Finnish grant-making foundations supported science, the arts and other public-benefit activities with a record €630 million in 2025. The figures come from a new survey by the Association of Finnish Foundations, published on European day of Foundations and Donors, 1 October.
Grant distribution of Saastamoinen Foundation in 2025.
Foundations’ support for the arts totalled €83 million, according to the survey. That is nearly twice the €45 million in public support from Arts Promotion Centre Finland. Music received the most support, followed by the visual arts, the performing arts and literature.
Alongside grants, foundations run museums, art collections and residencies. The Saastamoinen Foundation’s art collection is on public display at EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, and the Foundation’s collaboration programme with the Uniarts Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts helps artists build their international networks.
€341 million for science
According to the survey, foundations supported science with €341 million. If funding continues at this level, foundations will provide around €1.7 billion for research over five years. Medicine and health sciences received €106 million. In medical research, foundations provide more funding than the Research Council of Finland and Business Finland combined.
‘When people talk about research funding, they often look to the state budget. In Finland, however, there is also considerable funding based on private donations. The importance of foundations shows in what can be researched here and how long-term that research can be,’ says Liisa Suvikumpu, CEO of the Association of Finnish Foundations.
Support across Finland
Foundations spent €206 million on other public-benefit activities. Their support can be seen, for example, in sea rescue vessels, nature trips for children, outreach work with older people, and support for young people’s studies and local associations. New forms of funding have also emerged alongside grants, such as Ratkaisurahasto Effekt, an impact investment fund set up by foundations.
In 2025, Saastamoinen Foundation awarded a record €7.5 million in grants and other support for science, the arts and societal projects. The projects ranged from epilepsy research and lake rescue services to a youth idea competition and activities in Aalto University’s Marsio building.
There are around 175,000 foundations in Europe. Together, they spend €76 billion a year on public-benefit purposes.
