The Year in Focus 2020

Piia Björn

Chair of the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board of Directors

Over EUR 1,6 million awarded as grants, co-sponsored grants included.
Total of 94 grantees (45 grantees to the U.S., 49 U.S. grantees to Finland).
New Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges Award for U.S. scholars and professionals.
Two new partnership awards: Fulbright-University of Jyväskylä Graduate Award for U.S. graduate students and Fulbright-KAUTE Foundation Award for Finnish scholars and professionals.
First Fulbright Finland Centennial Travel Grant in Architecture, Design and the Visual Arts grant awarded to Henrik Ilvesmäki.
Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools (FLGS) Program became bilateral as the first Finnish K-12 school leaders participated in transatlantic collaboration in the U.S. as FLGS Travel Grantees.
The Fulbright Finland Foundation moves to partner with the Academy of Finland.
The Fulbright Finland Foundation concluded its year-long 70th anniversary celebrations at a final event held at the University of Arkansas, where the Foundation's 70th anniversary art piece kuksa was presented to the university.

In spring 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation quickly pivoted its activities and programs to online platforms. The Foundation offered new types of events, such as Fulbright Teachers' Online Education Extravaganza and Virtual Talks by Fulbrighters series. In June, Fulbright Transatlantic Roundtable: Reimagining Strategy: While COVID-19 Reshapes Higher Education, How Should International Exchanges Navigate The New Normal? brought together expert panelists to discuss the effects of the pandemic on international exchanges.
The Foundation worked individually with all of its Finnish and U.S. grantees to help them navigate the situation in the best possible manner.

Altogether 25 grant programs to the U.S. for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, teachers, and other working professionals.
Altogether 26 grant programs to Finland for graduate students, researchers and lecturers, teachers and other working professionals, specialists, and alumni of the Fulbright Finland Foundation programs.

Hundreds of active alumni in Finland and the U.S. served as experts, academic reviewers, Board members, and in various other capacities related to the Fulbright Finland Foundation and its programs.
In the U.S., there were 738 Fulbright Finland U.S. alumni within the Friends of Fulbright Finland Network.
Total of 90 American alumni served in the Welcome Network in the U.S.
Total of 142 members in the ASLA-Fulbright Alumni Association in Finland.
50 Finnish alumni participated in the Buddy Program in Finland serving as friends and mentors for U.S. grantees.

Over 4 100 client contacts in total, event participants included, out of which over 1 200 Fulbright Speaker program participants. Approximately 30 % of all contacts, event participants included, were international educational professionals.
64 information sessions, seminars, conferences, and Fulbright Speaker Program sessions throughout Finland
Website: over 166 700 page views and 60 500 website visitors.
Fulbright Finland News magazines: printed circulation 700 and digital reach over 2 600.
Social media followers: Facebook 2 932; Twitter 1 485; Instagram 733; LinkedIn 476; YouTube 10 996 views.

61 % from Finland (Trust Fund, Finnish government allocation, private foundations, Finnish universities, other)
39 % from the United States (17 % U.S. government allocation, 22 % other)

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