The Finnish Federation of Settlements is an umbrella organization of the Finnish network of settlements, which extends from Helsinki to Lapland. There are over 30 local settlements in Finland and approximately the same number of associated youth organizations comprising the Finnish Federation of Settlement Youth Associations.

In Finland the Settlement movement started in 1918, soon after Finland had gained independence. At the beginning clergy, among them Sigfrid Sirenius, a minister and the founder of the Finnish Settlement movement, played a prominent role. One of the main objectives of the Settlement movement was to promote the values of the Lutheran Church to those living in urban industrial districts as well as in the countryside. The goal of Settlement work was to bring together people from different social backgrounds, promoting the ideal of the spiritually, socially and physically whole person. The first activities included child and youth work, education and provision for those most in need.

Today the Finnish settlements offer a full array of services and activities that include work with preschool children and young people through day care centres, music, art, afternoon activities, clubs, camps and youth projects. The settlements operate 19 Adult Education Centres and three Folk High Schools. They also provide services for people with substance abuser issues, operate 33 homes and centres for elderly and disabled individuals, and have created over 60 projects that focus on the prevention of social exclusion.