FINLAND: Radical funding cuts threaten civil society
The Finnish government confirmed massive funding cuts to the civil society sector at the beginning of September. One third of public funding for social and health organisations is being cut, starting from the 2027 budget. An estimated 40% of all social and health organisations are at risk of being dissolved as a direct result of the cuts. Additionally, the way the state distributes what remains is being reshaped in a way that reduces funding for advocacy and coordination work, justified by the need for fiscal adjustment and to improve economic efficiency.
Social and Health Minister Wille Rydman, from the far-right Finns Party, has outlined his vision for the kind of organisations and work the state should support, narrowing the sector’s role only to concrete service provision. This risks removing CSOs of their advocacy and political role in channelling people’s voices, needs, and demands into political decision-making. Critics have argued that advocacy organisations are being defunded not primarily because of the economic situation, but for political reasons, and that the cut is so large that it cannot be absorbed merely through reductions in administration and advocacy; it will inevitably hit frontline, grassroots and community work and dismantle a social support and welfare system the state itself deliberately built. Several long-standing CSOs have already announced that they have been targeted by the cuts, forcing them to reduce staff and operations.