in content lists or on the content page.Funding call: Citizens’ panels for better decision-making
Join us in establishing deliberative citizens’ panels in Finland. Sitra’s funding call for public administration actors will be open until 12 noon on 6 May 2025.
What is it about?
A strong and effective public administration supports societal stability and the predictability of decision-making. It also creates the conditions for economic growth. Citizens’ effective participation strengthens decision-making capacity, people’s confidence in their opportunities to make an impact and the resilience of democracy. Fact-based, legitimate decision-making is possible but requires the adoption and development of new participation methods.
Deliberative citizens’ panels can be used to assist decisions made in all administrative branches if the decisions involve matters such as questions on fairness, long-term impacts and strongly divisive issues. Deliberative democracy reinforces the shared knowledge base, brings the voice of different population groups into the discussion and builds a shared understanding through discussion.
In Finland, citizens’ panels have been experimented with nationally, in the wellbeing services counties and in municipalities. In projects co-funded by Sitra, citizens have influenced matters such as climate and energy policy, financial planning, mental health services for children and young people, and the development of digital services. The lessons learned from the experiments have been published as Sitra’s working papers.
Sitra is launching a funding call for projects planned by public administration actors, aimed at promoting citizens’ panels and establishing them in the participation and decision-making structures across different levels of administration. Instead of individual experiments, funding will be granted for establishing the use of citizens’ panels in the long term. The applicant’s previous experience in implementing deliberative citizens’ panels is considered a merit, but is not a prerequisite for receiving funding. The aim of the funding is to support the participants to establish a sustainable cost level for the implementation of citizens’ panels.
- Funding amounting to EUR 10,000–50,000 per application can be granted, depending on the objectives of the project and the project plan.
- A total of maximum of EUR 200,000 has been reserved for the funding call, which aims to find between 4 and 7 projects to be funded.
- Sitra’s share of the funding may be up to 50 per cent of the total costs of the project.
- The costs eligible as project expenses have been described in the terms and conditions of Sitra’s funding. For example, the salary and indirect employee costs resulting from the work input in the applicant’s project can be taken into account as project expenses.
- The project must end on 31 August 2026 at the latest.
Sitra will provide the projects with content-related support and regular coaching. Sitra’s role will be agreed upon in more detail in connection with the funding negotiations.
Read more and apply on the Finnish application site.
