Charities and nonprofits in Sweden
Sweden has a long civil-society tradition built on ideella foreningar (non-profit associations) and stiftelser (foundations), with high rates of charitable giving, volunteering, and trust in the nonprofit sector. The Swedish sector is unusually globally connected, with an outsized footprint in international development and humanitarian aid. Whether you are searching for a comprehensive list of Swedish charities, a 90-konto database, a Giva Sverige member directory, or a single verified Swedish nonprofit to donate to, GiveRadar consolidates official registration details, audited financial information, news coverage, and an independent integrity score for every Swedish charity. Read about how GiveRadar works before you give.
How charities are registered in Sweden
Sweden does not have a single national charity regulator. Foundations (stiftelser) register with the County Administrative Board (Lansstyrelsen), which supervises them under the Foundations Act (1994:1220). Associations (ideella foreningar) form by statute and may register with the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket) if they conduct commercial activity. The most important quality signal for fundraising is the 90-konto, a special bankgiro number starting with 90 granted by Svensk Insamlingskontroll to charities meeting strict standards on cost ratios, governance, audit, and independent oversight. Larger fundraising charities also belong to Giva Sverige, the umbrella body that administers the Swedish Quality Code (Kvalitetskoden) for fundraising organizations. Charity income tax exemption is granted by Skatteverket on application.
Major causes and well-known Swedish charities
The Swedish nonprofit sector is broad, with strong international development and health pillars:
- International aid and development: Rada Barnen (Save the Children Sweden), Sida-partner NGOs, Diakonia, We Effect, ForumCiv, and Lakare Utan Granser (MSF Sweden).
- Health and medical research: Cancerfonden, Hjart-Lungfonden, Barncancerfonden, and Diabetesfonden.
- Social welfare: Stadsmissionen networks, Fralsningsarmen (Salvation Army Sweden), and women's shelters (Kvinnojour, Roks).
- Environment and climate: Naturskyddsforeningen, WWF Sweden, Greenpeace Sverige, and Sveriges Sportfiskeforbund.
- Children, youth, and family: BRIS (Children's Rights in Society), Min Stora Dag, Friends Foundation, and Stadsmissionens Skolstiftelse.
- Refugee and migrant support: Refugees Welcome Sweden and several diaspora networks.
- Culture and heritage: museum foundations, the Royal Opera Sponsors, and heritage trusts.
Compare two organizations side by side with our charity comparison tool, or browse best international charities in Sweden and best health charities in Sweden to narrow by cause.
How to evaluate a Swedish charity before donating
Sweden has high baseline trust in the sector, but verification is still worth a minute. Things to check before giving to any Swedish charity:
- 90-konto: a bankgiro or plusgiro number starting with 90 indicates Svensk Insamlingskontroll oversight, the strongest signal for fundraising integrity.
- Giva Sverige membership: compliance with the Swedish Quality Code (Kvalitetskoden) is a strong governance signal.
- Audited annual reports: Swedish charities publish detailed accounts under Swedish GAAP (K3 or K2).
- County supervision (Lansstyrelsen): for foundations, county boards publish supervision information.
- Sanctions and watchlists: use our free charity checker tool to cross-reference every Swedish charity against OFAC, EU, and UN watchlists automatically.
Each Swedish charity profile on GiveRadar combines registration, 90-konto status, Giva Sverige membership, financials, governance, and third-party signals into a single 0-100 integrity score. Read our integrity score methodology for the full weighting.
Swedish charity explorer: browse, filter, compare
This page works as a Swedish charity explorer: every Swedish nonprofit we hold data on, ranked and filterable by cause area, county (lan), 90-konto status, financial transparency, presence of a website, and size. Use the filters on the left to narrow by category (international aid, health, social welfare, environment, children, religion, advocacy, and more), and the search bar to find a specific organization by name or organization number. The directory updates daily as we ingest new registration data and enrich existing records with contact details, financials, programs, and news coverage. To compare Swedish giving against other markets, browse all countries or jump straight to international charities globally.
Donating to charities in Sweden
Most Swedish charities accept Swish, credit-card, autogiro, and SEPA donations directly through their websites. Major fundraising platforms include Betterworld and Swish-baserade insamlingsappar. After the 2019 reintroduction of the skattereduktion for gavor, Swedish donors can claim a 25% tax reduction on monetary donations of at least SEK 200 per occasion (SEK 2,000 to 12,000 per year) to Skatteverket-approved organizations. International donors typically give cross-border via the Transnational Giving Europe network. GiveRadar links to each charity's official donation channel where available and flags fundraising pages that look unverified. For a structured donor walkthrough, read our donor due-diligence guide.