International giving · Europe
Which US foundations give to Switzerland?
US foundations sent $8.1B to organizations in Switzerland across 2,985 grants, from 491 different funders. Read from IRS 990 filings.
The short version
- 491 US foundations have made grants to Switzerland, totaling $8.1B across 2,985 grants on record.
- GATES FOUNDATION (WA) is the largest US funder of Switzerland organizations, with $7.2B.
- That is about $894.23 per resident across all years on file, for a country the World Bank classes as high income.
- INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS is the most Switzerland-focused funder, directing 99% of its overseas giving here.
- US giving to Switzerland has fallen over the filing years on record.
The biggest funders, year by year
Each top funder of Switzerland with its total, and how that giving falls across the filing years — darker means more.
| '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GATES FOUNDATION$7.2B | |||||||||
| THE SUSAN THOMPSON BUFFETT FOUNDATION$172M | |||||||||
| THE BLOOMBERG FAMILY FOUNDATION INC$90M | |||||||||
| THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION$54M | |||||||||
| GORDON E AND BETTY I MOORE FOUNDATION$52M | |||||||||
| FCA FOUNDATION$48M | |||||||||
| FOUNDATION TO PROMOTE OPEN SOCIETY$45M | |||||||||
| SERGEY BRIN FAMILY FOUNDATION$38M | |||||||||
| THE LEONA M AND HARRY B HELMSLEY$22M | |||||||||
| MASTERCARD IMPACT FUND$19M | |||||||||
| WELLSPRING PHILANTHROPIC FUND INC$19M | |||||||||
| THE FORD FOUNDATION$18M |
* 2025 onward is still arriving — 990s lag 12–24 months, so the most recent years under-report.
Top US funders of Switzerland
Switzerland's dedicated funders
Foundations that send most of their overseas money to Switzerland — the specialists, not just the biggest checks.
What the money funds
By the kind of organization receiving the money — universities, hospitals, research institutes, and so on.
55 recipients
4 recipients
17 recipients
41 recipients
15 recipients
29 recipients
11 recipients
22 recipients
Largest recipients in Switzerland
Spelling, accent, abbreviation, and language variants of the same organization are merged into one recipient. Organizations abroad have no US EIN, so this resolution is best-effort.
6 US funders · 23 grants
15 US funders · 607 grants
9 US funders · 56 grants
1 US funder · 37 grants
111 US funders · 249 grants
8 US funders · 73 grants
A further $883k across 2 grants went to recipients the filings name only in the aggregate (“various”, “multiple organizations”, and the like), so they can’t be attributed to a single organization.
Who funds whom
The largest funder-to-recipient ties — which US foundation backs which organization in Switzerland.
Where the funders are
The US states home to the foundations giving to Switzerland, shaded by dollars granted. Click a state.
Notable grants
The largest individual grants to Switzerland on record.
Questions and answers
- Which US foundation gives the most to Switzerland?
- GATES FOUNDATION is the largest US funder of Switzerland organizations on record, with $7.2B across 1,115 grants.
- How much do US foundations give to Switzerland?
- 491 US foundations have granted a combined $8.1B to organizations in Switzerland across 2,985 grants in the IRS filings on record, about $894.23 per resident.
- What do US foundations fund in Switzerland?
- The largest areas are health & medicine, food, water & agriculture, environment & climate, by the kind of organization receiving the money.