Announcement: Familia’s activities might come to an end

​Familia has had to adjust its operations due to the upcoming decrease in STEA funding. In its June meeting, Familia’s board made the difficult decision to restructure the organisation and its staffing. The decision means that the employment of all six permanent employees will come to an end.
 
The decision is based on exceptionally large cuts directed at social and health organisations, as well as uncertainty regarding STEA funding for 2027. In 2027, the available STEA grants will be approximately 84 million euros less than in 2026.

The role of Familia’s board is to ensure the financial sustainability of the organisation and to guarantee that the employer can meet all obligations related to its staff, including during notice periods. The association’s financial buffer is limited, and it would not be able to cover potential salary costs during notice periods if funding were not granted. Previously, STEA has provided wind-down grants for projects coming to an end, which have enabled organisations to cover salary costs during notice periods, but such grants will not be available for 2027. For this reason, decisions concerning personnel could not be postponed until the final funding decisions for 2027 are known.
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“There is more need for Familia’s work right now than ever before. Intercultural families need places where they are seen, receive peer support, and get help in different life situations. Familia’s wonderful and committed staff have made this work possible and have met thousands of families over the years with great professionalism and compassion. It is particularly worrying that at the same time as the position of intercultural families has been weakened through legislation and racism has become more visible in our society, the very activities needed to support them must now be scaled back. Familia’s work is socially significant and preventive, and its future is something we must safeguard”, says Anu Kytömäki, Chair of Familia’s Board.
 
Familia’s funding is secured until the end of 2026, and we will continue our operations as normal as possible until then. However, there is no information about the level of STEA funding for 2027. STEA will publish its grant proposals in December 2026, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health will make the final grant decisions during early 2027.
 
For 2027, the criteria for awarding STEA grants will be tightened and clarified. The awarding of grants will place emphasis on encounter-based-work activities. At the core of Familia’s work is precisely this type of encounter-based-work activity classified as eligible for funding, such as mother‑and‑baby groups, father groups, living rooms, Belingual family clubs, and couple and family counselling for intercultural families. For example, last year Familia met more than 9,000 intercultural families, organised 71 different peer groups in seven different locations, met 411 members of intercultural families in counselling, and had 140 active volunteers involved in its activities. In addition, Familia supported professionals so that they can better understand the specific characteristics of intercultural families in their work, and we highlighted issues important to intercultural families to decision‑makers and authorities.

The core of Familia’s work is promoting the well‑being of two‑culture families, supporting inclusion, and providing help in life crisis situations. Although the new grant criteria emphasise face‑to‑face work, the reduction of approximately 84 million euros in next year’s total STEA funding is so large that the effects will inevitably extend also to face‑to‑face work and to the operating conditions of the entire NGO sector.
 
Familia has operated for 38 years, promoting the integration of people who have moved to Finland for various reasons and supporting the well‑being of intercultural families. Familia is the only organisation in Finland that focuses exclusively on intercultural families as an expert, advocate, and organiser of peer activities.
 
Familia’s activities will continue, in one form or another, despite the staff reductions. Certainty about the final scope and content of operations in 2027 can be defined more precisely once STEA’s final grant decisions are known.

Additional information:
Elina Helmanen
executive director
[email protected]
050 433 5411