Hengitysliitto

What Hengitysliitto does

Hengitysliitto ry (Andningsförbundet rf) is a Finnish non-profit patient organization founded in 1941 and headquartered in Helsinki. It serves approximately 18,000 members through a nationwide network of 66 local respiratory associations, addressing asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, rare respiratory diseases, indoor air illness, and post-tuberculosis recovery. Primary delivery channels are three free advice phone lines (Stumppi smoking cessation, indoor air/repair advice, and social/health security counseling), in-person peer support and exercise groups organized at the local-association level, the Hengitys-lehti member magazine, the Yhdistysnetti digital association platform, and an online store for educational guides and publications. The organization also maintains multilingual web content (Finnish, English, Swedish) and conducts active media relations.

Hengitysliitto's revenue is diversified across five streams: STEA (Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus) grants as the primary public funder, individual membership fees of €20–25 per year collected through local associations, the annual Heli lottery (Heli-arpajaiset), product/guide sales through store.contio.fi, and donations and legacies. The organization also runs four wholly-owned subsidiaries: Ammattiopisto Luovi Oy (vocational special-needs education), Yrkesinstitutet Luovi, Sytyke (a work center), and TaitoReitti Oy (hotel/restaurant operations). Following a multi-year restructuring, the parent has divested non-core assets including Verve rehabilitation (2015), Anttolahovi properties (2017), Suomen Sisäilmakeskus Oy to Ramboll Finland (2017), and Kovak Oy/Lovak (2019).

Beyond direct services, Hengitysliitto exercises policy influence through partnerships with SOSTE (Finnish social/health NGO umbrella), the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA), Eurordis, the Nordic Heart and Lung Alliance, THL (coordinating a government indoor air research project 2020–2021), the Ministry of the Environment (Sunda lokaler 2028 initiative), Fimea (patient advisory board), and Duodecim (treatment-guideline collaboration). Co-stewardship with Filha ry of advocacy for a new national respiratory health programme signals intent to anchor Finnish lung-health policy. Underlying technology is conventional web/digital; no AI/ML capabilities are in evidence.

Name

Hengitysliitto

Legal name

Hengitysliitto ry

Website

https://hengitysliitto.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hengitysliitto is Finland's leading non-profit respiratory health organization, founded in 1941, serving ~18,000 members across 66 local associations. It provides peer support, advice phone services, educational materials, and policy advocacy for asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, and indoor air illness patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. STEA Grant Funding: Primary funding from STEA (Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus), Finland's funding body for social and health organizations. STEA grants finance the operation of the organization's advice phone services and broader organizational activities.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees collected through local respiratory associations. Member fees are 20–25 euros per year in most associations, with lower rates for children, youth, and family members.
3. Heli Lottery and Fundraising: Annual Heli lottery (Heli-arpajaiset) with police-issued permits. Proceeds support procurement of respiratory equipment (portable oxygen concentrators, nebulizers) and knowledge dissemination activities.
4. Product Sales: Sale of guides, publications, and materials through the Hengitysliitto online store (store.contio.fi). Members receive materials at preferential prices.
5. Donations and Legacies: Donations and testamentary gifts from private individuals. Funds used for respiratory equipment procurement and knowledge-sharing activities.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hengitysliitto is a Finnish non-profit patient organization that delivers free telephone counseling (smoking cessation, indoor air quality, social/health security), peer support, rehabilitation guidance, advocacy, and educational publications to people with respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, rare respiratory diseases, indoor air illness, and tuberculosis) and their families. Its services are distributed through 66 local respiratory associations, a central Helsinki office, advice phone lines, and an online store of respiratory health guides and materials.

Product overview

Hengitysliitto is a non-profit respiratory health organization offering a portfolio of services including telephone counseling (Stumppi smoking cessation support, home indoor air advice, and social/health security counseling), the Hengitys-lehti member magazine, local respiratory associations with peer support and exercise activities, the Yhdistysnetti digital platform for association governance, and educational materials. The organization focuses on advocacy, peer support, and health education rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• WellO2minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHengitysliitto publishes collaborative content about WellO2 breathing exercise devices on its website. The relationship involves co-authoring articles about respiratory muscle training research and asthma symptom relief. WellO2 is a Finnish innovation combining resistance training with warm steam for respiratory exercise.
• Ammattiopisto Luovi OycoreOthersA vocational institution wholly owned by Hengitysliitto ry. Provides vocational special needs education and training. Hengitysliitto and Luovi share a joint whistleblowing reporting channel.
• Österbottens välfärdsområdeminorOthersJointly with Jakobstadsnejdens andningsförening, Hengitysliitto donated eFlow rapid nebulizers and portable oxygen concentrators to the Ostrobothnia welfare area for respiratory patient treatment and rehabilitation.
• SOSTE rf (Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen yhteistyöyhdistys)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOSTE is the umbrella organization for Finnish social and health NGOs. Hengitysliitto participates in SOSTE networks to influence upcoming reforms, rehabilitation policy, and healthcare legislation on behalf of respiratory patients.
• EFA (European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean-level advocacy organization through which Hengitysliitto channels its voice on EU policy related to respiratory health, allergies, and patient rights.
• Eurodis (Rare Disease Europe Patient Organisation)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean rare disease patient organization through which Hengitysliitto advocates for people with rare respiratory diseases at EU level.
• Nordic Heart and Lung Alliance (NHl-nätverket)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular dialogue and collaboration with other Nordic respiratory and lung health organizations within the Nordic Heart and Lung Alliance network.
• Harvinaiset (Finnish Rare Disease Network)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational cooperation network for organizations working on rare diseases. Hengitysliitto participates to improve the position of people with rare respiratory diseases and their families in Finland.
• THL (Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos / Institutet för hälsa och välfärd)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerHengitysliitto coordinates (2020–2021) the government's research project 'Helping and supporting people with indoor air problems'. Co-steers the National Indoor Air and Health program on the steering group and secretariat.
• Miljöministeriet (Ministry of the Environment, Finland)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates in the 'Sunda lokaler 2028' (Healthy Premises 2028) project workshops. Joint effort to improve indoor air quality standards in Finnish buildings.
• Fimea (Finnish Medicines Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHengitysliitto participates in Fimea's patient advisory board, strengthening cooperation between Fimea and patient organizations on medicines and medical device products relevant to respiratory patients.
• DuodecimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Duodecim on a project that incorporates patient perspectives into treatment recommendations, with participation from patient organizations over a three-year period.
• Filha ry (Finnish Lung Health Association)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerTogether with Filha (expert organization on tuberculosis and lung diseases), Hengitysliitto advocates for a new national respiratory health program. Filha has developed national programs and trained healthcare staff; Hengitysliitto handles public communication.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EFA (European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations): EFA is Hengitysliitto's European-level partner federation for respiratory and allergy patient advocacy. Direct structural peer — membership-based pan-European patient NGO.
• Asthma + Lung UK: The UK respiratory patient charity (formerly British Lung Foundation) — directly comparable as a disease-specific patient advocacy and research NGO serving people with asthma, COPD, and other lung conditions.
• Filha ry (Finnish Lung Health Association): Filha ry is Finland's expert organization on tuberculosis and lung diseases; Hengitysliitto is even listed as a partner, and the two jointly advocate for a national respiratory program. Same country, same disease area — directly comparable.
• American Lung Association: The most established respiratory health NGO in the US, with a comparable mix of advocacy, research funding, patient support, and public education. Closest international structural analog to Hengitysliitto.
• Allergia-, Iho- ja Astmaliitto: Finnish Allergy, Skin and Asthma Federation — directly overlaps Hengitysliitto on asthma and respiratory allergies within Finland, with a similar member-association model and patient-education focus.

Regional players

• LHL (Landsforeningen for hjerte- og lungesyke, Norway): Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Association — Nordic peer organization with respiratory advocacy, peer support, and patient-education functions. Regional analog operating in a different market.
• Hjärt-Lungfonden (Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation): Swedish heart-and-lung foundation serving the Nordic neighbor market. Comparable mission and disease focus, but Sweden-based — does not directly compete with Hengitysliitto in Finland.

Broad incumbents

• Sydänliitto (Finnish Heart Association): Sydänliitto is the Finnish national chronic-disease patient organization model that Hengitysliitto mirrors (membership associations, journal, advice lines, government advocacy) — strong structural analog in cardiovascular rather than respiratory.
• Diabetesliitto (Finnish Diabetes Association): Another large Finnish chronic-disease patient association operating with the same member-association, magazine, and STEA-funded program structure — the canonical Finnish patient-NGO model Hengitysliitto follows.

Others

• Cancer Society of Finland: Another large Finnish national health NGO with the same member-association, magazine, and STEA-grant funding architecture. Weakly comparable as an organizational/governance model rather than disease-area peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hengitysliitto
• Xx.com/hengitysliitto

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hengitysliitto