Around 800 Finnish NGOs receive STEA grants to support their activities. The grants complement and support public services, maintain social peace and democracy and strengthen the resilience of Finnish society.
Relatively little research has been done on the economic impact of association activities. However, the value of Finnish volunteering, for example, has been estimated at over €3 billion (Kansalaisareena), and individual studies have found that an investment of one euro can achieve more than 500 times the value (Hämeen setlementti). It would be unfortunate if the monetary value of association work were to be established by examining how much money the public sector has to spend to cover the costs of cuts in funding for associations.
The planned, early cuts are likely to cripple the ability of associations to operate effectively. This means that clients who would normally move from the public sector to NGOs will be left without support. It also means that many projects that support the objectives of the government programme will come to a standstill as associations are forced to adapt their activities and organise transformation negotiations. The need for public services will also increase as the preventive services provided by NGOs are reduced. The government has not guaranteed public services the resources to compensate for the service gap left by the work of associations.
Moniheli is a network of around 150 civil society organisations supporting integration. Our network uses STEA grants to support the well-being of foreign-language families, children's schooling, employment for women and young people and gang prevention in a culturally sensitive and multilingual way. In addition, Moniheli provides STEA-supported member organisation grants for small, grassroots integration projects. Last year, more than thirty small organisations were funded in this way. STEA plays an essential role in funding integration activities.
The associations play an important role as a voice for anti-racist work in Finland. Prime Minister Orpo has organised a number of events where foreign-language activists from NGOs have been heard in order to build a more equal Finland. The government has drafted a communication outlining ways to eradicate racism from our society. However, the cuts now planned will hit precisely at these means.
Cuts in funding for STEA-supported NGOs must not be brought forward. Associations must be able to spend their time doing effective work, not on crisis management of internal operations at an inhumanly fast pace. The choice cannot be either/or. STEA grants will not be awarded for ineffective or futile activities. It is the most vulnerable who suffer when grants are cut and whom we should be doing all we can to protect.
The author has a Master's degree in Political Science, specialising in public administration research, and is the Communications Manager of Moniheli ry.
This text has been sent in full to the parliamentary groups of the opposition parties. A shorter text, prepared with the Moniheli board, has also been sent to the MPs of the governing parties.
