Year in Focus

1.10.2024-30.9.2025
Headshot of Nelson Totah
Nelson Totah
Chair of the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board of Directors

Letter from the Chair of the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board of Directors coming soon.

Highlights 

  • Over EUR 1,8 million awarded as grants, co-sponsored grants included. 
  • Total of 97 grantees (43 grantees to the U.S., 54 U.S. grantees to Finland). 
  • The Finnish American Society in Innovation, Science and Arts (FINISA) was launched at an event organized at the Embassy of Finland in Washington. The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a founding member of FINISA, together with the Embassy of Finland, the Finnish-American Research and Innovation Accelerator (FARIA), and the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA). A third of the participants of the launching event were grantees and alumni of the Foundation.

Grant Programs 

  • Altogether 21 grant programs to the U.S. for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, teachers, and other working professionals.  
  • Altogether 33 grant programs to Finland for graduate students, researchers and lecturers, teachers and other working professionals, specialists, as well as special grants for alumni of the Fulbright Finland Foundation programs.  
  • The first grants supported by the Ambassadors’ Circle Scholarship Fund were announced.
  • The partnership agreement with the University of Helsinki on the Fulbright Bicentennial Chair in North American Studies was renewed. 
  • Two Finnish undergraduate students were awarded the Nordic Youth Grant for the Arctic, which enabled them to attend the Arctic Encounter Symposium in 2025 in Alaska as part of a delegation of 12 representatives of Nordic youth. The travel grant program was part of the collaboration with the five Nordic Fulbright Commissions.
  • Beginning January 2025, there were significant disruptions in the global Fulbright Program due to major U.S. government policy changes that directly affected mobility and international exchanges with the United States. The Foundation quickly pivoted and worked closely together with both governments and all of its partners to tailor individual solutions for each grantee, including sponsoring affected grantees outside of the global Fulbright Program. These individual solutions enabled grantees to carry out their planned study and research visits in Finland and in the U.S.

Alumni 

  • In Finland, 995 alumni are on the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s Alumni Message list; total of 75 members engage in the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association; 36 alumni participate in the Fulbright Finland Outreach Ambassadors program; and 32 alumni in the Buddy Program serving as friends and mentors to U.S. grantees.
  • Hundreds of alumni on both sides of the Atlantic volunteered in diverse roles, serving as members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Senior Advisors, selection committee members, mentors for new grantees, donors, advocacy experts, and in many other critical roles.

Statistics 2025 

  • Over 4 200 client contacts in total, event participants included. Approximately 18% of all contacts, event participants included, were international educational professionals. 
  • Over 70 information sessions, seminars, conferences, and Fulbright Speaker Program sessions online and in-person around Finland and in the U.S.
  • Website: over 223 000 pageviews and over 123 000 website visitors. 
  • Social media followers by the end of the year: Facebook 4 293; Instagram 1 737; LinkedIn 2 397; YouTube 20 796 views. 

Core Funding (partnership awards not included)  

  • 78,6% from Finland (Trust Fund, Finnish government allocation, private foundations, Finnish universities, other)
  • 21,4% from the United States (17,8 % U.S. government allocation, 3,6 % other)

Impact Statements 

Supporting Fulbright Finland Foundation exchanges is essential because they create powerful opportunities for cross-cultural learning, innovative research, and real-world collaboration. These exchanges don't just benefit individuals—they spark ideas and relationships that ripple outward, impacting communities and future generations. - Amber Simpson, 2024-25 Fulbright Specialist

Supporting Fulbright Finland Foundation exchanges is essential as it fosters cultural understanding, academic growth, and meaningful community service. The investment of partners and sponsors directly nurtures future leaders committed to tackling global wicked problems. Through my Fulbright international exchange, I feel empowered not only as an academic scholar but as an active contributor to society; this alignment is truly fulfilling and invaluable. - Larry Abdullai, 2024-25 Fulbright-KAUTE Foundation Award

See previous years