SWISSAID
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1948
- HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What SWISSAID does
SWISSAID is a private Swiss development foundation (Stiftung) founded in 1948, headquartered in Bern at Lorystrasse 6a, with a second Swiss office in Lausanne. The organization fights hunger and promotes sustainable livelihoods in the Global South through programs in nine countries across three continents: Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Tanzania, Chad, Kenya, India, Myanmar, Ecuador, and Colombia. Its thematic focus areas are agroecology, gender equality, seed sovereignty, climate adaptation, responsible raw materials, and emergency aid. Approximately 180+ staff implement field projects and around 300,000 beneficiaries were reached in 2025. The foundation is ZEWO-certified, ensuring audited handling of donations, and operates under Swiss foundation law (commercial register CHE-105.911.139).
SWISSAID's core methodology is the promotion of agroecological farming practices, local seed systems, and women's empowerment among smallholder farming communities, in opposition to industrial agriculture and seed privatization. In 2023, 57,487 farming families used agroecological methods, 41,057 people gained access to regional seeds, and 21,040 households overcame food shortages. The organization delivers programs through direct field operations and a network of local partner organizations, and contributes case studies to coalitions including the Sufosec Alliance (six Swiss NGOs covering ~125,000 households of nutrition data), the Agroecology Works! Network, the Agroecology Coalition, and IPES-FOOD. It partners operationally with the World Food Programme on school canteens in Chad.
The revenue model is donation-based across four streams: private donations from approximately 45,000 individuals (with suggested monthly tiers of 60/120/240 CHF), institutional funding from government agencies and foundations, philanthropy and corporate partnerships including legacy gifts, and school programs. Around 18 million CHF was deployed in 2025 for sustainable self-help projects. GTM motion is direct-to-consumer in Switzerland through website donations, newsletters, a podcast ('Hungrig auf Lösungen' / 'En quête de solutions'), a quarterly multilingual magazine, social media, annual Agroecology Days events, and door-to-door campaigns via third-party face-to-face fundraising firms.
SWISSAID firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SWISSAID
- Legal name
- Stiftung SWISSAID
- Website
- https://swissaid.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1948
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SWISSAID industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development Aid
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Nutrition & Food Security (Global Health) NGOs (HLAJAKAH), Global Health Financing Mechanisms & Pooled Funds (HLAJAOAC), International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO)
Keywords
Where SWISSAID is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bern
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
SWISSAID business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Private Donations: Individual donors contribute through various programs including monthly donations, one-time gifts, and sponsorship. The organization had approximately 45,000 donors supporting their work in 2025.
- Institutional Funding: Support from institutional donors including government agencies, foundations, and development organizations to fund development projects in partner countries.
- Philanthropy and Partnerships: Corporate partnerships, major gifts, and legacy bequests from wealthy individuals and philanthropists.
- School Programs: Schools participate through educational partnerships, school sponsorships, and student engagement programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Suggested donation tiers for monthly or one-time giving |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
SWISSAID product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SWISSAID is a Swiss development foundation that funds and implements long-term rural development and humanitarian programs in nine partner countries across three continents. Its work centers on fighting hunger through agroecology, advancing gender equality, supporting climate change adaptation, advocating for seed and raw materials sovereignty, and delivering emergency aid, reaching approximately 300,000 beneficiaries with annual expenditures of around 18 million CHF.
Product overview
SWISSAID is a Swiss development NGO (not a technology company) whose primary offerings are development cooperation programs in nine countries, supplemented by content/communication products including publications (annual reports, nutrition studies, agroecology reports, position papers), the SWISSAID Magazine, a podcast series 'En quête de solutions – 5 facets of hunger', and an online donation platform. SWISSAID does not offer a software product in the traditional sense; their programs focus on sustainable agriculture (agroecology), gender equality, climate adaptation, and food security. The organization also produces school educational materials and maintains a multilingual web presence for donor engagement and project dissemination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 300,000 beneficiaries supported in 2025
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use SWISSAID
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
SWISSAID technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SWISSAID partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Sufosec AlliancecoreSufosec – Swiss Alliance for Sustainable Food Worldwide – is a coalition of six Swiss NGOs with the goal of permanently overcoming global hunger. SWISSAID is a member along with Helvetas, Interpeace, IUCN, Light for the World, and SDC. The alliance publishes nutrition reports based on data from around 125,000 households and conducts joint advocacy work.
- Agroecology Works! NetworkcoreSWISSAID co-founded this network to show the public the potential of agroecology and campaign for political change in Switzerland.
- World Food Programme (WFP)majorSWISSAID and WFP collaborate on school canteens in Chad, guaranteeing every child a daily meal in the south and east of the country.
- Seed Savers NetworkmajorKenyan partner organization implementing community seed bank projects to protect rural livelihoods and strengthen food security through farmer-led initiatives.
- Agroecology CoalitioncoreSWISSAID contributes case studies to the Agroecology Coalition, showcasing agroecology in action with stories from the ground.
- IPES-FOODmajorCollaboration on reports regarding digital innovation in agriculture, with SWISSAID projects in Ecuador and Colombia featured as examples of equitable approaches to digital agroecology.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights6 records
SWISSAID competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Oxfam International: Global confederation of development NGOs working on poverty, food security, and gender equality. Overlaps with SWISSAID on agroecology, gender, and climate themes, but at vastly greater scale; compete with SWISSAID for media attention and institutional donor funds.
- Caritas Switzerland: Large Swiss development and humanitarian organization based in Switzerland with similar mandate around hunger, gender, and international development. Direct competitor for Swiss individual donors and ZEWO-certified institutional trust.
- CARE International: Global humanitarian and development organization with comparable focus on women's empowerment, food security, and climate resilience. Operates in many of the same countries as SWISSAID and competes for institutional funding from the same government donors.
- World Vision International: Large faith-based humanitarian organization with sponsorship-driven donor model similar to SWISSAID's individual giving programs. Both rely on mass-market donor engagement and child/sponsor program mechanics.
- Welthungerhilfe: Large German development NGO focused on hunger, food security, and rural development across a similar Global South footprint. Both organizations compete in the DACH/Northern European donor market and focus on agroecology and smallholder farming as core themes.
Direct peers
- Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss development NGO with a comparable operational model: agroecology/rural livelihoods focus, similar ~9-country footprint, multiple thousands of Swiss individual donors, and co-member of the Sufosec Alliance. Head-to-head peer for both Swiss donor wallet share and institutional funding.
- Light for the World: Austrian/Swiss development NGO co-member of the Sufosec Alliance alongside SWISSAID. Operates in similar countries with comparable program size, fundraising approach in the DACH region, and thematic overlap on inclusion and rights.
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): Sufosec Alliance co-member with environmental and biodiversity focus that overlaps SWISSAID's agroecology and seed biodiversity work. Both are Swiss-headquartered and compete for similar institutional environmental funding.
- Interpeace: Swiss-headquartered peacebuilding organization and Sufosec Alliance co-member. Overlaps with SWISSAID in working across partner countries in Africa and Latin America with similar project scale and funding mix.
- Solidarités International: French-headquartered NGO operating in similar fragile-state contexts (Sahel, Chad, Niger, Myanmar) with comparable project size and focus on food security, WASH, and livelihoods for vulnerable populations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SWISSAID social profiles
Digital presenceSWISSAID compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
SWISSAID financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SWISSAID leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SWISSAID funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SWISSAID M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SWISSAID
What does SWISSAID do?
SWISSAID is a Swiss development foundation that funds and implements long-term rural development and humanitarian programs in nine partner countries across three continents. Its work centers on fighting hunger through agroecology, advancing gender equality, supporting climate change adaptation, advocating for seed and raw materials sovereignty, and delivering emergency aid, reaching approximately 300,000 beneficiaries with annual expenditures of around 18 million CHF.
Is SWISSAID a public or private company?
SWISSAID is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SWISSAID founded?
SWISSAID was founded in 1948. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SWISSAID based?
SWISSAID is headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does SWISSAID make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Private Donations are the primary driver. The others are institutional Funding, philanthropy and Partnerships and school Programs.
Who are SWISSAID's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Oxfam International, Caritas Switzerland, CARE International, World Vision International and Welthungerhilfe. Direct peers are Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Light for the World, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Interpeace and Solidarités International.
Does SWISSAID have an API?
No public API is recorded for SWISSAID.
What industry is SWISSAID in?
SWISSAID's product category is International Development Aid. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAA, Private Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8300.