Swedish Finn Historical Society

Name

Swedish Finn Historical Society

Legal name

Swedish Finn Historical Society

Website

https://swedishfinnhistoricalsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Historical society
• Genealogical research
• Cultural heritage
• Immigrant archives
• Heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions providing access to digital archives, the DEE database, Kusiner publication, genealogy assistance, and library services. Three tiers: Individual ($55/year), Business ($250/year), Lifetime ($750).
2. Donations and Bequests: Tax-deductible donations from supporters. Accepts one-time, monthly, and annual gifts. Also accepts bequests through wills and living trusts, and Qualified Charitable Distributions from retirement accounts for donors 73+.
3. Hard Copy Publication: Members who prefer physical copies of Kusiner magazine can subscribe for $25 annually in addition to digital access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Swedish Finn Historical Society preserves and disseminates the history of Swedish-speaking Finns through a published quarterly journal, an online genealogical database, archival research services, and member events. Membership provides access to specialized resources for descendants, family historians, and academic researchers of Swedish-Finnish heritage in North America.

Product overview

The Swedish Finn Historical Society offers a membership-based platform centered on genealogical research, cultural preservation, and emigration history documentation for Swedish Finns. The core offerings include the DEE Database (Documenting Every Emigrant) with over 106,000 entries, the Kusiner triannual publication, and access to a specialized library and archive. Additional services include genealogy assistance, the Parish Primer project documenting Finnish parishes, and travel resources for heritage tourism. All services are accessible through membership tiers (individual, business, lifetime), with the member portal serving as the central hub for digital content access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DEE Database: Documenting Every Emigrant database - a comprehensive collection of Swedish-speaking emigrant records from Finland
• Kusiner
• Swede Finn Junction
• The Occasional Dispatch
• Leading Star
• Parish Primer

Products and services

• Annual Membership Annual membership tier providing individuals with access to the society's quarterly journal, online genealogical database, member directory, and participation in society events. Designed for Swedish-Finnish descendants and family historians who want ongoing access to specialized heritage resources.
• Quarterly Journal (Swedish Finn Historical Society Journal) A recurring periodical publication featuring historical articles, genealogical research, member-submitted family histories, and news of society activities related to Swedish-Finnish heritage in North America. Distributed to members and available to academic libraries and individual subscribers.
• Genealogical Research Database Searchable online database of Swedish-Finnish immigrant records, family lineage submissions, cemetery records, church records, and ship manifests curated by the society. Used by descendants and genealogists to trace Swedish-Finnish ancestry.
• Research Request Service Fee-based custom research service where society volunteers or staff conduct targeted genealogical or historical research on behalf of requesters who cannot perform the work themselves. Targeted at descendants and researchers who need expert assistance with Swedish-Finnish records.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 106,000 emigrant entries documented in DEE database
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Order of RunebergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFHS serves as the official repository for Order of Runeberg records. The Order was formed through mergers of Sick Benefit organizations and Temperance Lodges created by Swedish Finns in the late 1800s. SFHS maintains over 100 years of Leading Star newspaper archives and is currently indexing records for digitization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Swedish American Museum: Chicago-based museum and cultural center preserving Swedish-American heritage through exhibits, genealogy resources, and cultural events. Comparable mission and membership-driven operating model focused on Swedish diaspora heritage.
• Finnish American Heritage Center (Finlandia University): Heritage center that preserves Finnish-American history and identity, awarding the Amerikan Suometar Award of Excellence to SFHS. Direct peer in Finnish heritage preservation with archival and educational programming.
• Minnesota Historical Society: Statewide historical organization operating a library, archives, and genealogy research services. Directly comparable in combining genealogy research, archival collections, and membership-based access model—though at much larger scale.
• American Swedish Historical Museum: Museum in Philadelphia preserving Swedish heritage in America through exhibits, archives, and educational programming. Comparable heritage preservation mission to SFHS, though focused on broader Swedish-American identity rather than Swedish-Finnish subset.
• Finlandia Foundation National: Finnish-American heritage nonprofit that preserves and promotes Finnish culture in the United States. Directly comparable mission to SFHS with similar membership-based model and cultural preservation focus, but broader Finnish scope versus SFHS's Swedish-Finnish niche.

Broad incumbents

• FamilySearch: Free genealogy platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with global historical records and family tree tools. Competes for the same genealogical research use case with massive scale and digitization resources.
• Ancestry.com: Commercial genealogy platform with global record databases, DNA matching, and subscription-based access. Broad incumbent serving the same end-user need (genealogical research) but as a commercial product versus SFHS's nonprofit heritage focus.
• National Archives of Finland: Official Finnish government archive holding parish records and historical documents that SFHS researchers rely upon. Source institution rather than direct competitor, but increasingly digitizing records that reduce SFHS's translation and research value-add.
• MyHeritage: Commercial genealogy and DNA testing platform with strong presence in European markets including Finland and Sweden. Adjacent competitor offering digitized Nordic records that overlap with SFHS's research domain.

Regional players

• Genealogical Society of Finland (Suomen Sukututkimusseura): Finnish national genealogical society providing research services, databases, and publications for Finnish ancestry. Comparable organizational mission but based in Finland serving primarily Finnish-resident researchers, while SFHS serves the international diaspora.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sfhs.page
• Instagraminstagram.com/swedishfinnhistoricalsociety
• Xx.com/swedefinnwisdom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-swedish-finn-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Swedish Finn Historical Society