MILOU-Smarter start

About the micro-support

MILOU-Smart start is the micro-support that can be applied for innovative initiatives where you, with joint efforts, want to create or implement something that takes advantage of your community's opportunities. The purpose is to strengthen local collaboration to increase the area's attractiveness as a place to live, work, and thrive. 

What can you apply for support for?

The projects can, for example, involve creating activities, new networks and forms of collaboration, meeting places, and events to strengthen community, quality of life, engagement to increase the area's attraction, and promote social sustainability. The initiatives can also involve developing new ”smart” solutions for the needs of rural areas. The initiatives should be innovative, inclusive, long-term, and implemented sustainably whenever possible.

Who can apply for support? 

Applicants can be an association, company in collaboration, or another organization operating within the geography of Kustlandet. 

How do you apply for support? 

To apply for support, you should use the application form that you can download via the button below. The application is emailed to the address listed on the form. Decisions on support are made by the Coastal area's decision committee for micro-support, which assesses whether the application meets the criteria for micro-support and the applicant's need for support. As we want the entire area to have the opportunity to apply for support, a geographical assessment is also made to reduce skewed distribution. We accept applications continuously as long as there is money left to distribute. Please feel free to contact us at the office for guidance and information on when your application should be submitted to be included in the next decision meeting.

Ankarsrum's website

Within the sub-activity, Ankarsrum's community association will create a common and user-friendly website for Ankarsrum that gathers information about businesses, associations, events, attractions, and community services. The background is that there is currently no consolidated platform, making it difficult for residents, newcomers, and visitors to get an overview of what the area offers. The website should serve as a central information channel and contribute to increased visibility, better collaboration, and strengthened community among residents, associations, and businesses. The project targets both local actors and visitors and is expected to increase engagement and strengthen Ankarsrum's attractiveness.

Lilla Laxemars School – A Community in Development

In 1926, the school in Lilla Laxemar was inaugurated and quickly became the hub of the village, a place where children learned, where jobs were created, and where life in the village pulsed. Today, the building stands as a memory of that time and as the heart of Lilla Laxemar's village association activities. As the school now turns 100 years old, the village association wants to honor its history, strengthen local identity, and create community through a jubilee that invites both former students, residents, vacation home owners, and visitors from nearby areas. Within this sub-activity, the village association will arrange a jubilee on August 28–29, 2026, where visitors will get to experience period-typical clothing from the school's various decades, build and play with old-fashioned toys, and take part in an exhibition and brochure that tells the school's history. The project is innovative by using the school's building as a bridge between the past and the present and showcasing the village association's vibrant activities. 

Accessibility to Carlsfors Nature Park

Alsterån has been a center for industry in Kalmar County for several hundred years, with operations such as Hornsö ironworks, Carlsfors mill, and Boxfors industries. The Historical Association Sandbäckshult and surrounding areas preserves and conveys this history through lectures, guided tours, and events in Carlsfors Nature Park. The association's activities attract many visitors, but accessibility is limited for the elderly and people with reduced mobility due to rocky ground and uneven surfaces. Within the sub-activity, the association wants to create a safe and accessible environment at the parking lot and entrance to the lecture hall through earthworks and paving. The goal is for everyone to be able to participate in the association's activities, strengthen Carlsfors Nature Park as a meeting place, and promote social inclusion in the village.

Skogsvallen's youth center

Within the sub-activity, Simonstorps IF will start a youth center in Simonstorp, a locality where there are currently no organized leisure activities for young people. With the withdrawal of public transport, the youth's opportunities to reach activities in other localities have decreased significantly. The association therefore sees a need to create a safe, fun, and meaningful meeting place for young people in the village. The project idea has been anchored through dialogue with the youth, who have expressed a clear desire for a youth center. Within the sub-activity, the association will prepare premises and purchase equipment for the youth center. The operation is set to start in January 2026 and will be open every other Friday in the association's clubhouse at Skogsvallen. The engagement is based on voluntary work from parents and members, and a plan for long-term operations and staffing will be developed.

Björndalen

Dalhems Hembygdsförening wants to highlight the natural and cultural values in the area around Björndalen, which is located by Tjustleden and partially within the Stora Vrångens nature reserve. The area has a rich history with, among other things, mining, copper production, brickworks, military training areas, as well as floating and early industries along Loftaån. Within this sub-activity, seven locations along the trail will be equipped with signs with QR codes linking to a webpage with collected information, images, and maps. In this way, the area's cultural heritage and nature are made easily accessible for both residents and visitors.

Skateboard ramp in Tryserum

Within this sub-activity, the newly formed Skateboard association will build a skateboard ramp/vert ramp in a forest environment in Tryserum, Valdemarsvik municipality. There has previously been no opportunity for skateboarding in the municipality; the nearest alternative is in Norrköping, and for vert ramps, access is even more limited – only a few locations in the country offer it. The purpose is to create conditions for skateboarding and more recreational activities in the area. The association's activities are aimed at both beginners and experienced riders of all ages and can also attract participants from other parts of the country. The association wants to establish a gathering place for skateboarding, increase interest in the sport locally, and eventually expand the facility with more riding areas. To spread information about the activities, they will produce flyers for distribution, inform via the association's website, and participate with mobile ramps at local events.

Skateboard ramp in Tryserum

Within the sub-activity, the newly formed Skateboard Association will build a skateboard ramp/vert ramp in a forest environment in Tryserum, Valdemarsvik municipality. There has previously been no opportunity for skateboarding in the municipality; the nearest alternative is in Norrköping, and for vert ramps, access is even more limited – only a few locations in the country offer it. The purpose is to create conditions for skateboarding and more recreational activities in the area. The association's activities are aimed at both beginners and experienced riders of all ages and can also attract participants from other parts of the country. The association wants to establish a gathering place for skateboarding, increase interest in the sport locally, and eventually expand the facility with more riding areas. To spread information about the activities, they will produce flyers for distribution, inform via the association's website, and participate with mobile ramps at local events.

Knowledge and business fair

Within the sub-activity, a new business fair will be organized in Söderköping, which will serve as a meeting place for businesses, education, and the municipality. The purpose is to strengthen the local economy, promote collaboration between businesses and educational actors – particularly Nyströmska school's practically oriented programs – as well as to showcase the municipality's business diversity. The fair is organized in collaboration between the network Business in collaboration (which consists of five local business organizations), the municipality's business unit, and Nyströmska school. The fair is aimed at both businesses and the public, with free admission, lectures, themed rooms, and the opportunity to book ”Walk n’ talk” meetings with the municipality's officials.

The purr

The old detention facility in Figeholm, colloquially known as Kurran, is an important part of the local cultural heritage but has been empty for a long time and has begun to deteriorate. To preserve this unique part of Figeholm's history and at the same time give the building new life, the Figeholm Community Association wants to renovate the premises within the sub-activity and create a place for meetings, culture, and local information. One of the three detention cells will be preserved as a small museum with furnishings that reflect how the premises looked in the past. The other two cells will be used for various types of exhibitions and events such as art and photo exhibitions, book exchange days, flower exchanges, and craft activities. The premises will also serve as a place for tourist information, with materials about attractions and activities in Figeholm.

Rural Round Oskarshamn

Within the sub-activity, 13 businesses outside Oskarshamn's city center will collaborate to make their operations visible. The businesses are active in food, culture, and crafts and want to jointly highlight both their operations and the beautiful countryside in the municipality. The purpose is to jointly market the businesses and the countryside through a printed brochure and via the app WAO. The initiative is based on the idea of collaboration rather than competition and that they can help each other reach more customers and visitors.

Familjedag i Tryserum

Inom delaktiviteten planerar Intresseförening Tryserums friskola, i samarbete med hembygdsföreningen och Röda Korset, att arrangera en familjedag i Tryserum. Evenemanget riktar sig till både invånare och besökare och ska skapa en gemensam mötesplats för alla åldrar. För att nå ut till målgruppen kommer familjedagen att marknadsföras genom postutskick till barnfamiljer i närområdet samt via annonser i både tryckta medier och på sociala medier. Som en del av satsningen kommer även mobila discgolfkorgar att införskaffas. Dessa kommer att användas under själva evenemanget men ska också finnas tillgängliga för fortsatt användning efteråt.

Aktivitetsplats och A-traktorträff

Inom denna delaktivitet ska föreningen skapa ett A-traktorevenemang och en aktivitetsplats riktad till ungdomar i Söderköping. Det kommer arrangeras en A-traktorträff där ungdomar får möjlighet att visa upp sina fordon, lära sig hur man bygger om bilar till A-traktorer, delta i tävlingar samt ta del av livemusik och DJ-inslag. I samarbete med lokala föreningar erbjuds även prova-på-aktiviteter inom klättring, paddling och motorsport. Evenemanget avslutas med en bilkortege med A-traktorer genom stadskärnan som genomförs i samarbete med polisen. Ambitionen är att etablera ett långsiktigt och återkommande evenemang, nya samarbeten mellan föreningar, med målet att engagera unga och skapa meningsfulla fritidsaktiviteter för ungdomar i Söderköping.

Hop-on Valdemarsviks Kultur- och Skördefest

Projektet syftar till att öka tillgängligheten till Valdemarsviks Kultur och Skördefest genom att erbjuda en hop-on-hop-off-busstur som binder samman kommunens olika besöksmål. Evenemanget engagerar aktörer från hela kommunen – kulturutövare, restauranger, butiker och turistmål – och genomförs under lågsäsong för att förlänga besökssäsongen. Målet är att synliggöra hela kommunen, nå en bredare publik och göra aktiviteterna tillgängliga även för dem som saknar egen transport. Evenemanget drivs till stor del ideellt av arbetsgruppen inom Visit Valdemarsvik och deltagande företag och föreningar.  

Mera Zarah

Inom delaktivitet ska Zarah Leander-sällskapet förnya och utveckla Zarah Leander-museet i syfte att stärka dess roll som ett kulturellt och turistiskt nav på Vikbolandet. Inom projektet ska utställningen utökas med nya objekt som utgår från en omfattande donation av originalscenkläder, accessoarer och minnessaker. Donationens innehåll – originalscenkläder, accessoarer och minnessaker – har använts av den tyska artisten Curt Delander i hans många tolkningar av Zarah Leander på tyska kabaréscener. Samlingen ska varsamt rekonstrueras för att därefter integreras i museets permanenta utställning. Arbetet sker till stor del ideellt och stödet ska användas för att täcka kostnader för transporter samt material och utrustning för exponering av föremålen. Den nya utställningen invigs den 19 juli i samband med den årliga Zarahdagen och kommer att marknadsföras för att nå nya målgrupper, såsom designintresserade och yngre besökare.