Follow the terms and conditions in the grant contract. If the terms in the grant contract and these instructions are in conflict, the terms of the contract are to be followed.
Signing the agreement
If you can’t receive the grant, please inform the Executive Officer of the Foundation immediately. The grant recipient and the Foundation of the Finnish Institute in the Middle East will sign a grant agreement, in which the funded activity and budget are defined.
Change of plans?
If you would like to change the grant purpose, you must first make a written agreement with the executive officer of the Foundation. For example, changes in the destination, duration, or objective of the trip, or moving funds between budget categories (accommodation, flights, other expenses) requires a permission from the foundation.
Accepted expenses
You can use the grant only for the expenses that you have listed in your budget in the application form. All changes to the budget must be approved by the Foundation in advance. All the expenses must be reported with a receipt. You can only use the grant on expenses that can be documented with a receipt.
You can never use the grant for following purposes:
– fines
– gift cards
– living expenses
– equipment
If you are not sure if an expense can be covered from the grant, ask from the Foundation beforehand.
Please note the following article in the contract: “Reasonable, acceptable travel expenses consist of costs that are appropriate for the travel in question, reasonably priced, and form the overall least expensive option.” This applies specially to fight tickets, accommodation and using public transport instead of taxi.
Reporting
An online grant report form should be filled in at your earliest convenience after using the grant, and no later than 13 December 2026. If any funds remain unused, return them promptly after your trip, but no later than 13 December 2026.
Online reporting form
A link to the online grant report form will be send to grant recipients by e-mail.
Reporting instructions
1. Number the receipts sequentially in chronological order. Scan the receipts. Verify each scanned receipt: is the entire receipt legible? All receipts must be scanned with a scanner or phone scanning app. Note that photos of receipts are not accepted.
2. To list all expenses, create a table in, for example, Excel (see an example). Use the same numbering as on the receipts and provide the following information for each expense: number, date, explanation of the expense, price in foreign currency, and price in euros.
3. If you made card or digital payments, you must verify the exchange rates with a copy of your bank statement, where the bank exchange rate is visible. If you made cash payments, you must verify the exchange rates with a currency exchange receipt where the exchange rate is visible (see an example).
4. Calculate the total of all expenses from euro amounts that have been rounded to two decimals.
5. Grants recipients for Arabic Language Courses must include a certificat of the completed language course.
Keep the boarding passes for at least two years after the trip
You don’t have to include the boarding passes in the report, but you must store them for at least two years after the trip. This also applies to electronic tickets.
