What Swiss Re Foundation does

Swiss Re Foundation is an independent, non-profit-making foundation established under Swiss law and registered in Zurich (registration CH-020.7.001.778-9). It operates as the philanthropic arm of global reinsurer Swiss Re, with a mission to advance innovative solutions to climate and health challenges, increase system efficiency, and support charitable engagement in targeted developing regions worldwide. In 2025 the Foundation approved CHF 8.1 million in grants across 68 active projects and reported 1.76 million people with improved resilience since 2022, 17,025 km2 of environmental zones protected, and 67,766 tCO2 of emissions saved since 2022, with a stated 2027 north-star goal of improving the lives of two million people.

The Foundation's core offerings are grant programmes, technical assistance, and volunteer engagement rather than commercial software products. Flagship programmes include the Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award (E4RA) for early-stage healthcare ventures, the Shine programme for early-stage climate enterprises, the Charity of the Year employee-volunteering programme, the Risk Data Fellows Programme, and open Expressions of Interest calls such as the Urban Nature-based Solutions solicitation in LMICs. It co-produces research outputs including the Landscape of Microinsurance with the Microinsurance Network. Underlying technologies are largely delivered through partner ventures: digital health wallets and micro-insurance platforms (clinicPesa), hybrid nurse-led clinics with telemedicine and EMR (M-Swasth), open-source disaster risk data systems (Risk Data Library with GFDRR), and climate-construction material platforms (CarbonCraft).

Revenue mechanics are philanthropic rather than commercial: the Foundation is funded by Swiss Re corporate contributions and other philanthropic partners, disbursing grants and tailored financing to social enterprises, NGOs, public systems, fellow philanthropies, and local communities. Distribution occurs through formal application programmes (E4RA, EOI calls), long-term strategic partnerships (Start Network, GFDRR, SCBF, ORRAA, Microinsurance Network, AXA Foundation, WWF), and decentralized office-led grantmaking via Charity of the Year. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates with a small team of 11-50 employees; Stefan Huber Fux is identified as Director.

Name

Swiss Re Foundation

Legal name

Swiss Re Foundation

Website

https://swissrefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss Re Foundation is an independent Zurich-based non-profit foundation, the philanthropic arm of reinsurer Swiss Re, that funds and supports social enterprises, NGOs, and public systems advancing climate resilience and healthcare access for low-income communities in developing regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Philanthropic foundation
• Resilience grant programs
• Climate resilience funding
• Healthcare access grants
• Disaster risk financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Charitable Funding: Swiss Re Foundation operates as an independent, non-profit-making foundation under Swiss law. The foundation provides grants, tailored financing, and strategic support to social enterprises, NGOs, and partners working on climate and health resilience solutions in developing regions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Swiss Re Foundation is an independent, non-profit-making foundation under Swiss law that advances innovative solutions to climate and health challenges. It delivers tailored financing, access to Swiss Re risk expertise, and grant programs (Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award, Shine, Charity of the Year, Risk Data Fellows Programme, and Nature-based Solutions calls) to social enterprises, NGOs, public systems, and fellow philanthropies working on resilience in developing regions.

Product overview

Swiss Re Foundation is a non-profit foundation that advances innovative solutions to climate and health challenges. Rather than offering a commercial software product, the Foundation provides tailored financing, access to Swiss Re expertise, and grant programs. Its main offerings include the Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award (E4RA) for healthcare ventures, the Shine program for early-stage climate enterprises, the Charity of the Year employee volunteering program, and the Risk Data Fellows Programme. The Foundation also publishes research such as the Landscape of Microinsurance report and funds Nature-based Solutions projects in LMICs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award: Award program recognizing ventures that improve healthcare accessibility and affordability for low-income populations
• Shine
• Charity of the Year

Products and services

• Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award (E4RA) A flagship award programme that provides funding, coaching, and technical assistance to early-stage ventures improving healthcare access and financial resilience for underserved populations in developing regions.
• Shine A flagship programme that helps early-stage climate enterprises strengthen and scale their business models through mentorship from Swiss Re colleagues and strategic grant funding.
• Charity of the Year A programme that encourages Swiss Re employees to team up with colleagues to support a local non-profit for a year or more, with the winner receiving a grant from the Swiss Re Foundation.
• Risk Data Fellows Programme A fellowship that empowers young data scientists from climate-vulnerable countries to bridge knowledge gaps in disaster and climate risk data through training and real-world assignments with World Bank GFDRR teams.
• Landscape of Microinsurance An annual benchmark report published in partnership with the Microinsurance Network that reveals statistics on microinsurance coverage globally, including numbers of people covered and written premiums.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.76 million people with improved resilience since 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• EYmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025EY serves as service provider to Swiss Re on biodiversity and ecosystem services modelling scenarios award project, providing analytical support.
• M-Swasth Solutions Private LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Healthcare provider delivering affordable primary care through hybrid brick-and-click model in rural India. Resilience Award winner for 2026, expanding diagnostic access and treatment pathways for anaemia.
• Microinsurance NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership supporting the Landscape of Microinsurance annual benchmark report, which reveals 344 million people covered by reported products across 37 countries, generating USD 6.2 billion in written premiums.
• LeFil ConsultingmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Consulting partner conducting in-depth study of Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award portfolio, analysing 26 health-related ventures across three clusters to identify emerging trends and best practices.
• CarbonCraft (CarbonCraft Design)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Climate enterprise converting industrial by-products to premium construction materials. Supported through Shine programme with mentorship from Swiss Re India and strategic grant funding. 354 tCO2 avoided; 20 artisans supported.
• ETH ZurichmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partnership for biodiversity scenarios modelling. ETH Zurich leads project broadening nature-positive future scenarios for Peru through participatory approaches and simulation modelling.
• University of ZurichmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partnership examining biodiversity and ecosystem service scenarios across global mountain, island and delta systems, combining spatial data with biodiversity scenarios.
• VU AmsterdammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Research partnership developing biodiversity-ecosystem services analyses to understand climate and land use change impacts in Europe, focusing on plant, butterfly, bird and mammal species.
• IIS Brazil (International Institute for Sustainability)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Establishing decision-making framework for managing natural catastrophe risks using nature-based solutions through spatial intelligence for Rio de Janeiro state.
• University of Belize Environmental Research Institute (UB-ERI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Participatory process for local communities in Central Belize to identify how nature's benefits may change with climate changes, with University of Southampton and CATIE.
• AXA Foundation for Human ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-enabling partner for biodiversity and ecosystem services scenarios modelling challenge, awarding five institutions USD 100,000 each for research.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-enabling partner for biodiversity and ecosystem services scenarios modelling challenge, providing expertise on conservation and ecosystem services.
• GFDRR (Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with World Bank's GFDRR to strengthen evidence-based disaster risk management worldwide through funding and Swiss Re expertise access. Created the Risk Data Library Standard and granted fellowships to seven young data scientists in climate-vulnerable countries.
• DemocrancemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Insurance technology company automating insurance value chain for underserved populations in MENA and Asia. Finalist for Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award 2022, with micro-insurance business digitising 1.1 million active policies.
• Billion Oyster ProjectmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Environmental initiative to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbor through education and community mobilisation. Swiss Re Foundation provides three-year monetary grant and volunteer support from New York office.
• Start NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Start Network is a global network of over 80 international and local NGOs focused on humanitarian issues. Swiss Re Foundation supports the Start Ready disaster risk financing mechanism which pools funds, analyses probabilities and utilises reinsurance to scale humanitarian interventions. Foundation supports projects in the Philippines and Bangladesh for cyclone and flood protection.
• clinicPesacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Healthcare fintech providing digital wallets for medical savings and micro-loans in Uganda. Supported through Entrepreneurs for Resilience Award with grant, coaching and technical assistance. Partnership with MTN enabled dramatic scaling to 1.2 million enrolled users by end 2023.
• ORRAA (Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021ORRAA aims to invest USD 500 million in nature-based ocean protection and develop 50 novel finance products by 2030. Swiss Re Foundation supports Ocean Resilience Innovation Challenges selecting innovative coastal resilience solutions.
• MTN UgandamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Partnership enabling clinicPesa availability to every owner of an MTN SIM card in Uganda, dramatically expanding access to healthcare financing platform.
• SCBF (Swiss Capacity Building Facility)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SCBF is a public-private development partnership promoting financial inclusion in developing economies. Swiss Re Foundation funding enabled SCBF to advance ten inclusive insurance projects, reaching 345,631 new policyholders (75% above target). Partnership extended through 2030.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Start Network: Network of 80+ humanitarian NGOs that operates the Start Ready disaster risk financing mechanism — Swiss Re Foundation is a direct funder. Comparable from a portfolio-grantee perspective rather than as a competitor.

Emerging players

• Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF): Large climate-and-health focused foundation with substantial LMIC programs in health access, climate, and nutrition. Partial overlap with Swiss Re Foundation's geographic and thematic focus.
• ClimateWorks Foundation: Climate-focused grantmaking organization funding nature-based solutions, clean energy, and adaptation. Comparable thematic overlap on climate resilience, particularly the Nature-based Solutions in LMICs agenda.

Direct peers

• MetLife Foundation: Insurance-industry corporate foundation with global programs in financial inclusion and disaster resilience. Comparable mission and institutional structure to Swiss Re Foundation.
• AXA Foundation for Human Progress: Corporate foundation of AXA Group, already a co-funder of the Swiss Re Foundation's biodiversity scenarios challenge. Comparable insurance-industry foundation addressing climate and health equity globally.
• Zurich Insurance Foundation: Corporate foundation of Zurich Insurance Group, headquartered in Switzerland. Similar insurance-industry heritage, climate/community focus, and Swiss domicile make it a natural functional peer.
• Munich Re Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Munich Re, the world's largest reinsurer. Operates as a sister foundation focused on climate, disaster risk, and inclusive insurance in developing regions — directly comparable corporate-foundation structure and thematic focus.
• Allianz Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Allianz SE. Comparable European insurance-backed foundation with portfolios spanning climate resilience and inclusive economic development in vulnerable regions.

Broad incumbents

• The Rockefeller Foundation: Large U.S. private foundation with multi-billion dollar endowment focused on climate, health, and equity. Operates at materially larger scale than Swiss Re Foundation but in directly overlapping thematic areas.
• Wellcome Trust: Major global foundation focused primarily on health research and access. Overlaps with Swiss Re Foundation's health access mandate but at vastly greater scale and with a research-heavy portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments5 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Swiss Re Foundation