Governance & Organisation
Ensuring that society benefits.
Governance
Why do we need governance? First, foundations don’t have owners, members, or shareholders. Therefore, there are limited opportunities to ensure that the foundation purpose is properly implemented. Secondly, charitable foundations are tax-exempt. The canton of Zurich recognizes and appreciates the activities of charitable foundations, but in return, charitable foundations are obliged to use their funds appropriately.
The governance of Velux Stiftung is handled by the foundation board, whose job it is to ensure that the foundation’s purpose is implemented with maximum possible impact. The foundation management is engaged by the foundation board to run the operational business, and assets are managed by the investment committee.
As a small foundation, Velux Stiftung is subject to a limited audit obligation, currently handled by KPMG. We change our auditor every couple of years, as recommended in the Swiss Foundation Code, and our accounting follows the guidelines of Swiss GAAP FER 21 for charitable non-profit organisations. Because we are an internationally active grant-making foundation, we are supervised by the Supervisory Authority for Foundations, Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs (Eidgenössische Stiftungsaufsicht ESA, Eigenössisches Departement des Innern EDI).
Velux Stiftung is a member of SwissFoundations, the association of Swiss grant-making foundations. We follow the Swiss Foundation Code, one of Europe’s most renowned guidelines for good foundation governance.
Board & Management
Board
Chair
Board member
Board member
Board member
Management
Director
Office manager
Associate director
Senior scientific officer
Scientific officer
Daylight Academy – Program manager
Daylight Academy – Project manager
Foundation sector
Committed to the professional Swiss foundation sector
We are a member of SwissFoundations, the association of Swiss grant-making foundations, and our director sits on the board. We also support initiatives that improve the foundation sector – for example, the publication of the Swiss Foundation Code, a guideline for foundation establishment, management, and governance.
SwissFoundations supports transparency and professional grant-making in the Swiss foundation sector by serving as a voice in discussions of civil society, politics, economy, and science. Its members and associated partners spend around 1 billion CHF per year on charitable purposes.
Velux Stiftung also supports the professional development of the foundation sector by contributing to the Center for Philanthropy Studies at the University Basel. This interdisciplinary research and executive education institute is committed to research and knowledge transfer in the foundations, philanthropy, and non-profit sectors.
In the financial sector, Velux Stiftung is leaning heavily into impact investing. The foundation’s experience and expertise are shared through exchange and panel talks at various impact investing events.