Swiss grant-making foundations distribute around CHF 6 billion annually for the benefit of society - twice as much as previously assumed
It was previously assumed that grant-making foundations in Switzerland provide around CHF 3 billion annually for charitable purposes - an estimate based on data from 2002. Thanks to a recent data set, a new extrapolation has now been made. The latest analysis in the Swiss Foundation Report 2025 shows that the actual amount of funding is probably twice as high.
The Swiss Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations, which oversees more than a third of all charitable foundations (5,281), provided the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) with an anonymised and aggregated data set for scientific analysis. Thanks to the data provided, a current extrapolation was possible, which makes concrete statements on the distribution of foundation assets and distributions for funding purposes. According to the latest analysis, the grant-making foundations under federal supervision alone make an annual distribution of CHF 4.6 billion. For all grant-making foundations in Switzerland, including those under cantonal and local supervision, an annual expenditure of at least CHF 6 billion can therefore be assumed. This means that grant-making foundations play a far more important role than previously assumed.
More than just donors: Foundations make themselves fit for the future
Many foundations are rethinking the traditional model of simply distributing funds. They are introducing new impulses through participation, collaboration, a culture of feedback, and entrepreneurial funding models.
The "future-proof funding" initiative, launched for this purpose, takes a closer look at these aspects to help foundations maximize their societal impact in the future. This includes engaging in partnerships with grantees on an equal footing and fostering open dialogue. Foundations like SKKG in Winterthur, for example, are promoting an active feedback culture in order to make their activities more effective based on received input.
More and more frequently, foundations are joining forces in funding alliances to increase grant budgets, simplify processes, and pool knowledge.
Entrepreneurial funding models such as loans, equity stakes, or microfinancing are also gaining interest among foundations. While many have already been practicing impact investing at the asset management level, impact-oriented investments using grant capital are now opening up new opportunities for achieving impact on the funding side.
The Swiss Foundation Report is already in its sixteenth edition in 2025 and is published annually by the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Basel, SwissFoundations, the association of Swiss grant-making foundations, and the Centre for Foundation Law at the University of Zurich. It contains current figures, facts and trends from Switzerland and abroad and is intended to contribute to a better knowledge base in the foundation sector.