What Swiss Foundation does

SwissFoundations is the leading Swiss association of public-benefit grant-making foundations, founded in 2001 as a joint initiative of foundations and operating as an independent nonprofit Verband under Swiss law. The organization serves the Swiss foundation sector, which encompasses over 13,000 charitable foundations holding approximately CHF 100 billion in combined assets, by providing networking, advocacy, standards development, continuing education, and practical tools for foundation governance and operations. Its primary offerings include 11 member-only working groups and roundtables covering thematic areas such as Education, Corporate Foundations, Finance, Research, International Cooperation, Smaller Foundations, Arts & Culture, Social Issues, Digitalization, Environment & Sustainability, and Impact Orientation; an annual Swiss Stiftungssymposium (in its 25th edition); publications including the Swiss Foundation Code (a recognized self-regulation standard); benchmarking reports; legal counsel; and a member portal.

The organization is headquartered in Zürich (Kirchgasse 42, Haus der Stiftungen) with a second office in Geneva (Maison des Fondations) and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees). Its business model is membership-based: membership dues and event participation fees constitute the primary revenue streams, with specific pricing tiers not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively to member foundations and prospective members in Switzerland, supplemented by a public-facing foundation search tool for grant applicants. Strategic partnerships include CEPS (University of Basel) for research collaboration, DAFNE for European foundation association coordination, VLGST in Liechtenstein, and technology partners including StiftungSchweiz, Spheriq, Microsoft, and StiftungsratsMandat.com that provide member benefits.

Name

Swiss Foundation

Legal name

SwissFoundations

Website

https://swissfoundations.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SwissFoundations is the leading Swiss association of public-benefit grant-making foundations, founded in 2001. It serves over 13,000 Swiss charitable foundations through working groups, advocacy, the Swiss Foundation Code, events, benchmarking, and member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy Association Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Professional Organizations (81392), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Foundation association services
• Grant-making philanthropy
• Sector advocacy
• Membership networking
• Governance standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Genève

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SwissFoundations is a member-based association of public-benefit grant-making foundations in Switzerland, founded in 2001. It provides membership services including thematic working groups, an annual symposium, publications, advocacy, benchmarking, and a member portal to its foundation members. It also develops and maintains the Swiss Foundation Code, the principal self-regulation standard for Swiss grant-making foundations.

Product overview

SwissFoundations is an association of Swiss grant-making foundations, not a technology product company. The organization provides a platform of member services including working groups on thematic topics (Education, Research, Finance, Arts & Culture, Environment & Sustainability, Social Issues, International Cooperation, Digitalization, Corporate Foundations, Impact), annual events such as the Swiss Foundation Symposium, publications including the Swiss Foundation Code, benchmarking reports, and practical resources for foundation governance and operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SwissFoundations Association Membership Founding membership into the leading Swiss association of public-benefit grant-making foundations; provides access to thematic working groups, networking events, advocacy representation, member portal, and practical instruments for foundation governance. Targeted at Swiss charitable grant-making foundations and corporate foundations.
• Swiss Foundation Code (SFC) Swiss Foundation Code — the principal self-regulation standard for the Swiss foundation sector, providing governance and management principles for public-benefit grant-making foundations. Developed by SwissFoundations with its member foundations and made available via dedicated portal (sfc.swissfoundations.ch).
• Swiss Stiftungssymposium (Annual Foundation Symposium) Annual flagship symposium of SwissFoundations (the 25th edition is the current offering), serving as a primary sector-wide event for Swiss grant-making foundations with registration and program delivered through the member portal.
• SwissFoundations Benchmark Reports and Publications Recurring publications including Benchmark Reports on foundation investment performance, annual portraits, circulars, and research studies produced for member foundations.
• Senior Experts Beratungsnetzwerk Advisory network of senior foundation experts that SwissFoundations provides to member foundations to support foundation governance and operational matters.
• my.swissfoundations Member Portal Exclusive member portal (my.swissfoundations) providing members with access to tools, resources, event registration, and working group materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over CHF 258 million invested in 1,267 projects by Gebert Rüf Stiftung (member) with a leverage factor of 43 across completed projects
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CEPS (Center for Philanthropy Studies), University of BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPS is the Center for Philanthropy Studies at the University of Basel and serves as a key research and knowledge partner for SwissFoundations. It co-develops research publications (e.g., Working Paper on Impact Investing, Mapping the Landscape), supports the Basel Convention on Philanthropy (held for the 10th anniversary of CEPS), and provides academic rigor to the sector's knowledge base.
• DAFNE (Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwissFoundations participates in DAFNE alongside other European foundation associations. SwissFoundations and the German Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen exchange at management and board levels, organize mutual study visits, and both represent their countries on the DAFNE board.
• VLGST (Vereinigung liechtensteinischer gemeinnütziger Stiftungen und Trusts)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVLGST is the Liechtenstein sister organization of SwissFoundations. SwissFoundations congratulated VLGST on its 10th anniversary in 2021 and recommends VLGST's publications on philanthropy in Liechtenstein. The two organizations share expertise and best practices across borders.
• Rain StudiominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRain Studio was responsible for the design and programming of the SwissFoundations website. Roman Zimmermann, formerly of Rain Studio, is credited as the designer and programmer of the website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• StiftungSchweiz: Swiss foundation platform providing digital tools and a foundation finder for grantmakers and applicants. An existing SwissFoundations technology partner; partial overlap as a digital-native foundation services provider serving the same Swiss donor ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Council on Foundations: U.S. national membership association for grantmaking foundations, providing advocacy, research, and standards for U.S. community, corporate, and family foundations. Operates the same membership-based model for foundations in a different geography.
• VLGST (Vereinigung liechtensteinischer gemeinnütziger Stiftungen und Trusts): Liechtenstein sister organization of SwissFoundations representing grantmaking foundations and trusts in Liechtenstein. Direct peer acknowledged by SwissFoundations as cross-border counterpart.
• Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen: Germany's national association of grantmaking foundations; the direct mirror organization to SwissFoundations with whom SwissFoundations exchanges at management and board level through DAFNE. Most directly comparable peer.
• Association of Austrian Foundations (Verband der Österreichischen Stiftungen): Austrian national association of grantmaking foundations, fellow DAFNE member. Comparable as a German-speaking peer association offering similar advocacy, working groups, and self-regulation tools in a neighbouring market.
• DAFNE (Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe): European umbrella network of national foundation associations. SwissFoundations sits on the DAFNE board and uses DAFNE as the forum for cross-border policy coordination among foundation associations.

Broad incumbents

• European Foundation Centre (Philea): European-level philanthropic infrastructure organization representing thousands of foundations across Europe. Operates in an overlapping space with SwissFoundations at the supranational tier and competes for member mindshare on EU policy advocacy.
• Fondazione Cariplo: One of Italy's largest philanthropic foundations, an operating foundation that also engages in sector-level research and convening. Comparable in SwissFoundations' segment through sector knowledge production even though it is primarily a grantmaker, not an association.

Others

• CEPS (Center for Philanthropy Studies, University of Basel): University-based academic center for philanthropy research and continuing education; an existing partner of SwissFoundations. Adjacent enabler that produces research SwissFoundations leverages, rather than a competing association.

Regional players

• Fondation de Luxembourg: Luxembourg public-utility foundation hosting and advising philanthropic entities. Comparable in shared advisory mission for grantmaking foundations in a neighbouring but non-Swiss jurisdiction; regional peer rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SwissFoundations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swissfoundations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swiss Foundation