The enterprising engineer and his foundations
During the Second World War, Swiss mechanical engineer Bertold Suhner laid the foundations for a Swiss global corporation: Metrohm AG in Herisau in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (AR). The versatile entrepreneur Suhner had a heart for nature, people and animals. Fundraiso takes a look at the three Suhner foundations and shows what kind of projects they support.
Hardly any other country in the world has as many foundations in relation to its population as Switzerland. With a foundation density of 15.6 foundations per 10,000 inhabitants, Switzerland has six times more foundations per capita than the USA or Germany. This is shown by figures from Swissfoundations, the association of charitable foundations in Switzerland. According to the 2019 Foundation Report, the canton of AR has a comparatively high number of foundations among the cantons of Eastern Switzerland, with 112 foundations. The small canton also has an above-average foundation density of 20.3 foundations per 10,000 inhabitants. Bertold Suhner (1910-1988) from Herisau AR established just three grant-making foundations during his lifetime.
Suhner's goal: to preserve the natural foundations of human life
Suhner laid the foundation for his multi-million foundation assets by setting up his Metrohm AG in the middle of the war in 1943. Prior to this, he worked for several years in the family business, Suhner AG Herisau. Today, Metrohm AG is one of the world's largest manufacturers of high-precision instruments for chemical analysis and is active in over 80 countries. The Swiss manufacturer of precision instruments employs around 2,900 people and generates annual sales of several hundred million Swiss francs. Company founder Bertold Suhner's profession was technology, his passion was science. The son of a Herisau industrialist, he painted landscapes and played the organ. His house organ stood in his vacation home in Sils Maria. It was important to Suhner to use his money to support efforts to preserve the natural foundations of human life.
Foundation number 1: The "Bertold Suhner Foundation "
In 1968, Bertold Suhner established his first charitable foundation: the "Bertold Suhner Foundation". Sonja Strauch manages the foundation's office in Schachen near Herisau and is responsible for the administrative processing of incoming applications and financial accounting. The foundation is chaired by Jürg Wernli, a lawyer from Herisau. The purpose of the foundation is to promote non-profit-oriented endeavors that are in the public interest and serve the canton of AR and its population. Scientific, intellectual, cultural, social and charitable interests can be supported, as well as nature, landscape and heritage conservation projects and measures to preserve traditional cultural assets or improve the economic structure. There are no descriptions of funded projects on the website. The foundation also did not answer any questions from Fundraiso. According to an older report, the foundation also supports "little-known cultural practitioners" and has provided financial support to the "Tischlein deck dich" association in the past, for example. "Tischlein deckdich" rescues food from destruction and distributes it to people living in poverty.
Foundation number 2: The "Dr. Bertold Suhner Foundation "
As he grew older, Bertold Suhner became concerned about the destruction of the natural habitat of humans and animals. The entrepreneur therefore set up his second foundation: the Dr. Bertold Suhner Foundation (BSS), based in St. Gallen. Its purpose is to promote the protection of nature, animals and the countryside, primarily in Switzerland. Bertold Suhner originally used a legacy to increase the BSS foundation's assets by over CHF 10 million. At the end of 2019, the BSS had assets of CHF 20 million despite numerous bequests. One focus of the foundation's activities is in Eastern Switzerland. The requirements of the foundations are clearly defined on the website. Ignaz Hugentobler from Altstätten SG is the foundation's acting managing director. He examines incoming applications and supervises supported projects. The average funding amount in 2019 was CHF 20,000. Ignaz Hugentobler says: "Applications that correspond to the purpose of the foundation and are implementation-oriented have the best chance of success." According to Hugentobler, "20 percent of around 70 to 80 funding applications per year are approved".
The BSS has supported numerous projects in nature, animal and landscape conservation. One funding project, for example, was to support the Swiss lynx population. With the help of the BSS, the Coordination Office for Predators (KORA) carried out several projects to promote the Swiss lynx population. The foundation also supported measures by the Sempach Ornithological Institute to promote lapwings in Switzerland.
Foundation number 3: The "Metrohm Foundation "
Metrohm founder Bertold Suhner stepped down as Managing Director of Metrohm AG in 1982. Together with business partners Hans Winzeler and Lorenz Kuhn, the childless Suhner contributed his share capital to a third foundation: The Metrohm Foundation. In this way, the entrepreneur wanted to prevent his life's work from being sold. Metrohm AG thus belongs to the Metrohm Foundation. It is a corporate foundation that holds majority stakes in various companies. The foundation's assets are accumulated through profit distributions from Metrohm AG. The charitable activities of the Metrohm Foundation are focused on Eastern Switzerland with an emphasis on the cantons of AR/AI and St. Gallen. For example, the foundation supports pupils in the natural sciences and supports charitable causes. One major educational project was the introduction of IT lessons at Trogen grammar school. The school received a total of 3.6 million Swiss francs over several years.
"Great commitment to education and promoting talent "
Acting Metrohm Foundation President Bruno Winterhalter does not want to reveal any financial details about the foundation. What does become clear during the conversation: "Around half of all applications are approved." Willy Hartmann, who was President of the Metrohm Foundation until 2018, summed up the philosophy of awarding grants, which is still valid today, as follows: "We prefer to provide direct, tangible and local support rather than letting the money seep away in large events with a lot of bureaucracy. We would rather pay a soloist, help finance a theater performance or support an association or youth organization. Young people are the future of Switzerland - which is why we are so committed to educating and supporting talented pupils."
ETH graduate Bertold Suhner was also gifted. In 1984, at the age of 74, Bertold Suhner completed his doctorate at the University of Basel with his dissertation "On the application of infrared spectroscopy in mineralogy". Suhner died on April 26, 1988 at the age of 78. His name and his will live on in his foundations.
Bernhard Bircher-Suits, FundCom AG