Nessling Foundation - Small Funding for Civil Society Sustainability

Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-10 15:32

Small grants up to EUR 10K for civil society actors working on sustainability. Annual call typically in March. Supports practical environmental action and community-based sustainability initiatives in Finland.

Source: https://nessling.fi/en/small-funding

Funding Details

Funder

Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation

Funding Goal

Small grants for Finnish civil society organisations conducting science-based activities that support sustainability transformation protecting natural systems, including workshops, campaigns, events, publications, art/culture activities, experiments, pilots, or new operating model development.

Funding Amount

Maximum EUR 10,000 per project. 6–8 projects funded per round. (up to 10.000 €)

Deadline

2026-03-20 (periodic)

How to Apply

Submit via Nesslink grant system (nesslink.fi) — select 'organisation' as applicant type. Main attachment: project plan (max 4,000 characters including spaces, approx. 1 page PDF) plus optional 1 extra page for references. All application sections must be completed. Funding decisions announced by end of April 2026. Email with 'Small Funding' in subject for questions.

Target Region

Finland (project must be implemented in Finland by a Finnish organisational actor)

Contact

Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, Puistokatu 4, 00140 Helsinki, Finland. Contact via Nessling website. Write 'Small Funding' in email subject.

Last Checked

2026-03-15 14:10

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be a Finnish organisation with a registered Business ID
• No private individuals can apply; applicant must be the project's responsible leader

Project Scope

• Project must support sustainability transformation protecting natural systems
• Activities must be science-based and grounded in peer-reviewed scientific knowledge
• Project must be implemented in Finland and completed within one year of funding

Required Documents

• Project plan (max 4,000 characters, 1 page PDF) is the key mandatory attachment via Nesslink

Constraints

• Research work, research costs, conference travel, co-funding shares, and business activities are not eligible
• Maximum EUR 10,000 per project
• Application window: 9–20 March 2026 (single round in 2026); deadline 20 March 23:59
• No new application if applicant has an ongoing Nessling-funded project

Summary

The Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation's Small Funding call supports Finnish civil society organisations in advancing the sustainability transformation that protects natural systems. The call is specifically designed to enable smaller actors to participate in sustainability transformation, promoting diversity and inclusion across the civil society sector. Thematic scope is broad — any sustainability transformation topic that addresses the ecological crisis and the need for society to respect planetary limits. Projects may cover any environmental theme including marine and aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change, pollution, land use, or related topics, as long as they are science-based and grounded in peer-reviewed scientific knowledge. Eligible activities include workshops, co-creation processes, training events, communication campaigns, cultural and artistic activities, experiments, pilot projects, and development of new operating models. Pure research work, research travel, conference participation, co-funding shares, and business development are explicitly excluded. Geographic scope is Finland only. Projects must be implemented in Finland by Finnish organisational actors. Work with non-Finnish partners may be included as part of the project but implementation must be Finnish-based. Eligible applicants are Finnish organisations with a registered Business ID (organisatsijonsnummer). Private individuals cannot apply. Applicant must be the project's responsible leader. No ongoing Nessling grants permitted at time of application. Funding: maximum EUR 10,000 per project. Projects run for up to one year. In 2026, one round: 9–20 March 2026 (currently open as of March 15, 2026). Decisions announced by end of April 2026. 6–8 projects funded per call. Applications via Nesslink system.

Historical Context

The Small Funding call is a recurring programme. Two rounds were held in 2025 (spring and autumn). In 2026, only one round is offered: 9–20 March 2026. Decisions by end of April 2026. Funded projects from previous rounds listed at nessling.fi/en/funded-projects.

Why it was added

Accessible small grants for civil society environmental/sustainability work - good entry point for marine conservation NGOs

Sources

• https://nessling.fi/en/small-funding
• https://nessling.fi/en/grantcalls/

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