The 2026 grant round of the Madetoja Foundation: five tips from the chair for applying

Hi! I’m composer Leevi Räsänen, and this is my first year as the chair of the Madetoja Foundation. I guide our board through the evaluation process and prepare the contents of the call together with the agent of the Foundation, Vappu Verronen, and our secretary, Laura Sallinen. With the application period now roughly halfway through, I wanted to share my own tips for the 2026 grant round.

Tip 1 – Did you know this about the evaluation process?

Each year, we read well over 100 applications. Every board member evaluates every application. Our five-member board is diverse and brings together expertise from different corners of contemporary art music. The evaluation process is based on independent voting, which means that an application needs sufficiently broad support to be approved. No single person can decide on funding or rejecting applications on their own.

Tip 2 – What kind of applications succeed?

Applications are most likely to succeed when both the commissioner and the composer are professionals in art music who have come up with an interesting and/or significant collaboration. The collaboration should be carefully thought through from both artistic and practical perspectives. The application should clearly state the key practical details, such as the time and place of the premiere, the performers, and the planned future life of the work. It should also be written without assuming that the work of the commissioner or the composer is already familiar to the evaluators.

Tip 3 – Attachments, attachments, attachments…

A promising application can be undermined by a missing or forgotten attachment. So make sure that all attachments follow the application guidelines! In my view, the best way to share samples from the composer or commissioner is via a dedicated portfolio page on a website, where everything can be found in one place.

Tip 4 – Using AI: go or no go?

Using generative AI in an application is, of course, not prohibited, but AI-generated text often comes across as generic, whereas a strong application stands out precisely through its personality. It’s worth considering whether you want to leave this option unused.

That said, AI can still be helpful in the drafting process. It can be prompted very specifically, for example to read the text critically, identify inconsistencies or repetition, or point out anything essential that might be missing. It can also work well for condensing the text.

Tip 5 – Collaboration between commissioner and composer

As a composer myself, I know that the concept of a work takes shape at different stages for different creators and projects. Sometimes it is clear years before the composing begins, and at other times it might only become clear once the process is already well underway. We recognise this and want to support the work on the creators’ own terms. However, we cannot evaluate grant applications on the basis of CVs alone. So what could be the solution?

We hope that the Madetoja Foundation grant call encourages commissioners and composers to reflect together on the nature of their collaboration. If the exact content or concept of the work is not yet clear at the time of application, the application can, in addition to describing the collaboration, outline the composer’s practice at a more general level: how and why they work, and what kinds of ideas and phenomena they are interested in. Applications where this reflection, combined with work samples, forms a credible and coherent whole tend to stand out.

Commissioner: be on time

Although we do not see the exact submission time when evaluating applications, our sympathies on deadline day are with the composer who is still waiting late at night for the confirmation link to arrive. Working in the arts is stressful, and a good night’s sleep is a nice starting point for any collaboration — so try to submit your application on a weekday and during office hours if possible. 😉

Still got questions?

I recommend reading the comprehensive application info published last year, which answers many of the most common questions (in Finnish).

You can also call our agent, Vappu, during phone hours on Wed 14 January at 15:00–16:00 and Thu 29 January 2026 at 12:00–14:00.

Bonus! – Leevi’s dream application

A somewhat scattered list of the first things that come to mind when I think of an “ideal” application. It:

  • surprises
  • provides a strong personal impression
  • gives the reader a sense of discovery: “Aha! This could also be a way of thinking or working.”
  • includes, when needed, a clear and realistic budget prepared using spreadsheet software
  • avoids generic “grant language” and content written to meet expectations rather than to communicate something meaningful
  • is not copied straight from ChatGPT

All in all… what I personally hope to see in applications is humanity, insight, and care. Another member of our board may, of course, be looking for something else — luckily there are five of us. ☺️ I wish all our applicants the best of luck and enjoyment in preparing their applications and in the application process itself!

Photo: Emppu Veinola