My dissertation examines how risk is understood, represented, and governed in Finland’s programme-based support for civil society organisations. It analyses how the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and funded organisations co-construct risk through policies, funding requirements, risk-management tools, documentation practices, and professional interaction. The study develops the concept of ontological compression to explain how complex and uncertain conditions are translated into bounded, institutionally authorised representations that can support decision-making and accountability. More broadly, the research contributes to debates on risk governance, development cooperation, institutional knowledge, and donor–civil society relations.