Sophie Und Karl Binding Stiftung

Name

Sophie Und Karl Binding Stiftung

Legal name

Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung

Website

https://binding-stiftung.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Grant-Making Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation grants
• Biodiversity conservation funding
• Cultural heritage support
• Youth welfare programs
• Grant-making foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment income from endowment: The foundation operates as an endowed charitable foundation. Its funds are derived from investments in real estate, equities (stocks), and bonds. Income generated funds grants to supported projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung is a Swiss charitable foundation established in 1963 that awards grants and operates its own programs to support projects in three focus areas: Environment (biodiversity and landscape), Social (children and youth, social cohesion), and Culture (architectural monuments and old music). It acts subsidiarily as a co-funder, typically contributing CHF 3,000 to CHF 100,000 per year per project, and engages in flagship own initiatives such as the Binding Biodiversity Prize (CHF 100,000), First Dance, Binding Sélection d'Artistes, Chrysalide, MindMatters, and DreamTeam.

Product overview

Sophie und Karl Binding Stiftung operates as a charitable grant-making foundation active across three thematic areas: Environment, Social, and Culture. The foundation does not offer a single unified technology product but rather administers a portfolio of named grant programs and award initiatives. Its core funding areas include Biodiversity and Landscape, Children and Youth, Social Cohesion, Cultural Heritage (monuments), and Early Music. Key named programs include the Binding Biodiversity Prize (CHF 100,000 annual award), First Dance (dance transition support, co-operated with Ernst Göhner Stiftung), Binding Sélection d'Artistes (mid-career artist exhibitions), Chrysalide (literary prize), MindMatters (school mental health), DreamTeam (mentoring), and LIFT (youth employment). The foundation processes grant applications through an online electronic application system and also engages in multi-year operational projects and cooperations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Binding Preis für Biodiversität (Binding Prize for Biodiversity): Award program established in 2021 with prize money of CHF 100,000 for biodiversity conservation projects.
• Chrysalide – Premio Binding di promozione della letteratura
• First Dance
• Binding Sélection d'Artistes
• MindMatters
• DreamTeam

Products and services

• Binding Preis für Biodiversität (Binding Biodiversity Prize) Annual prize endowed with CHF 100,000 awarded to outstanding biodiversity conservation projects in Switzerland.
• First Dance Dance promotion initiative co-operated with Ernst Göhner Stiftung that funds salaries of young dancers at established dance companies and municipal ensembles to support their transition into professional careers.
• Binding Sélection d'Artistes Cooperation program with Swiss museums and exhibition halls supporting monograph exhibitions of mid-career artists aged 40+ working primarily in Switzerland, including production of scholarly publications.
• Chrysalide – Preis für literarische Nachwuchsförderung Literary promotion prize awarded in German, French, and Italian, targeting debut writers in literary fiction; launched in 2024.
• MindMatters Program supporting student mental health and contributing to a positive school culture in Switzerland.
• DreamTeam Voluntary mentorship program in which primary school children are accompanied and supported by a mentor.
• LIFT Jugendprojekt (LIFT Youth Project) Youth project preparing young people for professional life beginning from the 7th year of schooling.
• Tavolo Check Your Chance Ticino (Pilot Project) Pilot project in Ticino where six organizations collaborate to contribute to the prevention and reduction of youth unemployment.
• Grant Application Program (General Funding Stream) Core grant-making service accepting electronic applications from Swiss non-profit organizations for projects in biodiversity/landscape, children/youth, social cohesion, cultural heritage, and old music; grants typically CHF 3,000–100,000 per year, multi-year up to three years.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4,000 projects supported since 1963
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SwissFoundationscoreOthersThe Sophie and Karl Binding Foundation is a founding member of SwissFoundations, the Swiss Association of Grant-Making Foundations. This membership positions the foundation as an active participant in the development of the Swiss foundation sector.
• proFondsminorOthersThe foundation is a member of proFonds, the Swiss Umbrella Association for Public Benefit Foundations.
• Ernst Göhner StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Binding Foundation and Ernst Göhner Foundation co-develop the 'First Dance' initiative, supporting the transition of dance school graduates into professional stage careers in Switzerland. The foundations co-finance the salaries of young dancers at established dance companies and municipal ensembles, with First Dance covering 80% of wages at municipal ensembles and 100% at independent companies.
• Swiss Museums and Exhibition Houses (Binding Sélection d'Artistes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBinding Sélection d'Artistes is a cooperation between the Binding Foundation and Swiss museums and exhibition halls to support artists who work primarily in Switzerland. The foundation funds monographic exhibitions of mid-career artists (aged 40+) alongside art-historical publications, with decisions based on submissions from museums and art halls only — direct applications from artists are excluded.
• Swiss Federal Office of Culture and Migros Percent for CultureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe foundation participates in the 'Perfect Application' guide (Das perfekte Gesuch), a practical guide for grant applications developed jointly by SwissFoundations, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, and Migros Percent for Culture.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Paul Schiller Stiftung: Swiss endowed foundation with a long grantmaking history in education, culture, and social causes. Comparable as a similarly sized, multi-pillar Swiss charitable foundation with a long institutional track record.
• Ernst Göhner Stiftung: Swiss family foundation active in culture, education, and social cohesion with a similar grantmaking model. Most directly comparable as Binding's co-development partner on the First Dance initiative, indicating closely aligned programmatic scope and operating style.
• Christoph Merian Stiftung: Large Basel-based Swiss charitable foundation supporting social, cultural, and ecological projects with grants and operational programs. Comparable in geography (Basel), structure (endowed family foundation), and three-pillar thematic model.
• Vontobel-Stiftung: Swiss family foundation affiliated with Vontobel banking group supporting culture, education, and social projects. Comparable as an endowed Swiss grantmaking foundation with similar philanthropic scope.

Broad incumbents

• Oak Foundation: Large international family foundation active in environment, social issues, and culture with grantmaking across multiple countries. Comparable in thematic focus areas (especially environment/biodiversity and social cohesion) and endowed family foundation structure, but at significantly larger scale and with global reach.
• Heinrich Böll Stiftung: Large German political foundation affiliated with the Greens supporting ecology, democracy, and culture through grants and operational programs. Comparable in multi-pillar grantmaking across environment, social, and cultural domains, though with an explicit political affiliation.
• Migros Kulturprozent: Swiss corporate-affiliated cultural funding initiative supporting culture, society, education, and ecology. Comparable in multi-pillar grantmaking model and Swiss focus, but backed by Migros retail revenues rather than an endowed investment portfolio.
• Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council: Federal Swiss foundation for arts and culture funding across all language regions. Comparable in its pan-Swiss cultural grantmaking (overlapping with Binding's cultural heritage and old music programs), but operates at much larger scale as a federally mandated body.

Emerging players

• Stiftung Natur & Wirtschaft: Swiss foundation focused on biodiversity and natural habitat promotion, including an annual award. Directly comparable to Binding's environmental pillar and Binding Biodiversity Prize, though narrower in thematic scope.

Regional players

• Fondation SUISA: Swiss music-focused grantmaking foundation supporting composers, performers, and music dissemination. Comparable to Binding's old music funding stream in its music-specific grantmaking focus within Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/binding-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Sophie Und Karl Binding Stiftung