Instructions to grant recipients

Updated 19 December 2023

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. 

Making the contract 

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 contract, 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 

A link to the online grant report form is sent by email to all grant recipients. The form should be completed at your earliest convenience after utilizing the grant, and no later than 15 December 2024. If any funds remain unused, return the remaining funds promptly after your trip’s conclusion, but no later than 15 December 2024. 

Reporting instructions 

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.

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.

If you made electronic 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). 

Calculate the total of all expenses from euro amounts that have been rounded to two decimals. 

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.