The City’s influencing bodies emphasise the importance of funding for the organisation sector

Organisations provide support and produce experience data for the City

The statement issued by the councils and advisory boards recognises the important role of organisations as partners of the City in promoting the wellbeing and health of Helsinki residents and preventing inequality. Among other things, these organisations provide Helsinki residents with low-threshold advice, peer support, service coordination, meeting places and outreach work. They also reach people who have difficulties with accessing services or using them without personalised support. At the same time, the organisations provide the City with information about the everyday lives of residents, the functionality of services and the needs of different population groups. This experience data complements data from public authorities and statistics and supports the City’s planning and decision-making processes. 

The statement proposes measures for the City

The councils and advisory boards propose that, following the government’s funding decisions, Helsinki should identify which services and activities aimed at Helsinki residents are being scaled back or discontinued, and assess the impact of this on different population groups, wellbeing, equality and the need for the City’s own services.

Furthermore, the City should identify the services and special expertise of organisations that are not provided by the City itself, and assess means to ensure that essential operations are maintained. Helsinki cannot, on its own, make up for the cuts in state funding for organisations, but the City can anticipate the consequences of these cuts. 

Supporting the operating conditions of organisations is part of the City’s cooperation with organisations

The Elderly Citizens Council, the Council on Disability, the Advisory Board for Organisations and the Equality and Non-discrimination Advisory Board form part of the City of Helsinki’s framework for participation, influencing and cooperation with organisations. The councils and advisory boards consist of representatives of organisations, members of political parties with a background in trustee roles, and the City’s specialists. Through them, the expertise of organisations and experience data from different population groups are conveyed for the City’s planning and decision-making processes.

Cooperation with organisations is carried out in Helsinki through a network-based model, the aim of which is to strengthen dialogue between the City and organisations and, together with the organisations, foster the operating conditions of organisations in Helsinki. In addition to the interaction structures of the councils and advisory boards, the model for cooperation with organisations covers grants, facilities, collaboration and partnerships.

Helsinki conducted a Kumppanien Helsinki (‘Partnering with Helsinki’) 2026 survey in collaboration with Bondata Research Oy in April and May 2026. A total of 286 organisations responded to the survey. The survey yielded the first city-wide overview of the current state of the operating conditions. The City will repeat the survey in spring 2027.

Changes to the operating conditions of organisations and the operating environment will be monitored by the Advisory Board for Organisations, and operations will be developed in collaboration with the councils and advisory boards.

In the city’s budget negotiations in October 2026, the parties represented on the City Board agreed to increase the appropriations for grants in the 2027 budget. The budget will be formally approved in November 2026.

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