Projects funded in the 1st round of Small funding – 2nd round open until 31 October

On the first round of the Small funding, the Nessling Foundation has decided to fund three projects with a total amount of €22,000. The second round is currently open, and the application period ends on 31 October. The Small funding supports civil society initiatives in the sustainability transformation, with a total of €50,000 available this year to fund 5–6 projects.

With Small funding, the Nessling Foundation supports the activities of civil society with the goal of accelerating the sustainability transformation. This year, a total of €50,000 will be allocated to fund 5–6 projects. In the first round of small funding, the Nessling Foundation has awarded grants to the following three projects:

Project 1: Forest Gallery Project

• Grantee: ArtAR Museum of Natural Art
• Project: Forest Gallery Project
• Granted amount: €10,000

The Forest Gallery Project is part of the larger ArtAR Museum of Naturarl Art’s Anni Rapinoja initiative, through which a museum will open in Hailuoto in 2026. The museum’s only walls will be the Bothnian Bay surrounding Hailuoto.

Funded by the Nessling Foundation, the Forest Gallery Project launches a forest conservation initiative in Hailuoto by mapping its last remaining natural forests. The project includes the interpretation of maps and aerial images related to forest use notifications, fieldwork, and inventories. The museum is envisioned as a developing and expanding process, year by year, blending into Hailuoto’s national landscape – situated in nature, on nature’s terms. In addition, the project will explore the possibility of acquiring the first forest plot in Hailuoto for conservation, to become part of the museum’s collections. The museum itself will open in Oulu’s year as European Capital of Culture in 2026 as part of its official program.

Project 2: Activating Nature Knowledge

• Grantee: Roihuvuori-Seura (Roihuvuori residents’ association)
• Project: Activating Nature Knowledge: An open citizen science model to strengthen biodiversity – a pilot from Roihuvuori for neighborhoods and communities worldwide
• Granted amount: €10,000

The aim of Roihuvuori-Seura’s project is to create a civil society–driven biodiversity program (LUMO) in the Roihuvuori district of Helsinki, which will also serve as a model for other neighborhoods, both nationally and internationally. At the heart of the program is citizen science, where residents take part in producing and utilizing knowledge about their local nature and environmental experiences. The activities aim to fill local gaps in ecological knowledge.

Participating in citizen science brings people into concrete interaction with nature, strengthening ecological understanding, responsibility, and environmentally positive values, attitudes, and actions.

Project 3: Not just for humans

• Grantee: Karhea Oy
• Project: Not just for humans
• Granted amount: €2,000

In Karhea Oy’s “Not just for humans” project, a creative and activity-based group will be established for mental health rehabilitants in cooperation with Lapinlahden Lähde, exploring interspecies solidarity.

The project is a social well-being initiative that develops new experiential methods to highlight the connection between environmental and human well-being. It seeks to challenge anthropocentric thinking and strengthen solidarity between species. The aim is to increase appreciation for biodiversity by approaching it through art and creativity.

The project will develop and pilot a six-session group activity model that uses various forms of art therapy to support mental health rehabilitants’ ability to see nature as a resource and source of strength – caring for nature means caring for oneself. An open art exhibition at Lapinlahden Lähde will present the works created during the activities.