Paint a Smile Foundation

What Paint a Smile Foundation does

Paint a Smile Foundation is a non-profit foundation, founded in 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland, and recognized as serving the public interest under Swiss federal supervision. It designs and produces custom therapeutic frescoes, murals, and tactile installations that transform clinical interiors in hospitals, pediatric departments, geriatric facilities, nursing homes, specialized institutions for people with disabilities, and schools. Its core methodology is co-design: characters and environments are researched and developed collaboratively with medical staff, patients, and families, then realized by an in-house team of model makers, color specialists, graphic designers, and painters who work to hygiene protocols suitable for live healthcare environments. Beneficiary segments include hospitalized children, elderly patients with cognitive decline, children in UAPED (child-in-danger) reception units, and people with disabilities in specialized institutions.

The foundation operates a donation- and sponsorship-based revenue model with no commercial product sales. Funding sources include individual tax-deductible donations (Swiss IDE CHE-110.364.094), project-specific corporate sponsorships, and long-term corporate partners such as Caran d'Ache (since 2008) and Nestlé (since 2022), with UBS Switzerland AG acting as banking partner. It reports 232 projects completed across 18 countries and 97 locations decorated, supported by a lean team of 1-10 employees based at its Geneva headquarters. The foundation is governed by a board led by Nicolas Killen (president) with Claire Bulliard as director, and its accounts are audited by ECHO SA.

The go-to-market combines inbound applications from healthcare institutions, project-by-project fundraising, and a fundraising calendar that includes the annual Escalade race and solidarity events. The foundation pursues cross-functional partnerships (e.g., Fédération La Voix De l'Enfant for UAPED units in France) and aligns its activities with UN Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 11, and 17. In January 2026, it opened a foreign branch in France structured as a solidarity endowment fund, marking its first operational presence outside Switzerland.

Name

Paint a Smile Foundation

Legal name

Fondation Paint a Smile

Website

https://paintasmile.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Paint a Smile Foundation is a Geneva-based Swiss non-profit that designs and installs custom therapeutic frescoes and murals in hospitals, pediatric departments, nursing homes, and specialized institutions across 18 countries, funded by donations and corporate partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Environment Decoration Services

NAICS

Painting and Wall Covering Contractors (23832)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural & Decorative Painting (Interior/Exterior) (IMAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Therapeutic mural painting
• Healthcare environment art
• Hospital mural decoration
• Nonprofit healthcare art
• Clinical facility murals

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: Paint a Smile operates as a charitable foundation funded primarily through donations from individuals, corporations, and institutional donors. Donations are tax-deductible for Swiss residents. The foundation also accepts project-specific funding where donors can designate which facility or project their contribution supports.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Partnerships with companies like Caran d'Ache (since 2008), Nestlé (since 2022), and others who fund specific decoration projects in healthcare facilities. These strategic partnerships provide both funding and materials for projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Paint a Smile Foundation is a Geneva-based nonprofit foundation that designs, paints, and installs custom therapeutic murals and artistic frescoes in hospitals, pediatric wards, oncology units, burn units, and other care facilities. The organization works directly with healthcare institutions to humanize clinical environments and reduce patient anxiety through commissioned artistic interventions, completing projects internationally across 18 countries since its founding in 2000.

Product overview

Paint a Smile Foundation operates as a single-service nonprofit organization providing therapeutic fresco decoration services for healthcare facilities. The core offering is custom-painted murals and installations created by professional artists that transform hospital wards, nursing homes, and specialized institutions into welcoming, comforting environments. Services are organized by beneficiary type: Pediatric Healthcare Decoration for children in hospitals, UAPED Decoration for children in danger units, Elderly Care Decoration for nursing homes, and Specialized Institution Decoration for disability facilities. Additionally, Participatory Art Projects engage communities in collaborative mural creation. All services follow a five-stage process: project identification, funding, design concept, realization with hygiene protocols, and inauguration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Therapeutic Mural Program Custom-designed and hand-painted therapeutic murals installed in hospitals, pediatric wards, oncology departments, burn units, and other care facilities to reduce patient anxiety and humanize clinical environments. Delivered for hospital administrations and care facility operators as a commissioned service funded via donations and sponsorships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 232 projects completed across 18 countries in 26 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, partner, key partner and strategic partner.

• Fondation Alfred et Eugénie Baursupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Project funder for pediatric surgery department at HUG, bringing softness and comfort throughout the care journey of young patients.
• SC Johnsonsupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Project funder for Hôpital Dufresne-Sommeiller general medicine and palliative care units decoration, designed to bring calm, poetry, and gentleness to fragile life moments.
• Fondation Étoile Filantesupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Project funder for La Tour Hospital pediatric department alongside Nestlé and Institut Le Rosey. Fondation Étoile Filante enthusiastically supports Paint a Smile projects.
• Institut Le Roseysupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Co-funder with Nestlé and Fondation Étoile Filante for La Tour Hospital pediatric department project.
• Ville de Veveysupporting partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Municipal partner for participatory art projects in school playgrounds, including Collège de Plan murals created with students and artists.
• Fondation Clair BoispartnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Receiving organization for participatory mural from Romandie Cap 2025 Congress. Foundation supports children and young people with special needs daily.
• Nestlékey partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Since 2022, Nestlé has been collaborating with Paint a Smile to create welcoming environments in schools and care facilities. This partnership reflects commitment to the local community and the power of collaboration in supporting the development of future generations. Nestlé has funded multiple projects including participatory murals in schools and pediatric department decorations.
• Fédération La Voix De l'Enfantstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership since 2019 to decorate Pediatric Reception Units for Children in Danger (UAPED) across France, making these listening places more welcoming, pleasant, and protective for child victims. First fresco was created at UAPED in Beauvais.
• Caran d'Achekey partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2008Since 2008, Caran d'Ache has been supporting Paint a Smile, bringing emotion and colour to places where they are most needed. This partnership represents a human adventure shared by the teams at Caran d'Ache and Paint a Smile, highlighting a mutual passion for creativity and offering an invitation to dream and escape.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RxArt: US-based non-profit that commissions contemporary artists to create installations in pediatric hospitals. Direct peer — same therapeutic-art-in-healthcare mission, similar donation-funded model, though focused on art installations rather than painted frescoes.
• Splashes of Hope: Non-profit that hand-paints murals in hospitals and healthcare facilities for children and adults, comparable in core service (therapeutic murals in clinical settings) and funding model (donations and corporate partnerships).
• St+art India Foundation: Non-profit that uses street art and murals to transform public spaces, including hospitals and schools. Peer in large-scale mural transformation with social purpose, with comparable donation and partnership funding.
• Foundation for Hospital Art: Non-profit that organizes group volunteer painting events to decorate hospital walls worldwide. Direct peer in healthcare mural decoration, with comparable donation-supported model and hospital customer base.
• Mural Arts Philadelphia: Non-profit public art program producing large-scale murals with social impact themes including health and community well-being. Peer in therapeutic/transformative mural work, though broader scope and US-based.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with established healthcare practice specializing in healing environment design. Comparable as a broad incumbent in therapeutic hospital design, offering overlapping capabilities but as part of a much wider design portfolio.
• MASS Design Group: Architecture and design firm with pioneering healthcare practice (e.g., Butaro Hospital, Rwanda) that integrates therapeutic environment design into building projects. Comparable focus on healing environments but as a design/architecture firm rather than artistic decoration service.
• The Center for Health Design: US non-profit that promotes evidence-based design of healthcare environments. Comparable as a thought leader in healing-environment research, though focuses on research/policy rather than direct mural execution.

Others

• Caran d'Ache: Swiss manufacturer of art supplies and writing instruments; long-standing corporate partner of Paint a Smile since 2008. Adjacent ecosystem participant — supplies materials and provides funding, not a competitor.
• Fédération La Voix De l'Enfant: French federation of child welfare associations; strategic partner of Paint a Smile since 2019 for UAPED projects. Adjacent ecosystem participant — institutional funder and project referrer, not a competing service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paint-a-smile-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Paint a Smile Foundation