Sosiaali-​ ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus

What Sosiaali-​ ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus does

Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus (STEA) is a Finnish government agency operating under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM). Established in 2020 to succeed RAY's grant administration function, STEA administers and distributes state grants to social and health sector organizations in Finland. Its mandate covers the centralized evaluation, award, monitoring, and reporting of grants from the state budget, replacing the earlier model in which funding flowed from earmarked Veikkaus gambling proceeds.

The agency's core product is the asiointi.stea.fi online portal, which processes applications and reporting across four grant categories: general operating grants (yleisavustus), targeted operating grants (kohdennettu toiminta-avustus), project grants (projektiavustus), and investment grants (investointiavustus). The portal supports the full grant lifecycle from application through results reporting, and STEA maintains an association register of nearly 9,000 social and health organizations, of which 724 received grants in 2025. STEA also administers specific programs including the Paikka auki employment scheme (concluded in 2025) and coordinates with Finland's 21 welfare areas on social and health service funding.

STEA's business model is entirely non-commercial. The agency does not generate revenue; it allocates state appropriations to recipient NGOs, foundations, and municipalities. Effective 1 January 2024, grant funding flows from the general state budget rather than from earmarked gambling revenues, following Finnish government reform. STEA is led by Director Hanna Heinonen and is headquartered at Meritullinkatu 8, Helsinki. Preparations are underway to integrate STEA into the STM organization during the current government term, accompanied by personnel reductions and budget cuts including a €50 million kehysriihi (frame budget) reduction announced for April 2026, against a backdrop of total grants projected to fall from €373.6 million (2023) to approximately €240 million (2027).

Name

Sosiaali-​ ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus

Legal name

Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus

Website

https://stea.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STEA is a Finnish government agency that administers and distributes state budget grants to social and health sector NGOs through its asiointi.stea.fi online portal, serving roughly 724 recipient organizations nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Grant Administration

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Financing, Budgeting & Grants Management (HLAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Government grant administration
• Social welfare funding
• Nonprofit grants
• Public health financing
• Welfare organization funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Budget Funding: STEA is a government agency that does not generate revenue. It distributes state budget funds (formerly Veikkaus lottery proceeds, now general budget funds) to social and health organizations. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) decides on grant allocations within state budget appropriations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

STEA is a Finnish government agency under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health that administers and distributes state budget grants to social and health sector NGOs. It manages general grants (Ay-avustus), targeted operating grants (Ak-avustus), project grants, and investment grants through an online portal, with approximately 724 recipient organisations receiving €240-373 million annually. The agency runs specific programmes such as the Paikka auki -avustusohjelma and the Näkymättömät-avustusohjelma, and provides an online reporting and application portal for the grantee network.

Product overview

STEA (Sosiaali- ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus) is a Finnish government agency that administers grants for social and health sector organizations. Its primary 'products' consist of grant programs and online services: the STEA-verkkoasiointi portal for grant applications and management, various grant types (general grants, targeted operating grants, project grants, and investment grants), specialized programs like Paikka auki (ended 2025) and Näkymättömät, performance reporting tools, and the Avustusopas guide. The agency also provides EU co-financing for project grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STEA-avustukset (STEA Grants) STEA's flagship grant programme, comprising four grant types for Finnish social and health NGOs: general grants (Ay-avustus), targeted operating grants (Ak-avustus), project grants (hankeavustus), and investment grants (investointiavustus). The agency distributes €240-373 million annually to approximately 724 recipient organisations through regulated application cycles.
• STEA-verkkoasiointi (Online Service Portal) The STEA online service portal (asiointi.stea.fi) is the digital platform through which social and health NGOs apply for grants, receive decisions, submit reports, and manage their grants throughout the lifecycle. It serves as the single point of digital interaction between STEA and its approximately 724 recipient organisations.
• Paikka auki -avustusohjelma A distinct STEA-funded grant programme that supported employment of long-term unemployed people in social and health NGOs. The programme was administered in 2021 and ended in 2025.
• Näkymättömät-avustusohjelma A targeted STEA grant programme for social and health NGOs operating in difficult-to-reach or socially excluded population groups. The programme funds activities addressing hidden or underserved communities in Finland.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36.2 million encounters/participations in funded activities (2020-2022)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEA operates under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, which makes final decisions on grant allocations. STM sets the overall framework and budget for STEA's grant activities.
• Avustusasioiden neuvottelukunta (Grant Affairs Advisory Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn advisory council consisting of organization representatives that provides statements on grant policy guidelines and strategic directions. Meets approximately 6 times per year. Council term 6/2025-6/2029.
• Arviointi- ja avustusjaosto (Evaluation and Grant Section)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubordinate body of the advisory council that evaluates STEA's grant proposals and provides opinions before decisions go to the Ministry.
• Hyvinvointialueet (Welfare Areas)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 21 welfare areas in Finland are key partners for social and health NGOs. New cooperation structures with welfare areas were being formed in 2023 as they began operations.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The National Lottery Community Fund: UK government-distributor of lottery-derived funds to community and health causes; structurally the closest international analogue to STEA, using a centralized grantmaking mandate to fund civil society.
• Kone Foundation: Large Finnish private foundation funding research, arts, and social initiatives through annual grant rounds; comparable to STEA in its application portal workflow and target applicant base of Finnish NGOs.
• Suomen Kulttuurirahasto (Finnish Cultural Foundation): Major Finnish grantmaking foundation operating in the same national ecosystem as STEA, distributing operating, project, and investment grants to organizations — directly comparable distribution model.
• Healthway: Western Australian health promotion agency that funds prevention, research, and community health projects via a state-mandated grantmaking model — directly comparable to STEA's health-targeted grant programs.

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: One of the world's largest charitable foundations, with a significant portion of grantmaking directed at health research and population health — comparable in health-focused grantmaking scale and discipline, though privately endowed.
• Veikkaus Oy: Finnish state-owned gambling operator whose proceeds historically funded STEA grants until 2024; directly relevant as the former upstream funding source and current budget-contributor through general tax revenues.
• Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö (Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, STM): STEA's parent ministry and the entity into which STEA's functions are planned to be merged; directly comparable as the broader public-health policy and funding administrator that already makes the final grant-allocation decisions.

Regional players

• GambleAware: UK charity originally funded by gambling industry levies to deliver prevention and treatment grants — comparable to the historical Veikkaus-funded model that STEA operated under until the 2024 reform.

Others

• Big Society Capital: UK government-backed social investment institution that channels capital into social-purpose organizations; comparable as a state-anchored intermediary distributing funds to the civil society sector, though via investment rather than grants.
• RAY (Raha-automaattiyhdistys): Predecessor organization whose grant administration functions were transferred to STEA upon its 2020 establishment; relevant historical peer illustrating the institutional lineage of Finnish gambling-funded social/health grantmaking.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/STEA_fi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCff6NXQf1QTWD2gzntLBhVQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/STEAtekoja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sosiaali-​ ja terveysjärjestöjen avustuskeskus