Special grants for children from low-income households

Applications are now open for a special sports and leisure grant due to the impact of Covid-19. 

See the announcement on the website of the Icelandic Government.

Applications are now open for special sports and leisure grants for children living in lower-income households, with the aim of equalising their opportunities to participate in organised sports and leisure activities. The grants are in addition to the usual sports and leisure grants from local authorities. A total of around 900 million krónur will be allocated to the project in 2020 and 2021, but Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister for Social Affairs and Children, introduced the measure this spring. It is part of a package of measures designed to offset the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the finances of lower-income households in the country. This will be followed by a public awareness campaign in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, local authorities, the Icelandic Olympic and Sports Association and the Icelandic Youth League.

The grant is 45,000 for each child.

A grant can be applied for for children born between 2005 and 2014 who live in a household where the total household income was on average less than 740,000 kr per month between March and July 2020. The grant is 45,000 kr. per child, and around 13,000 children are eligible. The grant can be used to subsidise participation fees for sports, music lessons or other leisure activities. Local authorities set the rules for the allocation of the grants, but the arrangements can vary between them, for example regarding which sports and leisure activities are eligible, what documents must be submitted with the application, and the processing time for applications. The municipalities handle the processing of grant applications after the eligibility for the grant has been checked on Island.is.  

Check your eligibility for a grant on Island.is

Research has shown that it is important to keep as many children as possible active in sports and leisure activities, and to ensure equal access for children and young people to such activities. Emphasis has been placed on reaching as many guardians as possible, and a promotional campaign has therefore been launched in a number of languages about the sports and leisure grants.

Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister for Social Affairs and Children's Affairs: „The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on all sports and leisure activities in the country. When family finances become strained, there is a significant risk that they will reduce their children's participation in sports and leisure activities, and this is particularly true for families at the lower end of the income distribution. Research shows that sport and leisure activities have a preventative value, and it is therefore incredibly important that we do everything we can to prevent children from dropping out of sports and leisure activities because of the pandemic.”

Further information on procedures and arrangements at the City of Hafnarfjörður