Fundaziun Nairs

What Fundaziun Nairs does

Fundaziun Nairs is a privately-run, non-profit cultural foundation (Stiftung) established in 1988 in Scuol, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland. The foundation operates an international Artists in Residence program that hosts approximately 30 jury-selected cultural practitioners annually for residencies lasting two to ten months, with nine artists in simultaneous residence each month from February to November. Its physical site near Scuol combines the Künstler*innenhaus (residency studios), the Kunsthalle (public exhibition hall open Wednesday to Sunday, 14–17 Uhr, with CHF 10/5 admission), and the Kulturlabor (event venue), anchoring a year-round public programming slate.

The foundation's business model is a diversified non-profit revenue stack: annual base subsidies from the Canton of Graubünden, the CEE Corporaziun Energia Engiadina, and the Municipality of Scuol; programmatic grants from cultural foundations (Pro Helvetia, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim-Stiftung, Landis & Gyr Stiftung, Stavros S. Niarchos, ERBPROZENT KULTUR); long-term atelier partnerships (Aargauer Kuratorium, Stichting Stokroos) co-financing individual residency slots; tiered individual memberships in the Förderverein Ami:as da Nairs (CHF 30 to CHF 2,000); donations and bequests; and ticket revenue from exhibitions, the bar & film series (CHF 14), the LitteraturA Nairs literature festival (CHF 15–65), and Gir d'AIR studio walks (donation-based). It serves three primary segments: professional artists and cultural practitioners (residency users), the general public and art enthusiasts (exhibition/event visitors), and the Romansh cultural community (a deliberate programmatic commitment to Romansh-language literature and regional culture). Go-to-market is community-led, relying on owned digital channels (website, newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), earned regional and national press coverage, and word-of-mouth within Swiss and international cultural networks; no paid advertising is evident. Operational scale is intentionally small, with approximately 5 staff members including Director Josiane Imhasly (appointed April 2025), curatorial assistant Ruben Stauffer, and association administrator Cornelia Koch.

Name

Fundaziun Nairs

Website

https://nairs.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fundaziun Nairs is a non-profit Swiss cultural foundation in Scuol, Graubünden, running an international Artists in Residence program (~30 artists/year) alongside a public Kunsthalle, Kulturlabor event venue, and festivals serving visiting artists, regional audiences, and the Romansh cultural community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Arts Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Artist residency programs
• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Cultural foundation services
• Literature festival programming
• Interdisciplinary arts residency

Headquarters

HQ city

Scuol

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public subsidy (Cantonal, regional, municipal): Annual base funding from the Canton of Graubünden, the region, and the municipality of Scuol forms the foundational financial support for operations.
2. Foundation and corporate grants: Funding from cultural foundations (e.g., Pro Helvetia, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim-Stiftung) and corporations for specific programs, exhibitions, and the Kunsthalle program.
3. Atelierpartnerschaft (Studio partnership sponsorships): Long-term partnerships where organizations (Aargauer Kuratorium, Pro Helvetia, Stichting Stokroos) co-finance studio/residency places, providing direct support to artists.
4. Förderverein Amis da Nairs membership fees: Annual membership fees from the supporters' association (CHF 30–2,000 per year depending on tier), providing recurring revenue and community support.
5. Donations and individual giving: Individual donors, gönner contributions, and legate bequests from private patrons.
6. Admission and event revenue: Ticket revenue from Kunsthalle admissions (CHF 10/5 reduced) and event tickets, including the literature festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fundaziun Nairs operates an international, jury-selected Artists in Residence program near Scuol in the Canton of Graubünden, hosting approximately 30 cultural practitioners annually for 2–10 month residencies from February to November. Complementing the residency, the foundation runs the Kunsthalle exhibition hall, the Kulturlabor event venue, and recurring public programs including Gir d'AIR studio walks, the LitteraturA Nairs literature festival, and bar & film screenings. Most programming is offered at low or no cost to the visiting public.

Product overview

Fundaziun Nairs is a single, unified cultural institution combining an international artists-in-residence program with public exhibition and event programming. The core offering is the Artists in Residence-Programm, which hosts approximately 30 artists annually for multi-month residencies (February–November). This feeds directly into the Kunsthalle (exhibition hall) and Kulturlabor (cultural laboratory), which present the resulting works and host public events. Supporting programs include Gir d'AIR (monthly studio tours), LitteraturA Nairs (Romanish literature festival), bar & film (film screenings), Atelierpartnerschaften (studio partnerships), and the Förderverein Ami:as da Nairs (membership association). The institution operates as a unified offering rather than separate modular products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Artists in Residence-Programm

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 30 artists per year receive multi-month residencies, with 9 artists simultaneously in residence each month.
• +2 more outcomes

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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aargauer KuratoriumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term atelier partnership (Atelierpartnerschaft) co-financing studio/residency places for artists. The Aargauer Kuratorium supports artists from the Canton of Aargau through funded residency placements at Fundaziun Nairs.
• Pro HelvetiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtelier partnership supporting the Artists in Residence program. Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council, provides multi-year support for international residency exchanges, facilitating cultural exchange between Swiss and international artists.
• Stichting StokrooscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtelier partnership with the Dutch Stokroos foundation, which funds residency placements for artists at Fundaziun Nairs, supporting Dutch-Swiss cultural exchange.
• ERBPROZENT KULTURcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Artists in Residence program is additionally supported by the ERBPROZENT KULTUR foundation, which provides funding specifically for the residency operations.
• Visarte GraubündencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the professional artists' association for the 'Our da l'atelier – Aus dem Atelier' exhibition (part of the 'Atelier avert – Kunstschaffen im Fokus' project) and other regional programming. Visarte members gain exhibition opportunities at Fundaziun Nairs.
• Chasa da translaziun LoorenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Schmolitz. LitteraturA Nairs' literature festival, supporting the thematic focus on literary translation between Romansh and French-language Swiss literature.
• Université de GenèveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on the LitteraturA Nairs festival, contributing scholarly perspective to the literary program and translation dialogue.
• Centre de traduction littéraire de LausanneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration on the LitteraturA Nairs festival, bringing expertise in literary translation to the Romansh-French literary dialogue.
• Uniun dals GrischsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for the 'Superschmolitz' Poetry Slam Ladin event at the LitteraturA Nairs festival, co-organizing the Romansh-language poetry slam competition.
• Libraria Poesia ClozzaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBook sales partner at the LitteraturA Nairs festival, providing a book stand during literary events.
• Hotel Scuol PalaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Hotel Scuol Palace for the LitteraturA Nairs festival, providing special accommodation rates for festival guests and hosting festival events.
• cineasts.chminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm curation partnership for the 'bar & film' program. Filmschaffende Susanna Fanzun curates the film program under the cineasts.ch umbrella.
• Cofox AG (Scuol)minorOthersCorporate sponsor based in Scuol providing commercial sponsorship to the foundation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cabaret Voltaire: Zurich-based cultural institution combining a residency/artists-in-residence program with a public program of exhibitions, performances, and archive work. Comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a non-profit merging residency, exhibition, and event programming.
• Centre d'Art Neuchâtel: Swiss non-profit contemporary art center operating rotating exhibitions, residencies, and public events. Comparable in scale and mission as a non-urban Swiss contemporary art platform with residency and exhibition offerings.
• Rote Fabrik: Zurich cultural center combining artist studios, residency opportunities, and a public program of exhibitions, performances, and film. Most directly comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a non-profit that bundles residencies with public cultural programming.
• La Rada: Swiss cultural institution combining residencies, exhibitions, and public programming in a non-metropolitan setting. Comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a small-scale Swiss non-profit artist residency and exhibition venue.
• Atelierhaus Vordemberge-Gildewart: European artist-in-residence foundation supporting international artist studios and residency programs. Comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a small residency-focused foundation with international artist selection and committed studio infrastructure.
• Kunsthaus Langenthal: Swiss regional art institution running exhibitions and cultural programming in a non-urban setting. Comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a non-metropolitan Swiss contemporary art venue combining exhibitions, events, and public engagement.
• Stiftung Binz39: Zurich-based cultural foundation operating an artist-in-residence program with studio infrastructure and public programming. Comparable to Fundaziun Nairs as a Swiss non-profit combining artist residencies with public-facing cultural events.

Broad incumbents

• Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council: Federal Swiss arts council that funds and supports artist residencies and cultural exchange across Switzerland. A peer in the Swiss cultural ecosystem and a direct funding partner, but operates at federal scale rather than a single residency site.
• Kunsthaus Bregenz: Austrian contemporary art institution presenting exhibitions and cultural programming with linkages to Fundaziun Nairs through Austrian federal arts funding. Comparable as a regional European contemporary art institution, though at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Bündner Kunstmuseum: Cantonal art museum in Chur, Graubünden, focused on regional artistic production with a broader collection and exhibition scope. Comparable on regional positioning and the Graubünden cultural mandate, though a larger institution with different operational model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUGi71GIC5YS_XzMi4CCY9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/fundaziunnairs
• Instagraminstagram.com/fundaziunnairs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundaziun-nairs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Fundaziun Nairs