23/09/2026
Helsinki Pride Community has had the privilege of operating for 35 years, promoting LGBTQIA+ rights and community in the capital region. We have expanded our operations significantly in recent years. At the same time, our operating environment has undergone a fundamental and rapid shift: funding for Finnish social and healthcare NGOs is facing unprecedentedly harsh cuts, while public opposition to LGBTQIA+ rights and the anti-gender movement are rising across Europe. According to the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA), over 40 percent of European Pride organizations have lost financial support. In the past, our strength lay in a diverse funding base, but our financial situation has now become extremely precarious.
Our operations are currently facing exceptionally severe financial threats in both our internal fundraising and public funding:
Financial situation in 2026: In the current year, our corporate partnership sales fell short of the budgeted target by approximately EUR 350,000. Although we responded quickly by saving around EUR 88,000 on event expenses and cutting a further EUR 67,000 from personnel, administration, operational, and fundraising costs, the 2026 financial forecast remains approximately EUR 200,000 in deficit despite these significant savings.
Funding outlook for 2027: Revenue expectations from partnership sales must be realistically lowered by at least EUR 250,000. Furthermore, state STEA funding allocated to NGOs is facing severe cuts. Our current STEA grant of approximately EUR 210,000 is estimated to be reduced by 30% to 100%. Preliminary information indicates that funding will drop at least to the 2023 level (approx. EUR 155,000), but in the worst-case scenario, we may lose it entirely.
Board’s Proposal for Reorganizing Operations
It is clear that continuing operations at their current scale is no longer possible or sustainable. Running an operation that is under-resourced relative to the overwhelming demand is unsustainable for both our clients and our staff. To secure the future and operating conditions of the association, the Board invited employee representatives to change negotiations (muutosneuvottelut), which took place between September 8 and September 16, 2026.
Based on these change negotiations, the Board proposes to the extraordinary general meeting that our operations be reorganized and sharpened starting from the beginning of 2027. We will react to the financial constraints by focusing our resources on three main pillars:
- Year-round community activities
- Organizing the Helsinki Pride Event
- The separately funded ESR+ project (November 1, 2026 – November 30, 2028), which promotes the workability, functional capacity, inclusion, well-being, and employment of LGBTIQ+ people with refugee backgrounds.
With this focus, the Board proposes that social and youth work be discontinued as the association’s own operation. This has been the heaviest possible decision for the Board, as the impact of our social and youth work is irreplaceable. We hope that the society at large recognizes the importance of specialized LGBTQIA+ social and youth work and allocates stronger funding for it within the social work sector. There is an immense need for this work, but the existing resources are insufficient.
The preliminary discussion taking place on October 7 and the Board’s proposal will serve as the foundation for the association’s meeting. If the general meeting approves the Board’s proposal, it will guide the Board’s work during the remainder of 2026 (including decisions concerning personnel and the preparation of the 2027 action plan). The actual action plan and budget for 2027 will be officially approved in accordance with our rules at the annual autumn meeting in November.
We hope that the extraordinary general meeting will foster an open, respectful, and constructive dialogue on how we can secure the operational capabilities and impact of the Helsinki Pride Community sustainably for the decades to come.
On behalf of the Board of the Helsinki Pride Community,
Matti Numminen, Chairperson
