Scholarship paradise Switzerland - Foundations as scholarship providers
In addition to cantonal scholarship offices, numerous foundations in Switzerland also award scholarships to people in education. Around 1,200 foundations are involved in helping individual cases and provide support where the public sector does not provide funding. Scholarships are very rarely awarded by the state for retraining/secondary education or further training. Foundations often step in by awarding grants or loans. The effort involved in processing individual applications is high and poses major challenges for smaller foundations in particular. According to stipendium.ch, hundreds of foundations have given up supporting individuals in the last 10 years. In 2012, there were still around 1500 foundations that accepted individual applications. But which foundations are providing equal opportunities in the education sector? In the following, Fundraiso presents some of the most important scholarship foundations in Switzerland.
Examples of important scholarship foundations in Switzerland
The Fritz Gerber Foundation supports talented young people between the ages of 10 and 25 with scholarships in the areas of education, culture, sport and crafts. Cross-country skier Dario Cologna already benefited from scholarships from the foundation between 2003 and 2006. The foundation awarded scholarships worth 1.5 million Swiss francs in 2020.
According to its own information, the Pestalozzi Foundation aims to help young people and young adults from Swiss mountain and peripheral regions in a financially difficult situation with their education and further training. According to information on its website, the foundation has supported a total of 8,573 scholarship holders with a total amount of over CHF 42 million between its establishment in 1961 and the end of 2020. The foundation has thus made a massive contribution to the scholarship sector. The foundation can award scholarships for initial training. Loans are generally granted for further education. The website also mentions age restrictions.
The Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation supports people living in the Canton of Bern with educational grants and thus contributes to equal opportunities in the field of education. The support is of a financial nature and is subsidiary. The contributions are therefore paid if the applicant, the canton, the municipalities or other potential donors cannot fully cover the costs and additional costs of the educational projects.
The atDta Foundation was established in 1997 and is committed to the principle of helping people to help themselves. According to its own statement, the foundation supports people in "effectively developing their ability to help themselves". The foundation acts as a sponsor and makes grants to both individuals and smaller, mainly voluntary aid organizations. Over CHF 500,000 in scholarships were awarded in 2020.
According to information on the website, the education foundation for the canton of Schwyz and the districts of See and Gaster (canton of St. Gallen) was founded in 1997 by Heinrich Gebert (1917-2007) and his son in Schwyz. Heinrich Gebert was co-owner and managing director of the Geberit Group in Rapperswil. The education foundation was endowed with a founding capital of 30 million Swiss francs. It is managed by a Board of Trustees and is subject to the Central Switzerland Foundation Supervisory Authority in Lucerne. The main purpose of the foundation is to promote education. It awards scholarships and research grants. Students who are studying at a university, university of applied sciences or technical college can apply for scholarships. The condition is that they have previously completed a vocational apprenticeship or passed a diploma or baccalaureate examination. In addition, there must be a connection to the canton of Schwyz or the districts of See and Gaster. Age restrictions are also listed.
The Moriz and Elsa von Kuffner Foundation was established in 1960 by Stephan Kuffner. The foundation's website states the following: "His concern was to support people in social need and the mountain population. As a young man, he often accompanied his father on mountain tours in the Swiss Alps. At the same time, he wanted to use the foundation to express his gratitude for the asylum that Switzerland granted his family when they had to flee from Hitler in Vienna in 1938. The foundation supports talented young people, especially those from mountain and peripheral regions, during their studies at a Swiss university, in particular at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, Swiss social welfare organizations of all kinds, nursing staff in training, as well as mountain communities and institutions in mountain regions. According to an express provision in the foundation charter, the religion and political affiliation of the recipients should play no role in the allocation of funds, but they should have Swiss citizenship. Since 1960, the Moriz and Elsa von Kuffner Foundation has donated a total of almost CHF 47 million."
According to its website, the Schmid Entrepreneurial Foundation pursues its objectives "in principle where funding and support from the public sector or other institutions, including private ones, are lacking or insufficient. It takes into account a personal responsibility appropriate to the circumstances and a proven will to achieve. Where scholarships or other aid from state institutions and organizations are provided, no benefits are provided by the foundation." The foundation primarily helps people in the canton of Lucerne who want to pursue an education but cannot find any support.
According to its own information, the Willy Müller Förderstiftung "supports suitable people in their training, vocational retraining or further education in the trades, crafts and related service professions and in becoming solidly self-employed. Irrespective of gender, origin and religion, it grants support contributions such as scholarships (à fonds perdu) or interest-free loans for two years to people between the ages of 18 and 40, in addition to funds they have raised themselves, insofar as no family or state support is possible. It provides grants for current or future projects and training. The foundation is active throughout Switzerland and considers people who have lived in Switzerland for at least two years."
The Giuseppe Kaiser Foundation was established in December 2001. It is committed to promoting talent - particularly in the arts and sciences - and supports cultural and charitable organizations. Another focus is on promoting/supporting children from underprivileged families and people who are physically or mentally impaired or socially disadvantaged.
The Charles E. Blatter Foundation writes the following about itself and its founder on its website: "Charles E. Blatter, born on February 15, 1910, was an important Zurich entrepreneur. After studying at the ETH Zurich, where he graduated as a civil engineer, Charles E. Blatter worked abroad for many years, particularly in Paris and Milan. He then took over the management of the company Rodio S.A. in Zurich, which was active in the field of special civil engineering and power plant construction (dams). Unmarried and childless, Charles E. Blatter established the Charles E. Blatter Foundation in Zurich on November 23, 1993, with the purpose of supporting students with limited financial means and appointed the foundation as his universal heir."
The Paul Josef Jenni Foundation: As the founder P.J. Jenni remained childless, he transferred his assets to a foundation in 1984. The income from the assets can be used to support unskilled workers for initial training and craftsmen and women for qualified further training. A maximum of CHF 25,000 per year is awarded to eligible scholarship holders, and a maximum of CHF 40,000 per year (including children) to married and cohabiting couples.