A new year, new perspectives. Equestrio Foundation has joined SwissFoundations, the association of Swiss donor foundations, which has been working since 2001 to represent them independently in both the political and economic arenas. We are very excited about this new collaboration which will allow us to benefit from the experiences of various stakeholders with whom we share the same commitment for a better world.
How generous is Switzerland?
As we are joining an association which is key for the structuring and development of philanthropy in Switzerland, let’s start with a rapid overview of Swiss generosity…
Philanthropy in Switzerland: a matter of tradition
Swiss philanthropy goes back a long way. Did you know that one of the eldest foundations – the Inselspital in Bern – dates back to 1354 and is still in operation after more than 660 years? Over the centuries, and especially in the last 20 years, a lot of effort has gone into enabling Swiss philanthropy to grow in scale and impact.
A generous nation, yet with room for improvement!
Today Switzerland can boast having 13,667 charitable foundations[1], with total donations amounting to CHF 2.305bn[2] and 80% of Swiss households having made a donation in 2021. This is a rather heartening figure which reflects the Swiss population’s awareness and willingness to contribute to alleviating major social and environmental challenges.
However, when taking a step back and looking at donations on a global level, Switzerland ranks a low 97th position (out of 114)[3] in terms of generosity, with Indonesia[4], Kenya and Nigeria leading the way. Food for thought…
Giving voice to our combats with SwissFoundations
SwissFoundations stands as the “voice” of these Swiss foundations. No doubt, therefore, that we were made for each other!
The association, which brings together Swiss charitable foundations of all sizes, is committed to consolidating and developing the Swiss philanthropic scene by reinforcing the search for efficiency, sharing of experience, transparency and professionalism among member foundations.
SwissFoundations members invest over CHF 1bn annually in projects and initiatives for the common good, thus accounting for more than a third of the sector’s annual donations.
Nurturing together the energy of philanthropy
Despite the climate emergency, the collapse of the living world and the loss of our biodiversity, we are convinced that it is still not too late to take action. But we also know that this cannot be done alone! We must all work together, across the board and at all levels. To restore, to preserve and to imagine alternative ways of living on our planet.
For Equestrio Foundation, achieving this implies close collaboration with local associations in the field, with our generous donors, and also with our peers. By joining SwissFoundations, we aim at partnering with other key philanthropic players who share the same purpose and who complete our actions. We are looking forward to sharing our views and solutions to the challenges that lie ahead of us, and to learn from each other to continue thriving.
We are determined to enhance our impact by moving forward together, whether by offering pooled-funding opportunities to partner foundations, combining our efforts on certain projects and sectors, or simply by boosting the energy for change that drives us all.
[1] Report on Foundations, 2022
[2] Spendenreport Schweiz, 2022
[3] CAF World Giving Index, June 2021. Survey conducted by the Gallup Polling Institute that analyses individual generosity around the world based on 3 criteria: helping people, financial donation and time volunteering.
[4] It is worth pointing out that Indonesia’s generosity figures reflect the religious tradition of Zakat, an allowance paid under the Islamic rules of solidarity.