Foundation
Velux Stiftung is an independent charitable foundation supporting research in the areas of daylight, forestry, healthy ageing, and ophthalmology. The foundation aims to contribute to a lasting improvement for the benefit of society.
The foundation board welcomed Anders Kann Elten as observer in 2025. From left to right: Villum Ogstrup-Pedersen, Mirjam Eglin, Anders Kann Elten (observer), Lykke Kann Ogstrup Lunde (chair), René Schürmann.
Funding statistics in 2025
17 projects supported with CHF 8.1 million
The foundation received 70 requests out of which 14 project applications were funded. Applications for Ophthalmology were postponed to 2026. The success rate for external requests was 20 % in 2024. Additionally, three foundation projects received support.
CHF 233.9 million assets & -1.5% performance
Velux Stiftung pursues investments that have the potential to generate substantial and long-term total returns that offset inflation, in order to give out grants according to its foundation purpose in the long run.
Distributions
Daylight Research
CHF 4,014,533
Healthy Ageing
CHF 1,680,988
Forestry
CHF 2,258,500
Ophthalmology
CHF 200,000
Strategic developments
The past year also focused on revising the funding strategies across three areas:
- Daylight Research
… will focus on four societal topics: Future solar societies, daylight and global health and daylight versus urban densities and the right to daylight – with a dual focus on interdisciplinary research, and the translation of knowledge into policy, design, and behaviour change.
- Healthy Ageing
… takes a renewed direction, centring on the environments that shape older adults’ functional ability. An international interdisciplinary workshop will map neglected research questions in this space and shape the future funding program.
- Ophthalmology
… continues its geographic focus on low- and middle-income countries, with a strengthened emphasis on institutional research capacity.
Projects
We present a selection of funded projects below and on our website. Besides research projects, we sometimes fund solicited, more systemic lighthouse projects.
The foundation also formulates its own projects which function as a kick-starter or as advocacy projects. Most of our support goes to promoting the importance of daylight.
