Helsinki’s New Architecture and Design Museum has received a donation of 20 million Euros, making it the largest private donation ever given to Finland’s cultural sector.
The private donation of 20 million Euros came from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation. In addition to that, at least two million Euros will be given as part of individual contributions from the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Swedish Cultural Foundation, making an additional four million in total.
A foundation is set to be established by the City of Helsinki and the Finnish government later in 2021, with the aim of raising at least 150 million Euros in capital. The City of Helsinki and the Finnish government are set to contribute 60 million each, with the remaining 30 million Euros raised by private sources.
The project will be led by the Executive Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, Kaarina Gould, with the preparation phase expected to last until the end of 2023. Then, final decisions for the implementation of the project will be carried out.