The government will cease offering grants for peace work starting next year, according to the Peace Union of Finland, an umbrella organisation consisting of sixteen Finnish associations working for peace.
Laura Lodenius, Executive Director of the Peace Union of Finland, said in a press release that the organisations were informed of the decision on Friday morning. The decision is linked to the government's austerity measures adopted last week. The Ministry of Justice will cut a total of 3.5 million euros from its operating expenditure and government grants.
Corinna Tammenmaa, head of the unit for The Ministry of Justice, which has historically been responsible for these grants, confirmed the news with Yle.
"These are the kinds of small income streams where we will find savings," Tammenmaa said.
This year, peace organisations received a total of 325 000 euros in grant support. Ten organisations received funding.
Last year, grant funding amounts were already significantly lower than in previous years. For 2023, peace organisations received a total of 502 000 euros in grants.
Tammenmaa says that cuts to other grants that support NGO's are also on the way. However, no details are available yet.
Tammenmaa notes that it is a very significant amount of money for the organisations.
There have already been layoffs
The Peace Union of Finland represents 16 organisations, including the Committee of 100 in Finland, the Union of Conscientious Objectors, and the Peace Education Institute.
Among other things, peace organisations lobby the government and its ministries on issues related to peacebuilding.
Their budgets usually consist of grants, project funding and membership fees, among other things. According to Lodenius, for most organisations, grants are how they have been able to employ staff and run their day-to-day activities.
"When you apply for EU funding, for example, you have to have someone to apply for it. In other words, it's hard to apply for EU funding, for example, if we don't have basic funding from Finland," says Lodenius.
According to Lodenius, this year's cuts are already being felt by organisations.
"Almost everyone has been laid off, and we have half of our staff reduced to part-time," she said.
Lodenius feels that NGOs are not valued in the same way as previously and there is not enough general discussion about peace.
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