Foundation Pro Mente Sana

What Foundation Pro Mente Sana does

Foundation Pro Mente Sana is a Swiss charitable foundation (Stiftung Pro Mente Sana / Fondazione Pro Mente Sana), headquartered at Hardturmstrasse 261, Zürich, and operating under Swiss foundation law with supervision by the Federal Supervisory Foundation Authority (ESA) and ZEWO certification. Founded in 1978 (with the Treffpunkt Nordliecht opening in 1997), the foundation operates with 11–50 employees and delivers free interdisciplinary psychosocial and legal counselling, community-based recovery support, and mental health awareness programming to people with mental health challenges, their families, and referring professionals in German-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland.

The foundation's service portfolio spans an integrated set of offerings: a free national helpline (0848 800 858), encrypted e-counselling, walk-in counselling at Treffpunkt Nordliecht (Tuesdays and Fridays), in-person counselling at its Zürich headquarters and Mendrisio (Ticino) regional office, peer-support and trialog programmes delivered through cantonal psychiatric partners, the ensa first aid for mental health training programme, the «Wie geht's dir?» awareness campaign with a companion mobile app and multilingual content, mental health@work workplace programming, the Magazin «Kontext» periodical, recovery seminars, legal courses, and psychiatric advance directive support. Underlying technology is intentionally modest: the foundation is a service organisation rather than a software company, with technology use limited to communications, the e-counselling portal, the app, and payment processing via RaiseNow AG (PCI DSS-compliant).

The business model is a multi-source nonprofit funding model: private donations from individuals, companies and foundations (tax-deductible in Switzerland), partial service financing from the Federal Office of Social Insurance (Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen) for counselling, membership solidarity contributions through the mental help club (self-determined annual fee), and legacies/bequests. ZEWO certification, external auditing by Von Grafenried AG Treuhand, and ESA supervision provide governance and donor-trust infrastructure. Service reach in 2024–2025 included 6,000+ consultations (2024) growing into the range recorded in 2025, 4,893 visits to Treffpunkt Nordliecht (2025), and 6,294 consultations in Ticino (2025). The foundation completed a significant capacity expansion in December 2024 with the relocation of Treffpunkt Nordliecht to a larger purpose-built facility in Zürich-Affoltern, funded in part by the Elly Schnorf-Schmid Stiftung and Baugarten Stiftung.

Name

Foundation Pro Mente Sana

Legal name

Stiftung Pro Mente Sana

Website

https://promentesana.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Foundation Pro Mente Sana is a Swiss charitable foundation operating since 1978 that delivers free psychosocial and legal counselling, recovery and peer-support programmes, and mental health awareness initiatives (ensa, «Wie geht's dir?») to people with mental health challenges, their families, and professionals across German-speaking and Italian-speaking Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (621330), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Mental health counseling
• Psychosocial support services
• Peer support groups
• Mental health first aid
• Mental health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 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 and charitable contributions: The foundation relies heavily on donations from private individuals, companies, and foundations. Donors can give to general operations or specifically designated projects (e.g., the free counselling service). ZEWO certification confirms adherence to proper use of charitable funds. Donations are tax-deductible in Switzerland.
2. Gönnerschaft (Membership fees / Solidarity contributions): The mental help club (mental help club) is a membership program for private individuals. Members pay a self-determined annual solidarity contribution (recommended as one-thousandth of annual income). In return they receive a newsletter, curated specialist articles, a 10% discount on legal courses, and a discount on ensa first aid courses.
3. Public subsidies and grants: The foundation receives government funding which is insufficient to cover all services, necessitating supplementary private donations. Additionally, partial financing for counselling services comes from the Federal Social Insurance Office (Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen), requiring registration of anonymized client data.
4. Legacies and bequests: Individuals can include Pro Mente Sana in their will or make bequests, enabling long-term legacy giving.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Foundation Pro Mente Sana provides free or low-cost psychosocial and legal counseling, peer support, mental health first aid training (ensa), self-help/trialog groups, and educational campaigns to people with mental health challenges and their families in Switzerland. Services are delivered through in-person meetings, walk-in counseling, a telephone helpline, and an encrypted e-counseling portal, supplemented by a community meeting space (Treffpunkt Nordliecht) and publications such as the Kontext magazine.

Product overview

Foundation Pro Mente Sana is a Swiss nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of services focused on mental health support, advocacy, and recovery. The core offerings include: (1) Walk-in and appointment-based psychosocial and legal counseling services (with e-counseling option), (2) The Treffpunkt Nordliecht meeting place providing a protected social space with meals, (3) The ensa mental health first aid training program, (4) The «Wie geht's dir?» (How Are You?) awareness campaign, (5) Recovery-oriented services including peer support, trialog seminars, and the «Recovery Wege entdecken» seminar, (6) Legal courses and psychiatric advance directives, (7) mental health@work workplace programs, and (8) The mental help club membership program. Services are delivered in German-speaking Switzerland (Zürich-based) and Ticino, with consultation statistics showing approximately 6,000 consultations in 2024. The organization functions as a service provider rather than a software product company, with services delivered primarily through in-person, phone, and electronic channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• mental help club: A patron/membership club supporting the foundation's work, offering members benefits such as newsletter access, discounts on legal courses and ensa first-aid courses, and a tax-deductible donation confirmation.
• ensa
• Wie geht's dir?
• Treffpunkt Nordliecht

Products and services

• Psychosocial and Legal Counseling Integrated counseling service combining psychosocial support with legal advisory for people with mental health challenges and their relatives in Switzerland.
• Walk-In Counseling Drop-in, no-appointment counseling service offering immediate psychosocial support to people with mental health challenges.
• Telephone Counseling Telephone-based psychosocial counseling helpline for individuals needing remote mental health support.
• e-Counseling Online psychosocial counseling delivered via an encrypted online portal, allowing remote access to mental health support.
• Treffpunkt Nordliecht Physical community meeting space offering low-cost meals, social gatherings, and group activities for people with mental health challenges and their relatives.
• ensa Mental Health First Aid Standardized mental health first aid training program offering basic, refresher, blended, and instructor courses for individuals and employers to recognize and respond to mental health crises.
• Trialog and Self-Help Groups Peer-led group meetings that bring together people with mental health challenges, family members, and professionals to support recovery and mutual aid.
• Peer Services Peer-led support activities drawing on lived experience of mental health challenges, complementing professional counseling.
• Recovery Seminar "Recovery Wege entdecken" Educational seminar introducing participants to recovery concepts and personal recovery pathways in mental health.
• Legal Courses (Rechtskurse) Educational courses covering legal topics relevant to people with mental health challenges, complementing the foundation's legal counseling service.
• Psychiatric Advance Directive (Patientenverfügung) Support service helping clients prepare psychiatric advance directives and articulate self-determined treatment preferences.
• mental health@work Workplace mental health program that brings awareness, training, and resources to Swiss employers and their employees.
• mental help club Membership-based community offering for supporters and stakeholders providing ongoing engagement with the foundation's mental health mission.
• "Wie geht's dir?" Campaign National public awareness campaign promoting open conversation about mental health in Switzerland.
• Magazin "Kontext" Foundation-published magazine (and podcast) providing editorial content on mental health topics, recovery, and related policy issues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ consultations provided in 2024 (growing trend)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Selbsthilfe Schweiz (Self-Help Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro Mente Sana works with Selbsthilfe Schweiz to facilitate self-help groups and peer networks across Switzerland. Selbsthilfe Schweiz provides the infrastructure and coordination for self-help group searches and contributes podcast content featuring self-help experiences. This partnership is central to the foundation's community-led recovery model.
• Trialog und Antistigma SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrialog und Antistigma Schweiz runs trialog seminars in Zürich and Winterthur on psychosis, recovery, and other mental health topics. These seminars bring together people with lived experience, family members, and professionals for equal dialogue. Pro Mente Sana co-develops and promotes these programs.
• Verein EX-IN SchweizcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVerein EX-IN Schweiz provides peer specialist training (EXpertise INvolvement). Pro Mente Sana refers people interested in peer work to EX-IN for training and maintains a peer pool connection. The foundation does not provide peer training itself.
• Verein EX-IN BodenseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn additional regional EX-IN training provider with cross-border reach (Germany/Switzerland/Liechtenstein). Referenced as an alternative training pathway for peer specialists.
• Cantonal psychiatric services (SRO AG, Luzerner Psychiatrie, Solodaris, PDGR, and others)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarious cantonal psychiatric institutions deliver trialog seminars, recovery groups, and psychosis seminars under their own branding, with Pro Mente Sana providing content support, facilitation training, and cross-promotion. Partners include SRO AG Langenthal, Luzerner Psychiatrie AG, Solodaris Stiftung, Stand by you Chur, Stiftung Phönix Zug, and others.
• Stiftung Mühlehalde (residential facility)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReto Frey, the Nordliecht cook, previously worked at the residential facility of Stiftung Mühlehalde, where he resumed cooking during his rehabilitation after a suicide attempt and vision loss. This connection illustrates the integration of the foundation's ecosystem with partner residential facilities.
• Podcast Psychologos (Sara Taubman-Hildebrand)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPro Mente Sana collaborates with the PSYCHOLOGOS podcast to produce episodes about the Treffpunkt Nordliecht and mental health topics, reaching audiences through audio content and storytelling.
• Von Grafenried AG TreuhandcoreOthersExternal auditing firm that conducts regular financial audits of Pro Mente Sana, ensuring funds are used for their designated purpose. Also audited by the Federal Foundation Supervisory Authority (ESA).
• Pro Mente Sana Ticino media partners (RSI, La Regione)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss public broadcaster RSI (Radiotelevisione Svizzera di lingua italiana) and newspaper La Regione have featured Pro Mente Sana Ticino activities, including the first expert-by-experience in Ticino, first aid courses, and mental health recovery topics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Caritas Schweiz: Large Swiss humanitarian organization providing social counselling, integration support, and emergency aid across all cantons. Comparable as a federally recognized Swiss nonprofit foundation with ZEWO certification, multi-regional branch structure, and diversified funding from donations and public contracts.
• Pro Juventute: Swiss foundation for children, youth, and families, providing counselling, the 147 helpline, and family services. Comparable as a long-standing Swiss private foundation with national helpline, multi-cantonal reach, donations, and federal grant funding — though serving younger populations.
• Pro Senectute: Switzerland's largest foundation for elderly people, providing services, counselling, and advocacy across all cantons. Comparable as a federally recognized Swiss private foundation with cantonal branch network, donations, and government funding — though focused on aging rather than mental health.
• Schweizerisches Rotes Kreuz: Swiss Red Cross — federally chartered humanitarian organization operating cantonal branches delivering health, social, and integration services. Comparable as a large Swiss nonprofit umbrella organization with multi-regional presence, federal recognition, and donor-funded service delivery model.

Direct peers

• Telefonseelsorge Schweiz: Swiss emotional support helpline providing anonymous, confidential listening and counselling by phone and online — operates the 143 SMS service and shares Pro Mente Sana's mission of free, accessible psychosocial support for people in distress. Comparable as a Swiss nonprofit mental health crisis and emotional support organization.
• Die Dargebotene Hand: Swiss crisis helpline at 143 offering 24/7 confidential support by phone, chat, and email across mental health, loneliness, and crisis — directly comparable to Pro Mente Sana's national helpline (0848 800 858) and e-counselling service. Both are federally relevant Swiss mental health support charities with multi-channel delivery.

Regional players

• Berner Gesundheit: Foundation for health promotion in the Canton of Bern delivering counselling, prevention programs, and mental health services — comparable to Pro Mente Sana as a cantonal/regional Swiss health foundation offering psychosocial counselling and health promotion, though geographically focused on Bern.

Others

• Selbsthilfe Schweiz: Swiss coordinating body for self-help groups and peer networks across cantons. Pro Mente Sana's explicit strategic partner for self-help facilitation and podcast content. Not a direct peer but thematically adjacent — operates in the same community-based mental health ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://promentesana.ch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyEGGwYuVxDrXbIHh2KRGAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/promentesana.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/promentesana
• Instagraminstagram.com/promentesana

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Foundation Pro Mente Sana