Make a Donation
Finlandia Foundation National raises funds to strengthen its endowment and ensure the continuation of its programs.
The Performer of the Year and Lecturer of the Year programs focus attention on the outstanding musical and academic contributions of the Finnish-American community. The winners of these two annual and national competitions travel and perform at chapter organizations throughout the United States.
Finlandia Foundation National also provides scholarships to students with a multitude of unique ties to the Finnish culture and awards dozens of grants each year providing critical and all too rare funding for individuals pursuing the artistic, musical and cultural traditions that represent the heritage of Finland and diverse interests of Finnish-Americans.
Additionally, we offer a variety of online programming including the annual National Sauna Week celebration.
These programs, not offered by any other organization in the United States today, are what make the strengthening of the Finlandia Foundation National organization so compelling.
At Finlandia Foundation, our overhead is low, meaning more of your donation goes to scholarships and to our outstanding programs.
Saving Finland in America
In March of 2023, Finlandia University—founded in 1896 as Suomi College—announced its closing. The campus in Hancock, Michigan, is home to the Finnish American Heritage Center and many cultural assets described here.
The Finlandia Foundation board of trustees recognized this closing as a duty to preserve and protect the “Smithsonian of Finnish America.”
That privilege comes with a cost.
FFN has assumed responsibility for not only maintaining, but growing, the mission and the operation, staffing, physical properties and programs, artifacts and archives of the most complete collection of the history of Finns in America. We are doing this to honor our roots and ensure that future generations understand and appreciate the contributions of Finnish immigrants—past and current—and the history and ongoing impact of innovation from Finland in so many fields.
Please join us in this important mission by designating a generous gift to “Saving Finland in America.”
In the “Additional Comments” box note that your contribution is to go to Saving Finland in America or SFIA.
Thank you.
By building a solid network of chapters throughout the United States and increasing the number and amount of grants and scholarship for Finnish-American individuals and programs, Finlandia Foundation National will continue to inspire and strengthen the Finnish-American community of the United States for years to come.
Finnish heritage and Finnish-American traditions and culture are too rich and too valuable to be lost. Please consider making a tax deductible contribution today!
PayPal
Click the button below to make your donation via PayPal!
U.S. Mail
Send a check made payable to Finlandia Foundation National to:
Finlandia Foundation National
254 N. Lake Ave. #852
Pasadena, CA 91101
Donation Matching
Your invaluable gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous grant from the Paloheimo Foundation (up to a maximum of $100,000 per year).
Finlandia Foundation National is a non-profit (501)(c)3 organization. You may be eligible for a tax deduction.
All donations support FFN programs.
Other Options
On December 6, 1917 Finland declared its independence, an historic event worthy of the yearlong centennial celebration that took place in 2017 in Finland and among the Finnish-American population in the United States. Finnish immigrants settled at the New Sweden colony on the Delaware River in 1640, but the “Great Migration” of Finns to North America took place between 1870 and 1930.
In the decades since, those resolute early immigrants have been followed by others who have come to this country for a variety of personal and professional reasons.
- For a gift of $100, your loved one will be listed in the FFN newsletter and on the Tribute page of the Finlandia Foundation Family Tree here on the website.
- For a gift of $250, your loved one will be listed in the FFN newsletter and their story added to the Family Tree.
After making your Centennial Honor Gift under “Tribute Type,” please send a photo and a 250-word story about the honoree by email to office@finlandiafoundation.org or mail to Finlandia Foundation National 254 N. Lake Ave. #852 Pasadena, CA 91101.
- For a gift of $500 or more, your loved one will be listed in the FFN newsletter and their story added to the Family Tree.
After making your Centennial Honor Gift under “Tribute Type,” please send two photos and a 500-word story about the honoree by email to office@finlandiafoundation.org or mail to Finlandia Foundation National 254 N. Lake Ave. #852 Pasadena, CA 91101.
You may also choose to mail your $250 or $500 donation with your photos and story to: Finlandia Foundation National 254 N. Lake Ave. #852 Pasadena, CA 91101
Please direct any questions to: office@finlandiafoundation.org
Is there someone in your life who has made a difference to you? Have her values inspired you? His example encouraged you?
A gift to Finlandia Foundation National in memory of someone who has touched your life or in honor of someone who is marking a milestone is a wonderful way for you to celebrate your loved one and to show your support of their—or your—Finnish heritage and Finnish-American culture.
Gifts of stock can sometimes be more advantageous for the donor than gifts of cash. When you give appreciated securities to Finlandia Foundation National, you can benefit in three ways:
- Your gift may be worth more than your initial investment.
- You avoid paying capital gains taxes.
- If the stock has gained in value since it was acquired and it has been held long term, you may deduct the current fair market value of the stock from the current year’s taxable income.
In order to acknowledge this gift appropriately, please notify us of your gift and provide us with:
- your name
- the stock name
- the number of share
- the date of transfer
By including Finlandia Foundation National in your estate and financial planning, you can support Finnish and Finnish-American culture far into the future. Here are a few planned giving opportunities:
1. Including Finlandia Foundation National in your will or trust. You can choose to leave a specific dollar amount, designate that a percentage of your estate be given through your will or living trust, or give only the remainder, or residue, of your estate (that which remains after bequests to loved ones have been made).
Here is a suggested form for such a bequest: “I give and bequeath to Finlandia Foundation National, a not-for-profit corporation, with principal offices presently located in Pasadena, CA, the sum of $_______, to be used for the accomplishment of its general purposes (or for a specific purpose, as indicated).”
2. Naming Finlandia Foundation National as a beneficiary of your life insurance. Life insurance policies are an easy and often overlooked way to make a meaningful charitable gift. This can be done by naming Finlandia Foundation National as the beneficiary of a current policy, transferring the ownership of a paid-up policy to Finlandia Foundation National, or taking out a new policy that names Finlandia Foundation National as the owner and beneficiary.
3. Making a gift of retirement assets. Retirement assets are one of the most mutually beneficial gifts you can give to Finlandia Foundation National. Contributions that have been made over the years to an IRA or other qualified plan have been growing tax-free within the plan. If left to an individual, these funds may be subject to both estate tax and income tax, which greatly reduces the value of the asset. If left to a charity, such taxes are usually avoided.
We encourage you to consult your attorney or financial planning advisor before making any type of planned gift.
If you have questions about any gifts of stocks, securities, financially planned gifts, have a special idea in mind or are looking for another way to make a meaningful contribution, please contact FFN Executive Director Tommy Flanagan at thomas.flanagan@finlandiafoundation.org