But there's money from the Sandoz honey pots

The Sandoz Family Foundation has a stake in the pharmaceutical giant Novartis, owns several luxury hotels and watch companies and is active in promoting research and culture. Meanwhile, the new "Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz" is still "in a strategy development phase". Fundraiso shows which projects the three Sandoz foundations support and how fundraisers can raise money.

Even children know the name "Sandoz". If you have a cough, your doctor will occasionally prescribe a syrup from the generics manufacturer Sandoz. The company claims to be "one of the world market leaders" in such off-patent medicines. The company was originally founded in 1886 as the Swiss chemical company "Kern & Sandoz" in Basel. Today, however, Sandoz is headquartered in Holzkirchen near Munich in Germany.

Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy became Novartis

Sandoz claims to be the global market leader in "generic" antibiotics and sells pharmaceutical products in more than 160 countries. In 1996, the merger of the Swiss companies Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy led to the creation of the Basel-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis. In 2003, Novartis bundled its generics business under the already established Sandoz brand. As a Novartis subsidiary, Sandoz generated sales of almost USD 10 billion in 2019. The Sandoz Family Foundation holds 3.45% of Novartis' share capital via the investment company Emasan AG in Basel. According to various sources, the family foundation receives around CHF 200 to 250 million in dividends from Novartis every year.

Novartis stake supports Sandoz family foundation

The name Sandoz is therefore not only a savior for people with a cough, but also triggers monetary "expectations of salvation" among fundraisers, hoteliers, watchmakers, researchers and creative artists. If you search for the name "Sandoz" on Fundraiso.ch, you will get a list of six foundations with "Sandoz" in their name. The following foundations are linked to the billionaire family dynasty:

The "Sandoz-Fondation de Famille", founded in 1964 and based in Glarus. Fundraiso.ch estimates the assets of this family foundation, which is not supervised by the state, at around seven billion Swiss francs. The foundation's spokesman is Jörg Denzler. He works for the commercial "Sandoz Family Office SA" in Pully near Lausanne. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of this public limited company is the management consultant and auditor Thomas Stenz from Küsnacht (ZH). Stenz is a member of the Board of Directors of Allreal, a former Ernst & Young partner and runs the company AAC Consulting AG in Zurich. According to information provided by telephone, he "primarily works as a financial expert and consultant on a mandate basis for Sandoz Family Office SA." He had nothing to do directly with the Sandoz Foundation.
The Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz (FEMS) was established in 1982 in Pully near Lausanne. According to Jörg Denzler, its main mission is "to promote the works of Edouard Marcel Sandoz (1881-1971) and Maurice Yves Sandoz". Edouard was the artistically talented son of the founder of "Sandoz AG", Maurice his brother. Fundraiso estimates the assets of this foundation at 25 million francs. The FEMS pursues exclusively artistic and cultural goals. The foundation also aims to stimulate artistic creation and support young artists, institutions, societies or foundations of public interest through grants, prize money or in other ways.
Thecharitable "La Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz" (FPFS), founded in November 2018. It is also based in Pully. According to its spokesperson Jörg Denzler, this foundation "bundles, coordinates and manages social, philanthropic and patronage activities". The aim of the FPFS is to support projects or institutions in the fields of education, environmental protection, culture, social affairs, health and humanitarian work. Foundation spokesperson Jörg Denzler did not answer written questions about the allocation practice, the foundation's current assets and much more due to a "phase of strategy development". It is still too early to communicate more details about this foundation. Nevertheless, there is an application form on the website. How much money is available therefore remains unclear. Nevertheless, applications should be answered within a maximum of four months.

Son of the Sandoz founder launched the family foundation

The first-named "Sandoz-Fondation de Famille" is one of the most influential and well-funded family foundations in Switzerland. It was founded by the sculptor and painter Edouard-Marcel Sandoz. The son of the founder of Sandoz AG defined the aim of this family foundation as the promotion of entrepreneurial commitment by means of long-term investments in companies in various sectors. In addition to economic criteria, the family foundation is concerned with the promotion of "entrepreneurship and innovation" and the "cultivation of Swiss entrepreneurial tradition". According to its website, its investments are geared towards a strategic goal: "The preservation of high quality and the protection of fundamental social values".

Family foundation holds various minority and majority shareholdings

Through various companies and holding companies, the Sandoz Family Foundation is directly or indirectly active in the pharmaceutical industry, agribusiness, the hotel industry and the watch industry. In Switzerland, for example, the foundation has built up the watch brand Parmigiani and the watch movement manufacturer Vaucher. It is also active in the 5-star hotel industry with the "Riffelalp Resort" in Zermatt, the "Beau Rivage" in Lausanne and "La Palafitte" in Neuchâtel. According to its website, the philosophy underlying all of its commitments is geared towards "technological innovation, sustainable development and the creation of new jobs". The foundation has also supported art and science in the past. Several Sandoz family members are involved in the activities of the family foundation in Switzerland or abroad. In particular, the following institutions are supported:

Former ETH Board President is Chairman of the Foundation Board

Fritz Schiesser from Glarus Süd is currently President of the Family Foundation. Schiesser is no stranger to the job: He is a lawyer and notary in the canton of Glarus. From 1990 to 2007, he was an FDP member of the Council of States for the canton of Glarus. He was also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) until 2007. Until spring 2019, Schiesser also served as President of the ETH Board. He has many years of experience in foundation law.

Support for Sandoz family members as the foundation's purpose

Capital investments are not the only goal of the entrepreneurial family foundation. It also aims to support the many descendants of Sandoz with money. Specifically, family members can receive a sum from the foundation at the start of their career if they want to set up their own company. In an interview published in 1998, Pierre Landolt, then President of the Sandoz Foundation and current Vice President of the Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation, said: "The rule in the family is simple: everyone is entitled to a start-up grant. You get a check to settle in and then you make ends meet". Pierre Landolt was the last family representative on the Novartis Board of Directors. At the foundations, however, family members still play a decisive role - in the so-called Family Council. This informal body meets several times a year.

More than 600 requests per year

The Sandoz Family Foundation is also involved in science and research and provides assistant professorships and assistantships to Swiss universities and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. The Foundation also supports cultural institutions and events. To this end, it provides an annual budget with grants of between 1,000 and several hundred thousand francs. According to the foundation's website, "more than 600 requests are reviewed each year".

However, the "Fondation Edouard et Maurice Sandoz" (FEMS) is generally responsible for supporting art, culture and science. This is the counterpart to the more commercial activities of the Sandoz Family Foundation. For example, the FEMS awards an annual prize of 100,000 francs to an artist whose project impresses the jury of the "Prix FEMS". The prize is awarded alternately to a representative from the fields of sculpture, literature, painting and music.

The third foundation in the trio: the FPFS

The youngest foundation in the trio, the "Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz"(FPFS), is committed to projects or institutions that contribute to the development of society in Switzerland and abroad. More specific objectives are to support projects or institutions in the areas of education, training, environmental protection, culture, social affairs, health and humanitarian work. The Foundation Board examines applications from institutions that pursue charitable goals, are based in Switzerland and are active in one or other of the above-mentioned areas. According to Jörg Denzler, "unsuitable" applications to the older family foundation are forwarded to the new "Fondation Philanthropique Famille Sandoz". This foundation does not respond to applications to cover deficits or applications from commercial institutions. Even projects or events that have already been carried out have no chance of receiving a windfall from the honey pots of the billion-strong Sandoz family dynasty.

Bernhard Bircher-Suits, FundCom AG