In addition, the applicants are asked whether the application can be used for scientific research carried out in the Urban Prosumers project. This does not affect the assessment of the application.
Guidance and advice
Separate application info webinars will be held on the community grant on 11 June 2026 and 12 August 2026 in Finnish. The webinars will be recorded and available on the Urban Prosumers project website until the end of the application period.
Separate sparring sessions will also be organised for the community grant to clarify the application idea. The events will be announced separately on the Urban Prosumers website.
Helpdesk: Inquiries and questions about the community grant should be sent by email to prosumers-haku@tuni.fi. E-mail will be available from 12 June 2026 onwards (note: e-mail will not be monitored between 3 July – 5 August 2026).
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) concerning community grants will be published on the Urban Prosumers project’s website after mid-August (see the FAQ).
Evaluation process and decision-making
Each eligible application will be evaluated by 2–3 evaluators during October–November 2026. The evaluators are experts in their fields, as well as representatives of the Urban Prosumers project partners. Any conflicts of interest are taken into account before the assessment, and the reviewers are impartial and subject to confidentiality.
The evaluators will score the applications according to the evaluation criteria. In addition, the information and needs collected from the civil society will be utilized in the evaluation. The final decision on the Community grants to be awarded will be made by the General Assembly of the Urban Prosumers project in December 2026. The decision is based on the scores given by the evaluators, the thematic coverage and diversity of the community projects, and how well the application meets the objectives of the call.
Applicants will be notified of the decisions by 31 December 2026.
No comments will be made on individual decisions or applications. The decision cannot be appealed (Universities Act, section 84).
Implementation of Community Projects
A community project can start at the beginning of February 2027 at the earliest, and it can last for a maximum of 8 months. The community project must end by 30 September 2027.
Before the start of the community project, it is agreed separately with each grant recipient how the community project will be implemented, how the progress will be monitored and how the community project will be communicated. For this purpose, a new project plan will be made on the basis of the implementation plan included in the application.
The project plan defines the final implementation and responsibilities of the community project in more detail. In addition, the recipient of the community grant and the provider of the community grant, i.e. Tampere University, will sign a joint subgrantee agreement before the start of the community project. The preliminary template of the agreement is available on the project’s website at Materials.
The final project plan agrees on how the community project implementer will participate in the activities of the Urban Prosumers project. The recipient of the community grant commits to reporting on the progress of the community project in a mutually agreed manner, participates in at least one interview or workshop, and also completes an electronic feedback survey. In addition, the recipient of the community grant must prepare a short final report on their community project in accordance with separately given instructions.
The Urban Prosumers project has the right to use the above-mentioned material and other results of the community project for reporting and research purposes. More information about the research and research data carried out during the project is provided in the section Research.
Payment and final reporting
The payment of the community grant is agreed upon in the subgrant agreement signed before the start of the community project. For the purpose of payment, the provider of the community grant, i.e. Tampere University, requests the bank details of the recipient of the community grant for a separate EU bank database.
In the case of a consortium, the community grant is paid to the coordinating party, which is responsible for distributing the money among the consortium as agreed.
The detailed budget must be presented in connection with the application.
The grant is paid either as a lump sum or in two instalments, depending on the amount or nature of the grant awarded.
Payment arrangements
The recipient of the community grant will receive the funding either as a lump sum or in two instalments according to the following schedule:
- Advance payment: At the beginning of the project, an advance payment of up to 80% of the requested contribution will be paid. For projects with a total budget of up to €7,000, the funding will be paid as a lump sum in the form of an advance payment.
- Final payment: If the advance payment has been granted, the remaining share, i.e. up to 20% of the requested contribution, will be paid after the final report has been approved.
Final reporting and monitoring
Detailed cost reporting is not required at the end of the project, but the use of the project budget is monitored based on the progress and results of the project.
At the end of the project, a final report describing the progress and results of the project must be submitted. Through the final report and other monitoring, it is assessed whether the use of the funding corresponds to the results achieved. If the audit is not satisfactory, the Urban Prosumers consortium may decide to cancel or recover the funding, either in full or in part.
The recipient of the community grant must keep sufficient documentation and other evidence of the proper implementation of the community project in accordance with national legislation and its own accounting practices. Upon request, the recipient of the community grant must provide reasonable information to ensure implementation and compliance with contractual obligations.
The European Commission may carry out financial or other audits of the community projects during the project and for up to five years after the final payment of the project.
Ownership and rights of results
The ownership of the results produced in the community project belongs to the implementer of the community project. The Urban Prosumers consortium has access to the results, i.e. it can use the results of community projects for research, reporting and communication purposes.
Communication and visibility
Public descriptions of the funded community projects will be published on the Urban Prosumers project’s website, social media and other communication channels.
Communications concerning the community project will be agreed upon in more detail at the start of the community project. The Urban Prosumers project can collect photo and video material from community projects as separately agreed and help to communicate about community projects in its own communication channels.
Recipients of a community grant must highlight EU funding in all communications related to the community project. All materials and activities (e.g. social media, events, publications) must use the EU flag logo, as well as a mention of EU co-funding and the Urban Prosumers project logo. In addition, there must be a disclaimer stating that the views expressed are the grantees’ own. The Urban Prosumers project will provide the necessary communication materials to the community project and provide advice on how to use them.
Research
Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences are conducting scientific research in the Urban Prosumers project. Research data will also be collected in connection with community projects throughout the project.
Both data generated in the preparation and implementation of community projects and data collected separately for research purposes are utilised as research data.
The following materials can be used as research data, for example:
- Community grant applications and their appendices (with the applicant’s consent)
- Image, video and/or text materials produced and collected during the implementation of the community projects
- The project plan, final report and other reporting and feedback material of the community project
- Interviews, surveys and workshops carried out by the Urban Prosumers project
- Other material collected at events organised by the Urban Prosumers project
The research information sheet and the privacy notice of the study will be available on the website of the Urban Prosumers project. The research material is handled confidentially and in accordance with the principles of research ethics.
Inquiries and questions
Updated on 18 June 2026.