Volkart Foundation

The Volkart Foundation (Volkart Stiftung) is a Swiss grant-making foundation headquartered in Winterthur. It was established on 1 February 1951 to mark the centenary of the trading house Gebrüder Volkart, by the then-active partners Georg, Peter and Balthasar Reinhart. The foundation was conceived as an expression of gratitude after a century of successful trading activity on the Indian subcontinent and in Europe, and as a way of returning part of the profits to society through charitable and culturally oriented grants. Cultural promotion, a commitment the Reinhart family has maintained, thereby became a formal part of the activities of the house of Volkart. During its first fifty years the foundation concentrated primarily on projects in the fields of culture, ecology and the social sector, engaging in selected projects of national and international reach. From 2000 it broadened its funding priorities to include development cooperation and socially relevant solution approaches. In 2014 the Volkart Foundation merged with the Stiftung Volkart Vision, and it also took over the activities of the dissolved George Foundation. At the end of 2018 the foundation concluded its long-standing engagement in development cooperation and refocused on the areas of society and culture. From 2022 it set new priorities and created the funding areas "Ecology", "Social Sector", "Media" and "Documentary Film", accompanied by specialist commissions; the "Society" and "Culture" funding areas were retired at the end of 2021. The foundation is a private, non-listed philanthropic institution rather than a commercial operating company. Its public-facing work includes support for initiatives such as the Klima Hub at ETH Zürich, which brings scientific findings on climate and emissions avoidance together with political and economic decision-making processes, and backing for documentary film, such as Eva Vitija's "Loving Highsmith". Its activities are documented on its official website, volkart.ch.

The Volkart Foundation was founded on 1 February 1951 in Winterthur on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the trading company Gebrüder Volkart. The founding partners Georg, Peter and Balthasar Reinhart intended it as a sign of gratitude after a century of successful trading on the Indian subcontinent and in Europe, and considered it logical that part of the profits should flow back to society in the form of charitable and culturally oriented grants. Cultural promotion, to which the Reinhart family remains committed, thus became a formal part of the activities of the house of Volkart. For its first fifty years the foundation focused primarily on projects in culture, ecology and the social sector, engaging in selected projects of national and international reach. From 2000 it expanded its funding priorities to include development cooperation and socially relevant solution approaches. In 2014 the Volkart Foundation merged with the Stiftung Volkart Vision, and it also took over the activities of the dissolved George Foundation. At the end of 2018 the foundation concluded its long-standing engagement in development cooperation and focused on society and culture. From 2022 it set new priorities and created the funding areas "Ecology", "Social Sector", "Media" and "Documentary Film", accompanied by specialist commissions; the "Society" and "Culture" funding areas were retired at the end of 2021.

• 2022

  Set new priorities and created the funding areas "Ecology", "Social Sector", "Media" and "Documentary Film".

• 2021

  The "Society" and "Culture" funding areas were retired at the end of the year.

• 2018

  Concluded its long-standing engagement in development cooperation and refocused on society and culture.

• 2014

  Merged with Stiftung Volkart Vision and took over the activities of the dissolved George Foundation.

• 2000

  Foundation broadened its funding priorities to include development cooperation and socially relevant solution approaches.

• 1951

  Volkart Foundation founded in Winterthur on 1 February, marking the 100th anniversary of Gebrüder Volkart.

Private Swiss grant-making foundation focused on culture, society, ecology, media and documentary film.

1. 1Volkart Stiftung - Volkartvolkart.ch
2. 2Geschichte - Volkartvolkart.ch
3. 3Volkart Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org