The Nordic Summer University operations and activities are mainly financed by the people of the Nordic and Baltic States, through in-kind contributions of their voluntary time, and by participation fees. Up until 2020, part of the activities were funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers. After 2020, the activites were funded by Nordplus Horizontal, Svenska Akademien, Kungl Vitterhetsakademien. Thematic funding of separate circles includes Polin Institute, Experimental Humanities Collaborative Network, OSUN Science Shop at European Humanities University.
Each circle organises a winter symposium with a local partner, such as a university, a research institute or another independent organisation. These are documented in the annual reports. Among collaborating partners are University of Latvia, European Humanities University, University of Akureyri, Islandic Academy of the Arts, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, University of Iceland, University of Gothenburg, Tampere University, University of Oslo, Roskilde University, Vilnius University.
In 2024 with support of the General Assembly in Denmark, the Nordic Summer University established an economic fundraising foundation. Read the text of the public declaration of the foundation.