Oulu Culture Foundation

About the Foundation

“The Capital of Culture is a great development opportunity for the city, its residents and operators in different sectors. It gives the opportunity to do big things and gives permission to do things differently – it also takes courage”

– Risto Ruohonen, Chairman of the Board

The Oulu Culture Foundation is responsible for the Oulu2026 activities. The Foundation promotes its purpose by providing grants and aid, organising events and carrying out information, publication, research and project activities.

The Foundation is a subsidiary of the City of Oulu, making it close to city organisations. The Foundation was founded in 2021 and its CEO is Piia Rantala-Korhonen.

Administration and finance

The Board leads the Foundation’s operations and supports operative management in achieving the Foundation’s objectives. The Oulu2026 delegation  acts as the Board’s advisory body and its members consist of representatives of the City of Oulu, 39 municipalities and key stakeholders. Risto Ruohonen is the Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

The City of Oulu and the Foundation’s management hold annual ownership steering discussions on the implementation of the strategic goals set by the City of Oulu.

The total budget of the project is EUR 50 million, of which EUR 20 million comes from the City of Oulu, EUR 20 million from the Ministry of Education and Culture (Government Decision of 27 February 2022) and EUR 10 million from the Foundation itself, for example, through corporate cooperation and projects.

The Foundation’s internal financing is based on funding from the City of Oulu and the state, but 20% of the revenue from operations consists of the partner municipalities’ own financial contributions to the programme implemented in their area, project funding and funding received from private foundations and through corporate cooperation.

Environmental commitment

The Oulu Cultural Foundation promotes sustainable development in the cultural sector as the organisation responsible for the European Capital of Culture Oulu2026 programme, in line with the guidelines and recommendations of the City of Oulu. We lead by example, demonstrating how cultural organisations can integrate environmental responsibility into all aspects of their work, and we share good practices both locally and internationally.

We select programme partners who commit to following our sustainability-related guidelines and recommendations. In our own productions, we organise logistics and mobility in the lowest-emission way possible, while aiming to develop practical solutions that can also be used by others. In our procurement, we prioritise responsibly produced and carbon-neutral products.

Our northern environment is reflected in the content of the cultural programme, and we highlight it from a sustainable development perspective. We deliver events in a material-efficient way, reduce waste, and ensure recycling at all stages, and we share information about these practices with our partners.

We communicate openly about our environmental responsibility and encourage audiences and partners to act in a sustainable and responsible manner. We regularly monitor and assess our activities and continuously develop our environmental responsibility. We produce reports on the sustainability and responsibility impacts of our own productions and also collect corresponding information from our programme partners.