---
title: Sitra
type: foundation
status: active
country: FI
website: https://www.sitra.fi/en/
logo: /assets/org-logos/sitra.svg
contact:
  checked: 2026-08-09
  email: sitra@sitra.fi
  phone: +358 294 618 991
  source: https://www.sitra.fi/en/
summary: The Finnish Innovation Fund — a public foundation under parliamentary supervision
  with a dedicated Democracy work track that renews democracy and strengthens citizen
  engagement through democratic innovations and technologies.
concepts:
- deliberative-democracy
- democracy-tools
- e-government
location:
  latitude: 60.1699
  longitude: 24.9384
  name: Helsinki, Finland
  precision: city
events:
- date: '1967-01-01'
  title: Established by the Finnish Parliament as the Finnish Innovation Fund, under
    parliamentary supervision
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SITRA
  quote: Sitra was founded in 1967 as a part of the Bank of Finland
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-08-09
    date: 2026-08-09
    note: Site live and actively publishing as of August 2026
last_checked: '2026-08-09'
---

Sitra (the Finnish Innovation Fund) is an unusual institution: a public foundation operating under parliamentary supervision, with an independent mandate to invest in and build Finland's future. Among its workstreams — circular economy (including the World Circular Economy Forum), health data (TEHDAS2), data and AI — is a dedicated Democracy programme that develops and advocates for democratic innovations.

The Democracy track has issued formal statements on EU-level initiatives (the European Democracy Shield), researched the impact of social media algorithms on democratic discourse, and runs foresight work on the future of participation. Sitra's institutional position gives it a long time horizon and political independence that most democracy organisations lack — it answers to parliament, not to a government department or funding cycle, and can fund multi-year infrastructure projects in democratic innovation that project-based funding models cannot sustain.

## Links

- Website: [sitra.fi](https://www.sitra.fi/en/)
- Wikipedia: [Sitra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitra)

## See also

- [Deliberative Democracy](../concepts/deliberative-democracy.md)
- [Democracy Tools](../concepts/democracy-tools.md)
- [E-Government](../concepts/e-government.md)