2024 overview by the Secretary General
Work on the National Cancer Strategy began in 2024 when Parliament granted the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (MSAH) € 80,000 to initiate the planning process for the strategy. The MSAH commissioned the Finnish Cancer Center (FICAN), and the CSF were actively involved in the preparatory work.
Experts from our organisation were appointed to the project secretariat and working groups. The Secretary General of the CSF and the Director of the Finnish Cancer Registry are members of the National Cancer Strategy steering group.
The second operational year of the wellbeing services counties highlighted their financial and resource problems. There were shortages of healthcare personnel in many places, particularly in primary healthcare. Using reports from our member associations, we monitored how cancer treatment and our own activities continued in the new circumstances.
STEA funding in Finland will be reduced by €80 million from 2025 onwards. This will have a broad impact on third sector activities, and competition between organisations for fundraising will increase going forward.
In the spring, we moved to our new office, located in the Lääkäritalo building on Mäkelänkatu. The new premises were well-received and found to be functional.
The traditional Cancer Society Days were held in 2024 in Lappeenranta. The Council, boards and committees mainly met in hybrid meetings. Other meetings convened remotely.
In 2024, the Chair of the CSF Board was Hospital Counsellor Rauno Ihalainen, PhD, who was elected for a new two-year term at the union meeting in December. Academician, Professor Sirpa Jalkanen continued as Chair of the Board of Cancer Foundation Finland.
The CSF is funded by government grants (STEA and THL), membership fees (member associations), EU projects, and its own fundraising. Our own professional fundraising enables us to achieve a stable funding base.
Cancer Foundation Finland’s role as a funder of the CSF and its member associations is more important than ever. The Foundation’s brand and reputation are assets that we will both protect and strengthen over the long term. Cancer Foundation Finland’s fundraising is based on three pillars: the Pink Ribbon Collection, regular donations, and bequests.
In 2024, the Pink Ribbon Collection raised a record €5.4 million.
The Munien puolesta (‘For the balls’) campaign on prostate and testicular cancer was organised for the first time in collaboration with MTV3 and Liiga, the Finnish ice hockey league. The goal was to raise funds for research into men’s cancer. Bequest income was excellent. Confidence in the work of Cancer Foundation Finland remains stable.
Cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of those affected require effective research in order to advance. Cancer Foundation Finland is the most important private funder of cancer research in Finland. In 2024, the foundation disbursed more than €7.8 million in research and travel grants.
Individual CSF members belong to regional cancer associations and national patient organisations. Fundraising for member organisations is developed with the support of the central organisation, and membership recruitment is carried out with common goals and activities.
The costs of cancer treatment are monitored annually, and according to the latest data, €1.4 billion is spent annually on cancer treatment in Finland. The statistics published by the Finnish Cancer Registry provide up-to-date information on the prevalence of cancer from all over Finland.
The CSF works with people and for people. This provides a strong foundation for the efforts of our volunteers, elected officials, employees and donors.