Programs
Scholarships, saunas, performances, and more. Check out what we have going on.
The most important independent source of support for
Finland in America
We are honored to announce that the Saving Finland in America campaign has been named the 2024 Finnish Expatriate of the Year by Finland Society (Suomi-Seura)!
This groundbreaking project aimed to rescue and protect our rich Finnish-American history and culture following the closure of Finlandia University. Thanks to the incredible support of over 900 donors—many of you included—we raised $5.5 million to preserve these irreplaceable cultural treasures for future generations.
Anne-Mari Paster, Past President of Finlandia Foundation National, said it best: “Failure was not an option. We knew the Finnish-American legacy was at risk, and it was up to us to save it.” Executive Director Tommy Flanagan echoed this, adding, “It wasn’t a question of if, but how, and it was donors across the country who made this a success.”
This award belongs to all of us, and we couldn’t have achieved it without your belief in our mission. Thank you for keeping our heritage alive!
Stay tuned for details on the award ceremony in Helsinki later this year—let’s celebrate this achievement together!
Catch them while you still can! Artist, Lecturer, and Performer of the Year
AOY Eric Aho, LOY author Hanna Pylväinen, and POY actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker Miska Kajanus (the latter two seen here at April’s FFN celebration at the Finnish American Heritage Center) will tour through the end of the year.
Stay tuned for the results of the Friends of Finland Art Exhibit
Contemporary and traditional artists, makers, and creatives who love Finnish and Finnish American Culture have submitted their work for exhibition in Finlandia Foundation National’s Gallery exhibition space Finlandia Art Gallery in the Finnish American Heritage Center. The submission was an open call for a Juried Exhibition of Contemporary, Folk, and Traditional Arts & Crafts by Finnish and Finnish American artists as well as our Finnish-loving friends.
For questions contact: gallery@finlandiafoundation.org
2ND NATIONAL SAUNA WEEK POSTER ART CONTEST
ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 1, 2024
Finlandia Foundation National announces its 2nd Annual Sauna Week Art Contest for National Sauna Week, February 16-22, 2025. The poster art will promote the authentic Finnish sauna and events surrounding the fourth annual celebration.
The competition is open to those 18 and older who reside in the U.S.
Deadline for entry is November 1, 2024.
For contest information, click here.
Recent Finnposium event:
Are you interested in researching Finnish-American Migration in the USA? Join SAM, Finlandia Foundation National and the Migration Institute of Finland for a webinar where experts guide you through the best tips for conducting genealogy research in the USA.
In this webinar, we explore historical migration connections between the United States and Finland with experts from the Finnish American Heritage Center (FAHC) in Hancock, Michigan and the Siirtolaisinstituutti in Finland. We highlight resources available to people interested in learning more about the significant Finnish-American migration from the late 1800s to today, including our own FAHC Historical Archive.
Watch the recording here.
Recent event:
Touching Magic: Bridging Finland and the United States in a Symphony of Collaboration
Finlandia Foundation was proud to sponsor an enchanting evening as we presented “Touching Magic”—a captivating transatlantic music project uniting the brilliance of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and The Juilliard School in New York. Our audience was immersed in the unique fusion of classical Nordic and contemporary American music, brought to life by talented young vocalists and pianists from both esteemed institutions.
The evenings featured compelling presentations by Brian Zeger (Artistic Director, Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, Juilliard) and Markus Lehtinen (Professor of Opera and Vocal Music, Sibelius Academy), followed by a dynamic performance showcasing exceptional students: Francesco Barfoed, Jack Hicks, Kiia Nordlund, Gabriel Kivivuori Sereno, Adelia Spångberg, and Abla Benzemroun. The events concluded with an engaging student panel discussion.
The events took place at the Scandinavia House in New York and the Finnish Embassy in Washington DC. Thank you to all who joined us to make these evenings special.
Our Mission
Finlandia Foundation National has been fiercely Finnish since 1953; we champion our culture and heritage across the United States by supporting educational opportunities and promoting diverse, relevant and enriching programs.
Saving Finland in America
With the closing in 2023 of Finlandia University, which was founded in 1896 as Suomi College,
FFN stepped in to become the caretaker of the Finnish American Heritage Center
and its extensive archives and artifacts, the monthly Finnish American Reporter,
the Finnish American Folk School, the Art Gallery, Price of Freedom Museum and North Wind Books store.
Click here to learn more about this project.
What’s New
Get Involved
When you join Finlandia Foundation National, you become a part of the largest Finnish-American network in the United States.
Program Updates
Finnposium
Finlandia Foundation National is excited to bring you Finnposium, a variety of online chats, webinars, musical and other presentations related to Finland and Finnish culture in the United States.
National Sauna Week
Sauna is the most known Finnish word in the U.S., within and outside of the Finnish-American communities. Finlandia Foundation National has declared the last week in February “National Sauna Week” to build awareness and appreciation of this aspect of Finnish and Finnish-American culture.
