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TAMMIKUU / JANUARY 2026
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Dear Friends,
The new year at FFN has started with the same excitement and gratitude with which we ended 2025. After a peaceful and reflective holiday break, we hit the ground running—eager to tackle new challenges, celebrate wins, and promote Finns, Finnish-Americans, and Friends of Finland across the United States.
The FFN Board will meet at the end of the month online to approve the 2026 budget and set targets and objectives. Before we know it, our 2026 Lecturer and Performer of the Year will be on the road touring our national network of chapters. In the coming months, we will review scholarship and grant applications to support community members carrying out meaningful projects across the country. Our fifth annual National Sauna Week, celebrating Diversity in Sauna, is sure to be the biggest one yet. We also recently celebrated Heikinpäivä at our home in Hancock, Michigan, kicking off the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture year with our partners at the City of Hancock, Visit Keweenaw, and our Copper Country Finns and Friends chapter. See some pictures below.
As you can see, we have not skipped a beat.
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More than anything, however, we are deeply thankful for every person who donated to FFN last year. Your contributions led to another monumental year of support. For over seventy years, FFN has relied on the generosity of donors to pursue our mission—a mission created by and for the Finnish-American community. That same generosity, present since our founding, lives on in each of our donors today.
In 2025, no one exemplified this spirit more than our anonymous donor who called us to action through the Making History Campaign. This donor offered a $100,000 matching contribution to funds raised for the Finnish American Heritage Center.
Launched in mid-November, you responded to the call. As of mid-January, we have raised $73,674.18 toward that match—doubled for a total of $147,248.36. Kiitos—it’s a success you created.
The good news is that this generosity continues. Motivated by this progress, the remaining amount will still be matched. That means the next $26,325.82 raised will be doubled by the passion of this dedicated member of our community.
It is this enduring generosity and belief in our mission that has carried us forward—and will continue to do so for generations to come. We remain grateful for our community and for the opportunity to do this work together.
Kiitos paljon. We have a lot to do—and how fortunate we are to be able to do it.
Ysävällisin terveisin // Med vänliga hälsnignar
Tommy Flanagan
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JOB OPENING:
Development Director
FFN is seeking an experienced Development Director to lead and expand our philanthropic initiatives. Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this role is instrumental in leading a comprehensive fundraising strategy to support the FFN’s mission and expand our impact.
The Development Director will be a frontline position. The ideal candidate will bring expertise in major gift fundraising, moves management, event planning, planned giving, Board and volunteer management, and annual giving. Additionally, the Development Director will have experience crafting compelling donor communications and marketing materials.
Learn more or apply here.
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The "Tsirk" bird is passed to Hancock, 2026 Capital of Culture year begins!
The weekend of January 24, during the traditional Heikinpäivä celebrations, marked an important cultural milestone for Hancock, Michigan. The ceremonial passing of the symbolic bird formally designated Hancock as the Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture 2026, with the Finnish American Heritage Center serving as the home and cultural anchor of this designation. Honorary Consul Jim Kurtti, City of Hancock, Visit Keweenaw, and the Copper Country Finns and Friends chapter are to thank for making this an exciting year possible!
This moment represents the official launch of a year-long international cultural focus, elevating Hancock’s role within the global Finno-Ugric community worldwide. For FFN, hosting many of these events and programs throughout 2026 reinforces our leadership in preserving and advancing Finnish culture in the United States, which is inextricably tied to the larger Finno-Ugric heritage and history.
Looking ahead, we invite you to join us for Juhannus in Hancock, Michigan for the keystone events and festivities. June 18-21 will be a weekend to remember, with a visit from Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, sauna, dancing, presentations, music, bonfire (kokko), and all your favorite Finnish characters. We hope you can join us!
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To deepen understanding of this designation, and to learn what it means to be Finno-Ugric, we invite readers to explore our latest blog article by Young Leaders Board member Gage "Touko" Keränen reflecting on what it means to be Finno-Ugric.
Read more about "What is Finno-Ugric?" here.
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5th Annual National Sauna Week Giveaway Announcement:
We're sending one lucky winner to Finland
to attend the World Sauna Forum!
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We are proud to announce that Finnair has joined us as a supporting partner, offering a free round-trip ticket as part of our giveaway launching February 8, alongside a complimentary ticket to the World Sauna Forum, generously provided by Sauna from Finland.
National Sauna Week is coming soon! Join us February 15–21, 2026 to celebrate the 5th anniversary and our most ambitious programming yet! The week will feature 15 free, public online sessions with leading voices in global sauna culture—builders, authors, scientists, folklorists, designers, and cultural stewards—including Bill Gifford, Lassi Liikkanen, Eero Kilpi, Justin Juntunen, Dalva Lamminmäki, Dr. Kaarina Kailo, and many more.
This year’s official theme, Diversity in Sauna, explores sauna culture around the world—from Aufguss in Germany and floating saunas in Oslo to mobile, public, and community saunas across North America—while remaining grounded in authentic Finnish tradition.
Beyond webinars, National Sauna Week includes a nationwide Sauna Partners Network, with over 30 participating saunas across North America offering special deals and discounts so we can get people into the sauna!
Chapters take note: the Chapter Mini-Grant deadline is January 30, and your chapter can receive up to $500 toward a local sauna event. Apply here.
Registration, full schedule, and participation details are available now at nationalsaunaweek.com.
| Find sauna discounts and deals near you through our sauna partners network! | | |
FEB. 4 FINNPOSIUM:
Making Art History: Helene Schjerfbeck and the Rise of Finnish Women Artists
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This special Finnposium features Anu Utriainen, Chief Curator of the Ateneum Art Museum / Finnish National Gallery in Helsinki. Drawing from her deep expertise, Utriainen will explore the broader history and impact of Finnish women artists, situating Helene Schjerfbeck within a rich lineage of creative voices that deserve global recognition.
From the margins to the world stage, this talk illuminates how Finnish women artists—past and present—have shaped national identity, challenged artistic norms, and continue to influence international art discourse. Attendees will gain rare insight into Schjerfbeck’s enduring legacy and the wider cultural significance of Finland’s women artists at this historic moment.
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Honoring a Lifetime of Service:
Order of the Lion of Finland Recognitions
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We extend our warmest congratulations to our current and former Finlandia Foundation Board members Peter Makila, Tim Nurvala, and Anne-Mari Paster, who were recently honored with decorations of the Order of the Lion of Finland—often referred to as the White Rose—in recognition of their extraordinary, long-standing service to Finland and the Finnish community in North America.
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Dr. Mirva Johnson conducts an oral history interview. | | |
UPCOMING WEBINAR
For the Record: A how-to guide for conducting oral history interviews in Finnish America
This webinar will offer an overview of best practices for conducting oral history interviews and a how-to guide specific to preserving Finnish American stories. You will walk away with tips and an understanding of best practices for creating high quality documentation that can be preserved in the Finnish American Heritage Center archives. Following the presentation, there will be time for a Q+A and discussion where you will become acquainted with others across the country either interested or already engaged in doing this work.
Date: Wed., Feb. 25 at 11am PT / 2pm ET
Register here.
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More Than a Sign:
A Political Story Preserved in the Archive
Archives are rarely neat and linear—they’re webbed with lives, ideas, and quiet acts of devotion. One such thread leads to Armas Holmio, the first archivist of Suomi College, whose influence still echoes through the Finnish American Heritage Center Archive today. From photographs and oral histories to handwritten notes, lecture materials, and carefully labeled envelopes filled with names, places, and untold stories, Holmio’s meticulous work shaped how generations would come to understand Finnish America. Beyond his landmark book History of the Finns in Michigan, the real treasures lie in the materials he gathered that never made it to print—small details that can reconnect families to their past . . .
Read the full story on our blog to discover how one archivist’s dedication continues to illuminate Finnish-American history.
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Our 2026 Scholarships period is open, offering funding for students, artists, researchers, and cultural projects that carry forward the Finnish-American story.
🗓️ Scholarship Deadline: February 1, 2026
Learn more and prepare your application here 👉 finlandiafoundation.org/programs/
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Chicago Concert Highlight:
Lemminkäinen the Disruptor
Join us on Saturday, February 21 for a special post-concert presentation, Lemminkäinen the Disruptor, with Professor Thomas DuBois at Symphony Center in Chicago, Illinois. Following the performance, the presentation and audience Q&A will explore the story and artistic influence of the Finnish folk hero Lemminkäinen. The event takes place in Grainger Ballroom and is open to all ticket holders (limited seating).
The presentation coincides with Mäkelä Conducts Ein Heldenleben (February 19–21), featuring Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben and Jean Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen.
🎟️ Special Offer: Use code SIBELIUS30 to receive 30% off up to four tickets for any performance in the run.
Learn more or buy tickets here.
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