John Nurminen Foundation receives £25,000 grant to expand Baltic Sea Day
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The John Nurminen Foundation has been awarded a £25,000 grant by the International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) to expand Baltic Sea Day engagement across the Baltic and Nordic countries.
The grant is part of the second phase of ICMM’s Global Maritime Histories Project, a six-year international initiative funded by a £1 million grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation. The programme supports maritime heritage projects that strengthen international networks, bring diverse voices and local perspectives into maritime history, promote ocean literacy and explore the connections between maritime heritage and environmental sustainability.
For the John Nurminen Foundation, the grant will support the internationalisation of Baltic Sea Day, an annual celebration of the Baltic Sea held every August. During 2027, the Baltic Sea Day website, balticseaday.com, will be translated into German, Polish, Danish, Latvian and Lithuanian. The project will also strengthen regional partnerships and encourage new museums, cultural organisations, cities and other actors to join the celebration in these countries.
From a shared celebration to a shared Baltic Sea movement
By making Baltic Sea Day more accessible in local languages and engaging new audiences, the project aims to create stronger connections between people and the Baltic Sea – through maritime and cultural heritage, local stories, events and shared experiences. In the longer term, the ambition is to build Baltic Sea Day into a truly shared regional celebration that inspires greater understanding of and care for our common sea.
“We are very grateful to ICMM and Lloyd’s Register Foundation for supporting this important next step. Baltic Sea Day has already brought together hundreds of organisations and communities in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. This grant gives us an excellent opportunity to open the initiative to new partners and audiences around the Baltic Sea,” says the Communications Director Elina Lehtinen from John Nurminen Foundation.
The six projects supported in the second phase of the Global Maritime Histories Project will be carried out between July 2026 and June 2028 across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Together, they demonstrate the important role of maritime museums and heritage organisations in strengthening communities, preserving cultural knowledge and promoting more sustainable relationships with the seas and oceans.
Case Studies for Change Grants are funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and managed by the International Congress of Maritime Museums.
