Swiss Foundation Directory by Fundraiso.ch

fundraiso.ch offers an electronic foundation directory that serves as a central hub for finding foundations, donors, or sponsors in Switzerland.

PDF and Excel Directories – Individually & flexibly usable

Anyone who needs a foundation directory in a specific format can request various options. For example, daily updated lists can be created for individual cantons. Complete directories as PDF or Excel are also available and can be ordered directly.

Differences to the foundation directory of fundraiso.ch

The federal foundation directory of the Confederation lists only foundations that are under federal supervision. Foundations under the supervision of cantons, municipalities, districts, or church institutions are missing there. fundraiso.ch, on the other hand, additionally records:

• Foundations under cantonal, municipal, or church supervision
• Dependent foundations
• Public-law foundations that are not registered in the commercial register.

An overview of the composition of the database can be found on the statistics page of fundraiso.ch.

Relevant information about Swiss foundations

Anyone wishing to delve deeper into the Swiss foundation sector will find valuable information in various reports and statistics:

• Swiss Foundation Report: This report by the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) at the University of Basel regularly provides up-to-date data on the foundation sector, such as assets, foundation purposes, and regional distributions.
• Foundation statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO): These statistics offer insights into foundations, liquidations, and financial key figures of foundations in Switzerland.

Such sources help to understand the significance and dynamics of the foundation sector.

Everyday application possibilities

The search functions of fundraiso.ch enable quick and targeted research. What distinguishes the foundation directory of fundraiso.ch:

• Maximum data coverage: Access to all roughly 13,984 charitable foundations in Switzerland as well as all registered family and church foundations.
• Intelligent search filters: Do not only search by name, but filter specifically by keywords (such as "art", "education", or "environment"), funding purposes, and regions.
• Clear categorization: Save time by quickly distinguishing between purely grant-making foundations (which allocate funds) and operationally active foundations (which implement their own projects).
• Direct access: Where available, fundraiso.ch offers direct links to the websites of the foundations as well as important additional information at a glance.

Use fundraiso.ch as your central node to transparently analyze the Swiss foundation market.

Facts from the Swiss Foundation Report 2026

The foundation sector in Switzerland is dynamic and constantly changing. To give you a current overview of the market, we summarize the most important developments here based on data from the CEPS (Center for Philanthropy Studies):

• Growth and billions in assets: The foundation sector continues to grow – in 2025, 325 new foundations faced only 253 liquidations. The development of capital is particularly impressive: The total foundation assets in Switzerland have increased significantly and now amount to CHF 159.6 billion. This corresponds to an increase of 14.4% compared to the year 2020 (then CHF 139.5 billion).
• Geographical distribution (German-speaking Switzerland, Romandy, Ticino): Although the German-speaking canton of Zurich leads the national ranking with 2,218 foundations ahead of Bern (1,417), the strongest growth dynamics are currently seen in Romandy and Ticino. Geneva (1,401) and Ticino, in particular, are recording clear net growth. Geneva is well on its way to soon displacing Bern from second place. At the same time, growth is stagnating or even declining in 13 other – predominantly German-speaking – cantons.
• Focus on local impact: Contrary to the assumption that foundations operate predominantly globally, more than half (51.6%) are active locally, municipally, or regionally, exerting their impact in their immediate environment. Only 24.7% pursue a purely international purpose.
• Volunteering and management: The foundation landscape is sustained by volunteer work. 92.4% of foundation board members hold only a single mandate. Since only 18.3% of foundations have management registered in the commercial register, the foundation boards take on the operational tasks themselves in the vast majority of cases.