Swiss Academy for Development

What Swiss Academy for Development does

Swiss Academy for Development (SA4D) is a Biel/Bienne-headquartered, ZEWO-certified non-profit founded in 1991 that uses sport and play as a structured, purposeful vehicle for child and youth development. It operates an international project portfolio spanning 25+ countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Oceania, organised around five focus areas (Health, Education, Employment, Social Cohesion, Environment) that map to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Programme delivery is led by SA4D's methodology and trained facilitators but executed primarily through a network of in-country implementing partners such as CPSO (Uganda), DAPP Zimbabwe, CREDA (India), MFT (Myanmar), GIP (Colombia), and Al Bireh (Jordan). The 15-person HQ provides the three operational pillars — Sport & Play, Partnerships, and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) — that anchor both internal project delivery and external service mandates.

SA4D's revenue model is 100% grant-dependent, with approximately 95% of funds purpose-bound to specific projects. The funding base spans Swiss federal, cantonal, and municipal bodies, four major Swiss foundations (Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung, Bank Vontobel Stiftung, aPorta Stiftung), global sport foundations (FIFA Foundation, UEFA Foundation for Children), Plan International Schweiz, individual giving via the Payrexx/PostFinance donation platform, and a small but strategically significant Bespoke Services line that contracts SA4D's methodology, capacity development, MEL and applied-research expertise to governments, NGOs, and companies on a mandate basis. ZEWO-reported overhead is 16.6%, meaning 83.4% of each donated franc reaches programmes. Marketing is limited to a website, newsletter (Mailchimp), social channels, annual reports, and earned media through sector events and certifications such as ZEWO, ECOSOC consultative status, and UNESCO CIGEPS Permanent Consultative Council membership.

Name

Swiss Academy for Development

Legal name

Swiss Academy for Development

Website

https://sa4d.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss Academy for Development (SA4D), founded 1991 in Biel/Bienne, is a non-profit that applies structured sport-and-play methodology to child and youth development across 25+ countries, delivered through local implementing partners and funded primarily by Swiss foundations, government bodies, and international organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development (Sport for Development)

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAJ

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPADABAO

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Bilateral Development Agencies & Aid Programs

SECONDARYBPADAEAL

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

SECONDARYMPAKALAJ

Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Sports Sponsorship & Endorsements

Keywords

• Sport for development
• Youth development programmes
• International development NGO
• Capacity building services
• Monitoring and evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Biel/Bienne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: SA4D is 100% dependent on external donations and grants. Approximately 95% of generated revenue is purpose-bound (restricted to specific projects). Key funders include Swiss federal, cantonal, and municipal bodies, international organisations, and academic institutions.
2. Bespoke Service Mandates: SA4D provides paid mandates to third parties (governments, NGOs, companies) including Capacity Assessment, Capacity Development, Project Management and Implementation, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning (MEL), and Applied Research. This represents a service-revenue stream where SA4D's expertise is contracted.
3. Individual Donations and Philanthropy: SA4D receives donations from individuals, primarily through online donation platforms (Payrexx), postal transfers, and bank transfers. The ZEWO-certified organisation passes an annual external audit and four-year ZEWO recertification. Individual donors can direct donations to specific projects or the general fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SA4D designs and implements sport and play-based development programmes for children and youth across multiple countries, organised around five focus areas (Health, Education, Employment, Social Cohesion, Environment) aligned with the UN SDGs. In addition to running its own country projects through local implementing partners, SA4D sells bespoke expert services — Capacity Assessment, Capacity Development, Project Management, MEL, and Applied Research — to governments, NGOs, and companies on a mandate basis.

Product overview

Swiss Academy for Development (SA4D) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 that operates a portfolio of international development programs. Its core methodology is Sport & Play, used as a structured, purposeful approach to promote child and youth development and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The organization operates across five thematic focus areas — Health, Education, Employment, Social Cohesion, and Environment — delivered through a portfolio of country projects (e.g., Move & Improve in India, Women on the Move in Uganda/South Sudan, Football for Life in Switzerland, Goals for Peace in Jordan). SA4D also offers Bespoke Services to third parties, including Capacity Assessment, Capacity Development, Project Management, Monitoring Evaluation & Learning (MEL), and Applied Research. A public resource of Sport & Play Example Activities supports educators and practitioners in implementing the methodology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SA4D: Short form name/abbreviation for Swiss Academy for Development used throughout the organization's communications and website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 women participated in 'Mit Sport gegen Traumata' in South Sudan; 3,268 goals scored; women formed savings and credit groups and started businesses (pig farming, tailoring)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FIFA Foundation Community ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIFA Foundation Community Programme supports SA4D's sport for development work, providing funding and programmatic alignment with global football development initiatives.
• UEFA Foundation for ChildrencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUEFA Foundation for Children is a key partner providing financial support for SA4D's child-focused development projects using football.
• Plan International SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlan International Schweiz partners with SA4D on international development projects, combining SA4D's sport and play methodology with Plan International's broader child rights programming.
• ZunzúnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZunzún is listed as an international NGO partner in SA4D's network, collaborating on sport and development initiatives.
• Community Psychosocial Support Organisation (CPSO)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPSO is a key implementing partner in Uganda, working with SA4D on the Women on the Move project since 2012 to provide psychosocial support to South Sudanese refugee women and children through sport and play.
• Development Aid from People to People Zimbabwe (DAPP Zimbabwe)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDAPP Zimbabwe is a core implementing partner in Zimbabwe, working with SA4D on Green Paths for You(th) and the Climate and Girls Ahead! projects, drawing on DAPP's 40+ years of local experience.
• Centre for Rural Education and Development Action (CREDA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCREDA is SA4D's long-standing implementing partner in India, responsible for operating 30 early childhood development centres under the Move & Improve project in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, since 2015.
• Moving Forward Together Social Enterprise (MFT SE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMFT SE is an implementing partner in Myanmar, collaborating on the Shan Youth YEEA(H) project to provide agricultural and entrepreneurship training to youth in Shan and Kachin states.
• Grupo Internacional de Paz (GIP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGIP is a key Colombian implementing partner working with SA4D on Hitting a Home Run for Peace (baseball) and A Sustainable Future through Interactive Education (football) projects in Cali and the Caribbean region.
• Pädagogische Hochschule Bern (PHBern)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPHBern (Bern University of Teacher Education) collaborates with SA4D on educational research and teacher training components, contributing academic rigour to SA4D's monitoring and evaluation frameworks.
• Youth Sport Uganda (YSU)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerYSU is an implementing partner in Uganda supporting sport and play-based youth development programming.
• Al BirehcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAl Bireh is the local Jordanian implementing partner for the Goals for Peace project, working with SA4D to use football to foster psychosocial wellbeing and social cohesion between Jordanian and Syrian youth.
• ECOSOC (UN Economic and Social Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSA4D holds consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, providing a formal link to the United Nations system and contributing to global sport and development policy discussions.
• UNESCO CIGEPS (Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSA4D holds Permanent Consultative Council status to UNESCO's CIGEPS, participating in international policy-making for sport and physical education as a tool for development.
• Sport for Refugees CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSA4D participates in the Sport for Refugees Coalition, coordinated by the Scort Foundation, Olympic Refuge Foundation, and UNHCR, contributing to and learning from global refugee sport programming.
• proFonds (Swiss umbrella association of charitable foundations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSA4D is a member of proFonds, the Swiss umbrella organisation for charitable foundations and associations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sport dans la Ville: French NGO that uses sport for social and professional inclusion of young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Directly comparable to SA4D's youth-focused, sport-based development programmes with similar vocational training and social cohesion outcomes.
• Moving the Goalposts: Kenya-based NGO using football to empower girls and young women. Comparable to SA4D's Women on the Move Uganda and Goals for Peace Jordan projects, with similar sport-based gender empowerment methodology in East Africa.
• Right To Play: Global NGO that uses sport and play to protect, educate, and empower children in disadvantaged communities. Closest direct competitor to SA4D, operating in overlapping geographies (Africa, Middle East, Asia) with a similar methodology-centred approach and institutional donor base.
• PeacePlayers International: International NGO that uses basketball to unite children across conflict divides. Comparable to SA4D's 'Goals for Peace' Jordan and 'Peace in Motion' South Sudan projects, with a similar sport-as-peacebuilding methodology and youth development focus.
• Magic Bus (now Magic Bus Global): India-based NGO using sport and play to move children out of poverty through education and livelihood programmes. Comparable to SA4D's Move & Improve India project, with a similar methodology of sport-based curriculum for youth development.
• Love.fútbol: International NGO using football to drive social change in underserved communities. Similar sport-for-development focus, comparable donor base, and overlapping beneficiary segments (children and youth in developing regions).

Broad incumbents

• Streetfootballworld (now Common Goal): Global network of sport-for-development organisations, with the related Common Goal movement engaging football professionals in social impact. SA4D operates in the same ecosystem and was historically part of the sportanddev hub, of which Streetfootballworld was a lead.
• Olympic Refuge Foundation: IOC-affiliated foundation that uses sport to support refugees and displaced populations worldwide. SA4D explicitly participates in the Sport for Refugees Coalition with this organisation. Larger and broader mandate, but directly overlapping on refugee sport programming.
• UNICEF Sport for Development: UN agency that has recognised SA4D's work (2011 Sport for Education Award) and funds sport-based programmes globally. Comparable because it commissions and designs sport-for-development interventions, including in conflict-affected settings, representing both a peer and a potential funder for SA4D.

Regional players

• Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF) - Sport for Development programme: Norwegian national sports body that runs sport-for-development programmes in conflict-affected regions, notably the 'Sport for Development' portfolio. Similar sport-for-development methodology but anchored in a different national context (Norway/Democracy programmes), and a competing source of restricted funding from Nordic donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sportanddevelopment
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/sportanddevelopment
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportanddevelopment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swiss-academy-for-development
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportanddevelopment

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Swiss Academy for Development