Swiss Sports Aid Foundation

What Swiss Sports Aid Foundation does

Stiftung Schweizer Sporthilfe (Swiss Sports Aid Foundation) is a private, non-profit foundation established in 1970 and headquartered in Ittigen bei Bern, Switzerland, with a secondary office in Zurich. The foundation exists to provide direct financial support to Swiss elite and youth athletes (Nachwuchs) who hold Swiss Olympic Cards or Talent Cards and who lack government funding or a regular monthly income — 41% of Swiss athletes earn less than CHF 14,000 per year and only 26% receive a regular monthly salary, per the foundation's own disclosures. Support instruments include Auszeichnungen (awards), Förderbeiträge (grants), Sonderbeiträge (special contributions), and Patenschaften (personal sponsorships at CHF 2,500 per year per athlete).

The foundation operates a digital platform at sporthilfe.ch featuring athlete profiles, donation processing (one-time, monthly, annual, legacy giving), and membership management across three tiers — Team Suisse Public (from CHF 55/year), Team Suisse Circle, and Team Suisse Business. Its go-to-market is event- and community-led, anchored by the annual Sporthilfe Super10Kampf (45th edition, sold-out Hallenstadion, October 2025; 46th edition scheduled October 30, 2026), a bi-annual Sporthilfe Magazin, monthly newsletters, and active social channels on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. A Nachwuchsfranken program extends donation collection to third-party event organizers.

Revenue is sourced from six streams: individual and corporate donations, multi-tier membership subscriptions, Patenschaft personal sponsorships, corporate partnership tiers (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze), merchandise sales (PUMA-branded Team Suisse collection), event ticket and VIP revenue, and planned-giving/legacy contributions. The foundation is funded primarily through Swisslos and Loterie Romande (Main National Partners), Platinum corporate partners (UBS, Opel, ALDI SUISSE, Q36.5), and an individual donor base of 28,000+ supporters plus 220+ patrons. In 2025 the foundation disbursed a record CHF 12.6 million to over 1,300 athletes across 89 sport disciplines, and 100% of medal winners at the last five Olympic Games were supported by the foundation.

Name

Swiss Sports Aid Foundation

Legal name

Stiftung Schweizer Sporthilfe

Website

https://sporthilfe.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stiftung Schweizer Sporthilfe is a Swiss private foundation, founded in 1970, that provides direct financial support to over 1,300 elite and youth athletes across 89 sports annually. It funds this mission through donations, memberships, corporate partnerships, and events like the Super10Kampf.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Nonprofit Athlete Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Olympic & Multi-Sport Movement Organizations (NOCs, Olympic Committees) (MPAKACAI), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH)

Keywords

• Athlete financial support
• Sports foundation services
• Donor membership programs
• Corporate sports sponsorship
• Athletic grants funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting Swiss athletes. Donation options include preset amounts (CHF 50, 100, 200) or custom amounts.
2. Membership Fees: Team Suisse membership program with categories for individuals (Public, Circle) and businesses (Business). Annual membership starting at CHF 55 with exclusive partner benefits.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnership tiers (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) for companies investing in Swiss sports. Includes marketing integration and brand association benefits.
4. Athlete Sponsorships: Patenschaft (sponsorship) program where individuals sponsor a young athlete for CHF 2,500 per year, providing direct financial support.
5. Merchandise Sales: Team Suisse collection merchandise (PUMA and other brands) with proceeds supporting athlete development.
6. Event Revenue: Revenue from Super10Kampf event including VIP packages, ticket sales, and hospitality offerings.
7. Legacy Giving: Erbschaft und Vermächtnis (inheritance and legacy) program for planned giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stiftung Schweizer Sporthilfe is an independent private foundation that delivers direct financial support to Swiss elite and youth athletes across Olympic, Paralympic, and non-Olympic sports. Its offerings include the Team Suisse membership program, Patenschaft personal sponsorships, donation options, the annual Super10Kampf event, and a planned-giving program.

Product overview

The Swiss Sports Aid Foundation (Stiftung Schweizer Sporthilfe) operates as a charitable organization supporting Swiss athletes rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of financial support programs and membership services for athletes across Olympic, Paralympic, and non-Olympic sports. The core programs include the Sporthilfe Team Suisse membership tiers (Public, Business, Circle), individual sponsorship (Patenschaft) of young talents, donation options, and the flagship Super10Kampf annual event. Financial support instruments such as awards, grants, and special contributions are provided to both youth and elite athletes, while the Sporthilfe Nachwuchsfranken program enables partner organizations to raise funds for youth development. The foundation also publishes a quarterly magazine and offers planned giving options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sporthilfe Team Suisse Membership A multi-tier membership program (Public, Business, Circle) that provides exclusive partner benefits, partner offers, magazine subscription, event privileges, and tax-deductible giving while supporting Swiss athletic development.
• Patenschaft (Personal Sponsorship) A personal sponsorship program allowing individuals or companies to support a specific young Swiss athlete at CHF 2,500 per year, providing direct financial support for that athlete's career costs.
• Donation Program One-time, monthly, or annual donation options enabling supporters to contribute to athlete funding across Olympic, Paralympic, and non-Olympic sports, with tax-deductible status in Switzerland and preset amount options (CHF 50, 100, 200) or custom amounts.
• Sporthilfe Super10Kampf An annual flagship event featuring teams of Swiss athletes competing in entertaining competitions at Zurich's Hallenstadion, with VIP hospitality packages and ticket proceeds supporting athlete development.
• Förderinstrumente (Financial Support Instruments) Financial support instruments for Swiss athletes including Auszeichnungen (awards), Förderbeiträge (grants such as 18,000 CHF for Giulia Senn and 12,000 CHF for Kay-Lyn Löhr), Sonderbeiträge (special contributions), and Patenschaften for both youth (Talent Card National) and elite (Olympic Card) athletes.
• Erbschaft und Vermächtnis (Planned Giving) A planned giving program allowing supporters to include the foundation in their estate planning through inheritance and legacy donations supporting Swiss athletes.
• Sporthilfe Nachwuchsfranken Program enabling event organizers (e.g. Eidgenössisches Schützenfest, Swatch Beach Pro Gstaad, Athletissima Lausanne) and sports retailers to collect funds for youth athlete development through their activities.
• Sporthilfe Magazin A bi-annual magazine featuring Swiss sports stories, athlete profiles, and foundation news delivered to Team Suisse members.
• Team Suisse Merchandise (PUMA collection) Online merchandise shop (shop.sporthilfe.ch) selling the Team Suisse collection and PUMA partnership apparel, with 50% discounts for Team Suisse members and proceeds supporting athlete development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of medal winners from the last 5 Olympic Games supported
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• UBSflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum partner providing financial support and brand association with Swiss athletic excellence.
• OpelflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum partner offering up to 10% discount on vehicles for Team Suisse members.
• ALDI SUISSEflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum partner with photo services (20% discount) and other exclusive offers for members.
• Q36.5flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum partner and cycling apparel brand offering 10% discount to Team Suisse members.
• AVIAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuel card partnership offering 4 centimes/litre discount, with AVIA donating 4 centimes/litre to youth sport.
• PUMAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports apparel partner providing Team Suisse merchandise collection with 50% discounts for members.
• SBB/CFFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Railways partnership offering half-fare subscription discovery discounts for members.
• ISA bodywearminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBodywear partner offering 20% discount on all products for Team Suisse members.
• Swiss OlympicflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational sports federation providing athlete identification cards and classification system (Talent Card, Olympic Cards).
• TicketcornerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial ticket sales partner for Super10Kampf and other Sporthilfe events.
• KEYSTONEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial photography agency providing sports photography services for the foundation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IOC Olympic Solidarity: The IOC's development and athlete-support programme funding National Olympic Committees worldwide. Adjacent rather than directly competitive—Sporthilfe complements Olympic Solidarity in Switzerland with private donations, but the latter operates at a continental/global scale.
• Swiss Olympic: The national sports federation of Switzerland and parent issuer of the Olympic Card / Talent Card classification system Sporthilfe uses to identify and select athletes. Coordinates broader elite-sport policy and elite sport funding rather than direct individual disbursement.

Direct peers

• UK Sport National Lottery-funded Athlete Support: The UK arm of elite athlete funding via lottery proceeds, providing Performance Pathway and Podium grants to British Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Comparable mission and lottery-revenue dependency, though structurally more state-funded than Sporthilfe.
• Österreichische Sportförderungsfonds / Sportlerhilfe Austria: Austrian sports aid foundation providing direct financial support and Patenschaft-style sponsorships to Austrian athletes, with a similar German-speaking DACH region architecture of donor tiers and corporate partnerships.
• Fondation du Sport Français: French athlete-support charity that raises private funds to complement public sports policy and provide individual grants to French elite and espoir athletes. Highly comparable operational model—corporate partners, individual sponsors, lottery ties, gala events.
• Topsport NL / NOC*NSF Athlete Support: The Dutch equivalent pathway: a national lottery- and government-funded program distributing stipends to Dutch elite athletes, structurally analogous to Sporthilfe's athlete disbursement program but with heavier public funding.
• Deutsche Stiftung Sporthilfe: Germany's national athlete-support foundation, providing direct financial aid, Patenschaft sponsorships, and corporate partnerships to German elite and youth athletes. Functionally identical model to the Swiss foundation, including lottery funding, membership tiers, and flagship events—making it the closest comparable.

Emerging players

• Special Olympics International: Global disability and intellectual-disability sports organisation, also funded through corporate partnerships, events, and individual donations. Overlaps with Sporthilfe's disability-sport support but operates internationally and focuses exclusively on inclusive sport rather than elite competition.
• Laureus Sport for Good Foundation: Global sport-for-development foundation supporting community sport programs rather than individual elite athletes. Operates in a related but distinct niche of sports philanthropy with corporate sponsor backing and Sporting Ambassador storytelling (Odermatt, Schurter are similar profile).

Others

• Rosa & Velo Foundations / Athlete Crowdfunding Platforms: Direct-to-athlete crowdfunding and NIL-style platforms (GoFundMe, WithCauses) and emerging athlete-patenschaft startups that increasingly compete with national sports aid foundations for both donor dollars and athlete mindshare—representing a structural disintermediation risk.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/schweizersporthilfe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stiftung-schweizer-sporthilfe
• Instagraminstagram.com/schweizersporthilfe
• Xx.com/CH_Sporthilfe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Sports Aid Foundation