Last year, more than €11 million was requested from AVEK as grants. Of the 1,190 applications processed during the year, 319 (27%) received a positive decision. The total number of applications was a record-breaking 1,273, compared to 1,170 in 2023 and 996 in 2022. Some of the applications will be processed in 2025. A total of €2.9 million was distributed last year.
During 2024, AVEK supported the creation of 163 works. The number of works receiving support was 20% (28 works) higher than in the previous year. Support was spread more widely than in 2023 because the industry’s need for funding was so great.
‘The grants awarded by AVEK play an important role, particularly in the launch of new audiovisual productions. At the end of the year, our commissioners decided, after discussions with the creators, to reduce the amount of the grants and award support to more projects in order to allow as many works as possible to go forward,’ says Ulla Simonen, Director of AVEK.
The Government’s decision to cut the compensation for private copying was reflected in an increased number of applications
The most significant part of AVEK’s funding comes from the compensation for private copying, paid from the state budget. In 2024, €1.9 million of AVEK’s support funds came from the compensation funds. With these funds, AVEK supports the writing and production of audiovisual works, as well as the internationalisation and continuing education of professionals in the field.
The drastic cut in the compensation, decided on in the spring spending limits session and confirmed in the autumn budget session, created uncertainty about the 2025 allocation.
‘The Government’s decision to halve the compensation for this year has caused much concern in the industry. Authors reacted to the decision eroding the funding base of the audiovisual industry by applying for grants for their projects while it was still possible. For us, this was particularly evident last year in the sharp increase in applications for scriptwriting support,’ says Simonen.
AVEK received a record 619 applications for work grants. This was despite the fact that the application system had to be closed early, at the end of October, due to funding uncertainties. The number of applications for work grants was 543 in 2023 and 385 in 2022.
The funds from the compensation for private copying also cover AVEK’s share of the financing of the Kehittämö programme for the professional development of young audiovisual authors. Half of Kehittämö is funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The programme was implemented for the second time in 2024. At the end of the year, the call for applications for the third round of Kehittämö closed, and the decisions will be made in early 2025.
Support also for cultural entrepreneurship development projects
In addition to the compensation funds, AVEK also distributes grants from special appropriations granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture. These appropriations fund the Mediarata grant for media art production companies and producers, as well as the CreaDemo and DigiDemo grants for the wider creative industry. CreaDemo grants are awarded for development projects in the creative industries and cultural entrepreneurship, while DigiDemo provides support for the product development of new digital content. The total amount of these grants distributed during the year was €700,000.
Support for the audiovisual industry throughout Finland
AVEK’s support is geographically distributed throughout Finland. In 2024, the majority of applications processed (70%) came from Uusimaa, which also had the highest number of positive decisions (78% of applications). The figures reflect the strong concentration of audiovisual production companies in the Helsinki region.
The CreaDemo and DigiDemo grants for the creative industries were more evenly distributed across Finland. Half of the applications came from Southern Finland, around a fifth from Western Finland and just under 15% from Northern Finland.
AVEK also compiles statistics on the distribution of the grants between genders. In 2024, more than half of the directors of projects that received a positive work grant decision were women (61%) and just under a third were men (28%). The other response options were ‘other’, ‘working group’ and ‘I do not want to say’. Similarly, just over half (59%) of scriptwriters were women, 28% were men and 15% were working groups. Of producers, 43% were men, 37% were women and 19% were working groups.
Enquiries:
Ulla Simonen, Director of AVEK
ulla.simonen(at)avek.kopiosto.fi, +358 44 790 0344
