History
Four decades of growth
Since its founding in 1972, the Swedish Council of America has experienced nearly four decades of growth. From its beginnings as the offspring of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, the American Swedish Historical Society (at the time the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society), and the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia—and very soon after its birth also the Detroit Swedish Foundation (at the time the Detroit Swedish Council) —the Swedish Council of America now embraces nearly 300 Swedish-American organizations in North America.
Diverse interests are united under SCA's umbrella
SCA's umbrella covers interests ranging from Swedish immigration history and preservation to Swedish life, from folk dancing to current affairs; we count among our affiliates Swedish-American colleges, fraternal lodges, chambers of commerce, historical societies, women’s groups, choral societies, museums, and many other kinds of organizations concerned with Swedish and Scandinavian heritage in North America and with relations between North America and Sweden.
The mission of the Council, is “to support and to foster cooperative relationships between all groups and individuals whose purpose is to promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the Swedish heritage in American life, and to strengthen contemporary cultural and aducational ties between North America and Sweden.” The Council focuses on such key activities as communications, awards & recognition, financial support, and education.
Early leadership provided by Drs. Nils William Olsson and Nils Y. Wessell
While the Council as an organization goes back thirty years, the idea behind the Council goes back to the late 1940s. It was in connection with the Pioneer Centennial of 1948 that the chairman of the Chicago chapter of that celebration, Vilas Johnson, put forth—and vigorously promoted—a vision that Nils William Olsson described as “a national vision,” the creation of “a large national organization.” In the historical overview he wrote on the occasion of the Council’s twentieth anniversary, Nils William Olsson credited the vision and energy of Vilas Johnson, and the strong encouragement of Ambassador Gunnar Jarring and his associates at the time, Press Counselor Kjell Oberg and Cultural Counselor Gunnar Lonaeus, with keeping the idea alive.
 |
The idea finally found expression in the formation of Swedish Council of America, with the strong support of Ambassador Hubert de Besche. As in 1948, when the centennial of the Swedish immigration to North America was commemorated, the organizational implementation fell to Nils William Olsson. He in turn enlisted the then-president of the Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., Foundation, Nils Wessell, to assume the chairmanship of the board of the Swedish Council of America.
|
 |
Nils William Olsson must be given much credit for the success of the Council. As its first executive director, he provided an understanding of both the cause to be pursued and the means needed to pursue that cause. His unflagging enthusiasm and his seemingly unlimited energy would brook no obstacles. As we look back at the history of the Swedish Council of America, it is only appropriate that we once more take the opportunity to salute and thank Nils William Olsson for his fine leadership.
|
SCA's contributions to Swedish American life
|
 
The Council provides a number of specific programs and publications in the service of its affiliated organizations and their members and also provides a means for Swedish Americans and Swedes to collaborate at the national and international level. The Council’s participation in the year-long “New Sweden ‘88” celebration and in the “Swedish Immigration Jubilee” in 1996 are examples of productive collaboration where the Council played an important role.
|
Conferences of Swedish America
Among the programs the Council organizes are the Conferences of Swedish America that regularly bring together representatives from Swedish-American organizations to share information and ideas, and to form new relationships and friendships.
Through its newsletter, and increasingly through its web site, the Council serves as a clearinghouse for cultural resources and events for its affiliated organizations, and provides general information about Swedish America and Sweden for a widening circle of Americans and Swedes.
|
Awards recognize achievement on several levels
The Council’s awards programs provide opportunities to recognize different kinds of contributions made by Swedish Americans and Swedes. The recipients of the Council’s Great Swedish Heritage Award and America’s Swede of the Year Award present a most impressive record of achievement in business, in the academic world, in the arts, and in civic and cultural affairs.
The recipients of the Council’s Award of Merit, given to those who have devoted their time and talent to the “grass-roots” work of Swedish-American organizations, similarly present a remarkable record of enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work in the service of the Swedish-American cause.
The Glenn T. Seaborg Science Award, given each year by the Swedish Council of America to a truly promising young science student at one of the Swedish-American colleges, demonstrates that the Council also looks forward to future achievement.
|
Grants program supports Swedish American organizations
The Council’s grants program provides support to scores of programs and projects, mostly sponsored by affiliated organizations or their members. Among them are research projects, theatrical and musical performances, exhibits, language programs, publications, translation of important works, library acquisitions, and student exchanges. Over the past thirty years, well over a hundred projects have been funded, totaling half a million dollars.
|
Publications educate and inform
  The Council’s own publications reach wide audiences. The Council’s first book-length publication was Allan Kastrup’s The Swedish Heritage in America, an encyclopedic work that has appeared in two printings.
Allan Winquist’s Swedish-American Landmarks records a wide variety of sites that bear testimony to the presence and efforts of Swedes in America. This publication was reprinted in an updated version published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press under the name Touring Swedish America in 2006.
The American Swedish Handbook, now available in its 13th edition, provides an inventory of a rich array of Swedish and Swedish-American organizations and agencies.
|
Vision for the future
The Swedish Council of America has recently undertaken a comprehensive review of its role and activities, and has adopted a strategic plan for the future. The Council’s board of directors has determined that the goals stated when the Council was founded are entirely appropriate for today—and tomorrow. The vision of the Council is to be the leading organization in America in providing assistance to affiliated organizations in their efforts to reach these goals.
The Council has adopted ambitious action plans for a set of priorities focusing on communication with its affiliates, education concerning the Swedish heritage in America and Sweden, financial support for programs and projects undertaken by affiliates, and recognition of cultural, professional, and civic achievements by Swedish Americans and Swedes.
|
Supporting the work of the Council
The wide-ranging activities that the Swedish Council of America carries out of course require money, and preparing a development/fundraising plan for the work of the Council and its affiliates has also been a major part of the planning effort, including deferred gifts.
The Council has been able to build an endowment fund of about one million dollars over the past few years; the yield from this endowment is used to support the Grants program.
In addition to the memberships paid by Affiliates, the Council’s operating budget is currently supported primarily from two sources. One is the Royal Round Table, whose main purpose is the financial support of the Council’s work; the other is the Viking Circle Annual Fund Program, which offers ranks depending on size of contribution ranging from “Young Viking” to “Royal Viking”! Both programs are, by the way, open to new members!
|
|
As Swedish Americans and Swedes in new generations continue—as we hope—to study and celebrate the Swedish immigration to, and settlement in, North America, and as they continue to work for close relations between North America and Sweden, the hope for the next thirty years—and beyond—must be that the Council can continue to provide a foundation and a framework for collaborative efforts such as the ones described in this brief overview. The idea Vilas Johnson planted has taken root. It is our task to make sure that the plant continues to grow!
— Nils Hasselmo
Swedish Council of America
2005
|
|
