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Charities in Switzerland

GiveRadar tracks 26,055 registered nonprofits in Switzerland, built from Zefix, the central index of the 26 cantonal commercial registers, and the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations. This is a general legal-entity register filtered to nonprofit forms, not a curated charity list: it holds foundations (charitable grantmakers alongside occupational-pension and family foundations) and membership associations. Registration proves legal existence, not charitable purpose.

26,049
Registered nonprofits
99.9%
UID on file
Social Services
Largest cause area
1 per 349
Residents per organization
Matt Timmermans Reviewed by Matt Timmermans Founder of GiveRadar · Checked August 22, 2026
Where this data comes from  ·  How current it is
The directory

All organizations in Switzerland

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The register at a glance

How many organizations does GiveRadar track in Switzerland?

GiveRadar tracks 26,055 organizations in Switzerland, listed on Zefix, the central index of the 26 cantonal commercial registers, and supervised where they are foundations. 26,028 of them (99.9%) carry a UID business identification number, and the average integrity assessment across Swiss rows is 39.7 out of 100.

Whole-register totals
26,049 Registered nonprofits
1.3% Hold ZEWO seal 326 of them, granted by Stiftung Zewo
1 per 349 Residents per organization Against a population of 9,092,436 (World Bank, 2025)
39.7/100 Average integrity assessment A measure of disclosure, not impact or effectiveness

GiveRadar holds a website for just 355 Swiss organizations (1.4%) and an email for 311 (1.2%), because a commercial-register entry publishes that a foundation or association exists, not how to reach it or how it spends money. A registry records the legal seat, the UID and the statute, not a website, a contact address or annual accounts, so the register itself was never built to hold what a donor looks for. The average integrity assessment for Swiss rows, 39.7 out of 100, is a direct read of that gap in published detail, not a judgment on any single organization.

By category

What causes do Swiss organizations support?

Social services is the largest cause category among Swiss organizations GiveRadar tracks, with 9,232 organizations, followed by community development at 8,464, arts and culture at 2,072, education at 1,893, religion at 1,209, health at 1,093 and environment at 805. These categories are inferred from the limited detail the commercial register captures, not from a mission statement or a verified activity record.

01 Social Services 9,232 35% 02 Community Development 8,464 32% 03 Arts & Culture 2,072 8% 04 Education 1,892 7% 05 Religion 1,209 5% 06 Health 1,092 4% 07 Environment 803 3% 08 Animal Welfare 387 1% 09 Science & Technology 289 1% 10 International 261 1% 11 Disaster Relief 105 <1%
Accreditations

What does the ZEWO seal mean for a Swiss charity?

GiveRadar flags 328 Swiss organizations as holding the ZEWO seal, the quality mark awarded by Stiftung Zewo to charities that collect donations. Zewo's own national roll is larger than the set we could match, so our flag is narrower than the full register, and we are reconciling the difference against Zewo's published list.

An independently assessed quality seal for charities that collect donations, covering economical use of funds, governance and transparent reporting. It is applied for, paid for and re-audited periodically. GiveRadar flags 328 holders, a narrower set than Zewo's full national roll, which we are reconciling against the published register.

The seal is voluntary and paid: Zewo charges an audit fee and re-examines each holder periodically against standards on economical use of funds, governance and transparent reporting, and it can be withdrawn. It is a private certifying body's judgment of how a fundraising charity is run, not a government determination, and it answers a different question from tax exemption. Tax-exempt status for a public-benefit purpose is granted separately by each cantonal tax authority under article 56 of the Federal Direct Tax Act.

326 ZEWO seal 1.3% of every charity on this page holds it. Issued by Stiftung Zewo
Location of nonprofits in Switzerland

Where in Switzerland are its organizations based?

GiveRadar can place 26,055 Swiss organizations (100%) in a town or city and 25,182 (96.7%) in a canton, based on the legal seat recorded in the commercial register. Zurich holds the most at 4,599, followed by Geneva at 2,988, Vaud at 2,567, Bern at 2,256, Ticino at 1,694, Basel-Stadt at 1,376, Valais at 1,078 and St. Gallen at 1,021.

Organization density
Each canton shaded by registered organizations. Boundaries: Natural Earth.

Top cities

Zurich is the largest city on GiveRadar's Swiss register with 2,786 organizations, followed by Geneva at 2,021, Basel at 1,344, Bern at 985, Lausanne at 898, Zug at 575, Lugano at 535 and Lucerne at 458. These counts follow the legal seat on file and are not adjusted for the size of the local population.

01 Zurich 2,782 organizations 02 Geneva 2,020 organizations 03 Basel 1,344 organizations 04 Bern 984 organizations 05 Lausanne 898 organizations 06 Zug 575 organizations 07 Lugano 535 organizations 08 Lucerne 458 organizations 09 St. Gallen 380 organizations 10 Fribourg 326 organizations

Organizations by canton

Zurich 4,599 18.3% Geneva 2,988 11.9% Vaud 2,567 10.2% Bern 2,256 9% Ticino 1,694 6.7% Basel-Stadt 1,376 5.5% Valais 1,078 4.3% St. Gallen 1,021 4.1% Aargau 901 3.6% Graubünden 886 3.5% Lucerne 846 3.4% Fribourg 748 3% Zug 736 2.9% Basel-Landschaft 570 2.3%

GiveRadar can place almost every Swiss organization by city and a large majority by canton because the commercial register records each foundation's or association's Sitz, its legal seat. Where no canton is on file, the organization still counts in the totals above; it simply does not appear in the canton table. A legal seat is a registered address, not a map of where the work happens.

Data sources

Where does GiveRadar's Swiss data come from?

GiveRadar's 26,055 Swiss organizations come from Zefix, the Zentraler Firmenindex run by the Federal Office of Justice, which pools the commercial registers the 26 cantons keep, together with the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations for nationally active foundations. A Zefix entry records that a foundation or association filed a statute and holds a legal seat and a UID; it says nothing about tax status, finances or fundraising conduct. The ZEWO seal is layered on top for the 328 certified charities we could match.

Zefix, the central commercial-register index zefix.ch ↗
Legal existence, seat and UID for foundations and commercially active associations across the 26 cantonal commercial registers
26,049 records 100% coverage
Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations (ESA) admin.ch ↗
Supervises nationally and internationally active charitable foundations, checking that assets serve the foundation's stated purpose
ZEWO seal register zewo.ch ↗
Which fundraising charities hold the independently assessed ZEWO seal
326 records 1.3% coverage
One GiveRadar profile
26,049
Share of profiles carrying each field
Registration ID 100%
Financial return 0%
Expense breakdown 0%
Website 1.4%
Contact email 1.2%
Freshness

How current is GiveRadar's Switzerland data?

August 30, 2026 Register last refreshed The most recent full pass over the Zefix and foundation-supervision source data. Any profile with its own newer edit carries that later date instead.
August 22, 2026 This page last reviewed When the figures, wording and sources on this page were last checked against the register.

GiveRadar refreshes Swiss register data in periodic bulk passes rather than a continuous feed. A very recent registration, a change of seat or a dissolution may not appear yet, and a profile edited directly by its owner shows that later date instead of the bulk-pass date. The ZEWO seal roll is reconciled separately as Zewo publishes changes.

Learn more with our country guide

Giving in Switzerland

How the charity sector is regulated, what kinds of nonprofits operate, and how to evaluate them before you give.

How many charities, foundations and associations are there in Switzerland?

Switzerland has 26,055 foundations and associations tracked by GiveRadar, but no single national charity register. The data comes from Zefix, the central index of the 26 cantonal commercial registers, together with the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations. It covers foundations (Stiftungen) and membership associations (Vereine) (zefix.ch).

These records include charitable grantmakers, occupational-pension and family foundations, and commercially active associations. Registration confirms legal existence as a nonprofit legal form, not a charitable purpose. Most Swiss associations never register at all, so no database can be a complete national list.

What is a Stiftung or Verein, and how does it differ from a charity?

Switzerland treats Stiftung and Verein as nonprofit legal forms, while charity describes purpose rather than a separate legal form. A Stiftung is a foundation: assets permanently dedicated to a purpose, with no members, entered in the commercial register and, when charitable, supervised by a federal or cantonal authority (fedlex.admin.ch).

A Verein is a membership association that gains legal capacity once members adopt statutes and elect a committee, under articles 60 to 79 of the Swiss Civil Code. It must enter the commercial register only when it runs a commercial business or is subject to an audit, so registration is not proof of charitable status.

How do you set up a nonprofit in Switzerland?

Switzerland lets people form a Verein by agreeing on a purpose and written statutes and electing a committee, with no state approval required. The association exists in law from that moment and can open a bank account and apply for tax exemption. It registers with the commercial register only if it is commercially active or audited.

A Stiftung is created by a public deed dedicating assets to a purpose and takes effect on entry in the commercial register, after which a supervisory authority oversees it. Neither step certifies charitable quality; that is a separate tax and certification question.

Which Swiss charities are tax-deductible, and how do donations work?

Switzerland allows tax-deductible gifts only to organizations a canton has recognized as tax-exempt for a public-benefit purpose, not to every registered nonprofit. Recognition is granted by the cantonal tax authority under the Federal Direct Tax Act, and deductions run up to 20 percent of net income for individuals, with cantonal ceilings varying (estv.admin.ch).

The commercial register does not record tax status, so confirm exemption with the canton where the organization has its seat before assuming a gift is deductible.

What is the ZEWO seal, and how do you check a Swiss charity before donating?

Switzerland's clearest independent charity signal is the ZEWO seal, awarded by Stiftung Zewo to donation-collecting charities that meet standards on the economical use of funds, governance and transparent reporting. GiveRadar flags 328 holders, a narrower set than Zewo's full national roll (zewo.ch).

Before giving to any Swiss charity, take these steps:

  • Check for the ZEWO seal in Zewo's published register and match the legal name and seat.
  • Confirm tax-exempt status with the cantonal tax authority where the organization is based.
  • For a foundation, note its supervisory authority, federal or cantonal.
  • Make sure the website, payment recipient and register entry show the same legal identity. Read GiveRadar's integrity score methodology to see what each data point proves.

How can you donate to charities in Switzerland?

Switzerland offers direct giving to verified foundations and associations working in social services, health, humanitarian relief, the environment and culture. Choose a cause deliberately, verify the recipient and use only payment details the organization itself publishes.

  • Explore Swiss nonprofits by cause, such as the health charities directory, and compare organizations serving the outcome you value.
  • Review the legal form, canton, UID and any ZEWO seal or tax-exemption signal.
  • Give a one-time or recurring gift through the charity's confirmed bank details, TWINT or secure payment page.
  • Keep the receipt for your cantonal tax return. See GiveRadar's guidance for donors for more checks.
FAQ

Common questions

What is a Stiftung in Switzerland?

A Stiftung is a foundation: assets permanently dedicated to a purpose, with no members, governed by a board and entered in the commercial register under articles 80 to 89a of the Swiss Civil Code. Charitable foundations are supervised by a federal or cantonal authority. The legal form proves existence, not charitable purpose, and the count includes pension and family foundations.

What is a Verein, and why are not all of them in the register?

A Verein is a membership association, governed by articles 60 to 79 of the Swiss Civil Code. It gains legal personality as soon as members adopt statutes, without registration. It must enter the commercial register only if it runs a commercial business or is subject to an audit, so most of Switzerland's associations never appear on Zefix.

Are the organizations on GiveRadar's Swiss page vetted charities?

No, the organizations on GiveRadar's Swiss page are not vetted charities: Zefix is a commercial register filtered to nonprofit legal forms, so it lists foundations and commercially active associations without testing charitable purpose. Occupational-pension and family foundations sit beside charitable grantmakers. The clearest charity signal we hold is the ZEWO seal, on 328 of the 26,055 rows.

How can I check whether a Swiss organization is a genuine charity?

Look for the ZEWO seal, published by Stiftung Zewo for charities that collect donations, and confirm tax-exempt status with the canton where the organization has its seat. A foundation's supervisory authority, federal or cantonal, is also public. A Zefix entry alone confirms only that the organization legally exists.

Are donations to Swiss charities tax-deductible?

Donations to an organization the canton has recognized as tax-exempt for a public-benefit purpose are deductible from federal and cantonal income tax, up to 20% of net income for individuals under the Federal Direct Tax Act, though cantonal ceilings vary. Tax exemption is granted by the cantonal tax authority, not by the commercial register.

What is the ZEWO seal?

The ZEWO seal is a voluntary, paid quality mark that Stiftung Zewo awards to donation-collecting charities meeting standards on economical use of funds, governance and transparent reporting. It is re-audited periodically and can be withdrawn. GiveRadar flags 328 Swiss holders, a narrower set than Zewo's full national roll.

What does GiveRadar hold for Swiss organizations, and what is missing?

GiveRadar holds a name, legal seat, canton and UID for Swiss organizations, with a UID on 99.9%. It holds a website for only 1.4%, an email for 1.2% and revenue for under 1%, because a commercial-register entry never required those, and GiveRadar does not hold cantonal tax-exemption status for Switzerland.

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