Our approach
Fondation Botnar is a philanthropic foundation dedicated to the wellbeing of young people who live, learn, work, connect and play in urban and digital spaces around the world.
Enabling the meaningful participation of young people, the foundation invests in and supports innovative initiatives and research, bringing together actors from across sectors to create purposeful dialogue and partnerships.
Geographic focus
Fondation Botnar has identified key focus countries to consolidate its philanthropic approach. This selection is based on in-country networks, thematic experiences aligned with our strategy, and external indicators such as youth collectives, digital adoption, and urbanisation rates. By focusing our efforts, we aim to strengthen collaboration and increase impact locally and across the following countries:
Colombia
Ecuador
Ghana
Indonesia
Romania
Senegal
Tanzania
Vietnam
Israel/OPT: Fondation Botnar is also committed to supporting work in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to strengthen child rights research and implementation.
Switzerland: Fondation Botnar’s headquarters are in Basel, Switzerland, home of the life sciences. Our work here in Switzerland is focused on cutting-edge research.
Meet the team
Working together to improve young people’s wellbeing
Job opportunities
Contribute to a world where young people can thrive
Thank you for your interest in working with Fondation Botnar. We don’t have vacancies open at the moment.
Governance
At Fondation Botnar, we are committed to informed decision making, and holding ourselves accountable
Fondation Botnar is committed to evidence-based decision-making through robust governance, reporting, and analysis. As a member of SwissFoundations, we adhere to best practice governance lin line with the Swiss Foundation Code. Our accounting follows Swiss GAAP FER 21 for philanthropic social non-profit organisations, and our activities are supervised by the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs.
Code of conduct
In line with our mission to work with and for young people towards a world that fulfils their rights and supports their wellbeing, we operate as a partner that values transparency, distinctiveness and pioneering positive impact. Read our Code of Conduct here.
Whistleblowing
Our whistleblowing guidelines ensure transparent reporting procedures. It outlines the appropriate actions to take if you encounter or discover a violation of the Fondation Botnar Code of Conduct. Download the guidelines here and report issues via the Ethicspoint website.
Please see below the three
ways to report an issue.
01
Point of contact
Inform your point of contact at Fondation Botnar.
02
Risk & Compliance Manager
Contact the Fondation Botnar Risk & Compliance Manager via info@fondationbotnar.org.
03
Whistle Blowing System
Anonymous and/or confidential reporting through the whistleblowing system.
Visit www.fondationbotnar.ethicspoint.com to find the local access number of your country for reporting by phone, or to use the online reporting system.
Organisational Structure
(ARCO)HR & Organisational
Committee (HOCO)Investment
Commission (IC)Philanthropy
Committee (PHICO)Management
Office
The Board
The Board jointly oversees the governance and decision making of the foundation. It is made up of at least six members who act in accordance with the Foundation’s mission and the will of our founder, Marcela Botnar.
Audit & Risk Committee (ARCO)
The ARCO is responsible for monitoring and optimising the Foundation’s internal processes, including ensuring good governance and due diligence.
HR & Organisational Committee (HOCO)
The HOCO is responsible for strategic matters relating to good governance and due diligence, long-term succession planning, human resources and social policy, and organisational development.
Investment Commission (IC)
The Investment Commission is responsible for managing the Foundation’s financial assets in the best interests of the Foundation.
Philanthropy Committee (PHICO)
PHICO oversees the overall philanthropic strategy, including strategic guidance on funding instruments, grantmaking tools and processes. It reviews grant applications and specialist reviews and prepares recommendations that are the basis for decisions by the Board.
Management Office
The Management Office is led by the CEO. It is responsible for the operational and strategic day-to-day management of the Foundation.
Finance
We follow an operational framework for investment which encompasses the Fondation Botnar values and institutional best practices. This includes investing responsibly and considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, basing our investment decisions on solid theoretical and empirical knowledge and diversifying our overall portfolio to reduce risk. Click here to read our Investment Beliefs and Principles.
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The Fondation Botnar assets of CHF 4 billion (as of 31 December 2024) are invested according to leading principles of sustainable institutional asset management.
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Read our Investment Beliefs and Principles here.
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Since 2019, Fondation Botnar annually offers CHF 60 million in funding to improve the wellbeing of young people.
