Finlandia Foundation was founded in 1953 by prominent Finnish-American first-and second-generation immigrants. For over 50 years Finlandia Foundation and its Chapters have been the most important private source of funding for Finnish and Finnish-American culture in the United States. During this time the Foundation has sponsored or funded a wide range of cultural projects and events featuring Finnish and Finnish-American culture.
The Foundation has helped present Finnish operas, classical music, folk music and folk dance groups, and ballet to American audiences around the country. The Foundation has supported a great number of leading Finnish-American artists, writers, and scholars in their efforts to bring Finnish culture to local and national attention through translations and original writings in prose and poetry.
In addition, Finlandia Foundation National and Finlandia Foundation Chapters have awarded hundreds of scholarships and grants to students and scholars. All of this has been accomplished with a few significant charitable donations from Finnish-American individuals, and, perhaps most importantly, by thousands of hours of hard work by members and friends of the Foundation volunteering their time and skills in support of our cultural programs and events.
Finlandia Foundation National and Finlandia Foundation chapters are developing programs like Soiva Camp to attract new generations of Finnish Americans. These programs also encourage the participation of members and friends who may have no ethnic ties to Finland but who are interested in supporting the rich culture and heritage of Finland and Finnish Americans.
Finlandia Foundation National has grown in membership and has also seen an increase in the quality and number of scholarship and grant applications received in recent years. It is becoming increasingly clear that the Foundation must rapidly increase its endowment funds in order to be able to adequately respond to the needs of the most worthy applicants. In the interest of preserving current Foundation assets, the Board of Trustees of Finlandia Foundation National has limited the annual grants and scholarships awarded to 5% of the year-end net assets of the foundation.
At the same time, we are projecting that we will need to award well over $200,000 annually to help support the best cultural programs, grants and scholarships. This means that we must increase our endowment funds by at least two million dollars during the next few years.
You can make a tax deductible donation online through Paypal.
100% of your gift is used for Finnish Culture
Many national charities have fundraising expenses that range from 20% to almost 80%. Typically, less than 70% of your gift goes to the purpose you have indicated. All Finlandia Foundation National fundraising expenses are covered by a generous donation from the Paloheimo Foundation. Therefore, a full 100% of your donation to Finlandia Foundation National will fund the purpose you indicate. No administrative expenses will be deducted.
Currently Finlandia Foundation National administers the following funds:
- Aina Swan Cutler New England Music Fund
- Bert & Marjatta Salonen Business Education Fund
- Curtin-Paloheimo Charitable Remainder Trust Fund for FFN
- Elma Randall Memorial Finnish-American Heritage Fund
- Festival Fund
- FF Florida Scholarship Fund
- FF Premier Fund
- FFNCC Special Fund
- Gertrude Kujala Memorial Finnish Music Fund
- Helin/Korpela Social Sciences Fund
- Aune Koski Scholarship Fund
- Jaakko Tuominen Memorial Sports Fund
- Jean E. Sainio-Nolan Scholarship Fund
- Paloheimo/Fenyes Visual Arts Grant & Scholarship Fund
- Pertti Lindfors Legal Studies Fund
- SFK Memorial Fund
- Sundquist Endowment for the Arts
- The Midwest General Fund
- UFBS Lodge of San Francisco Fund for Scholars
- Urho Kivikoski Education Fund
- Vaino Hoover General Fund
- Walima Fund for Folk Music
Major donors may also establish a fund in their own name.
Finlandia Foundation Premier Fund
The purpose of this fund is to make it possible to present a major cultural event once every 2-3 years featuring outstanding Finnish or Finnish-American artists at multiple prestigious venues in several cities throughout our nation. Our goal is to solicit $20,000 each from 10 U.S. businesses and 10 Finnish business enterprises.
The proceeds from this $400,000 fund will provide the seed money required for these Premier Finnish Cultural Events. The names of the 20 firms contributing to this fund will be perpetually highlighted in all program booklets and other publicity materials.
You can help Finlandia Foundation support and preserve Finnish culture in the United States
Cash gifts to Finlandia Foundation National are fully tax-deductible. No gift is too small. We will most gratefully welcome any amount you can afford to give.
Gifts of appreciated real estate or securities are tax-deductible at their full, fair market value at the time of transfer. This also allows the donor to avoid what in some cases may be very significant capital gains taxes. Finlandia Foundation will in most cases pay for legal and other transfer expenses involved with such gifts.
Life insurance can be an excellent way to turn a gift worth a few thousand dollars today into a much more significant gift. For example, a 45-year-old donor can donate a life insurance policy worth $50,000 and gift it to Finlandia Foundation for about $80/month for 120 months with no payments thereafter.
Owners of CDs, bonds, and savings accounts can increase their monthly income from these investments significantly by making a deferred gift of these assets to Finlandia Foundation. US Treasuries are currently yielding 4.72% - 5.49%, depending on maturity.
The best interest rates on CD’s are currently 6.2% - 6.5%. You can make a precious gift to Finlandia Foundation by transferring these assets to a Finlandia Foundation Charitable Annuity which may increase your monthly payments 10% - 100%, depending on your age.
For example, a donor 60 years of age has a monthly income of $833.50 from a portfolio of bonds worth $200,000. A FF Charitable Gift Annuity can yield this donor a monthly income of $1083.33, a substantial portion of which is not taxable.
In other words, the donor receives 30% or $250 more monthly income for life and a lower tax bill. Finlandia Foundation accomplishes this by purchasing a split asset protection annuity from a major insurance company, such as NY Life. The monthly payments to the donor are guaranteed for life by the insurance company. Both the donor and the Foundation benefit greatly. A FF Charitable Gift Annuity requires a simple one-page application and there are no fees involved.
A Living Trust is also an attractive vehicle for deferred giving. Relatively simple to set up, a non-revocable Charitable Remaindered Trust will pay you or a designated beneficiary income during your lifetime. Eventually the assets in the trust will be passed on to Finlandia Foundation National to help us support Finnish culture and heritage. The donor receives a tax deduction for the full value of the trust and the donor’s estate may realize significant tax savings.
Estate planning
Consider naming Finlandia Foundation as one of the beneficiaries in your Last Will and Testament. A gift to the Foundation will keep giving in perpetuity to the support and preservation of Finnish culture in the United States.
For additional information on Charitable giving, please contact your financial advisor or:
Finlandia Foundation National
Attorney Paul Halme
PO Box 665
Solvang, CA 93464
POHHC@aol.com
