Fondation Philanthropia

What is Fondation Philanthropia?

Fondation Philanthropia is an umbrella foundation and a registered Swiss charity with tax-exempt status. Since 2008, it has helped implement the philanthropic initiatives of its donors, all of whom are Lombard Odier private banking clients. It supports donors who wish to develop a philanthropic project aligned with their traditions, values, and passions, helping them translate their personal purpose into structured, effective giving.

Our role in supporting donors is to help them create a clear philanthropy roadmap

Whether the project involves structuring an individual giving strategy, inheritance planning, creating a family philanthropy project, revitalising an autonomous foundation, or establishing a reserve fund for a charitable organisation, Fondation Philanthropia provides donors with the legal, financial, and philanthropic framework for a tailor-made project.

As an umbrella foundation, it offers private donors – including individuals, families, and boards of trustees for charitable foundations – the opportunity to establish a personal philanthropic structure through a sheltered donor-advised fund. This sub-fund operates as an autonomous compartment, while benefiting from the oversight, efficiency and economies of scale of the umbrella foundation.

Fondation Philanthropia works with donors to ensure the efficient management of the fund’s philanthropic activities and maximise the impact of their giving. Administrative, accounting and legal monitoring is managed within the shared structure, allowing donors to focus on their philanthropic mission.

Foundation’s Board of Trustees

Denis Pittet
President

Anne-Marie De Weck
Vice President

Jean-Marie Hainaut
Secretary

Patrick Odier
Member

Dr Maximilian Martin
Member

How to become a donor

Fondation Philanthropia offers donors two ways to engage in philanthropy

Sheltered funds

This option allows you to create your own sheltered fund, either individually or with others, enabling you to support the organisations and causes that are close to your heart. A sheltered fund can be established with a minimum capital of CHF 500,000.

The fund allows you to act in a similar way to a founder of an autonomous foundation, defining its specific charitable goals and objectives in any area of public benefit. For instance, you can:

Select the organisations or causes the fund will support, while benefiting from analysis and follow-up by professionals from the Foundation team.

Establish a consultative committee with your family, friends or experts to prepare recommendations for donations for review by the Foundation’s board of trustees.
This option is also well-suited to existing foundations seeking to reduce their administrative overheads while retaining a board that plays an active role in the gift management process.

Work directly with our philanthropy advisers, who will help you define a giving strategy and select the projects best suited to you and aligned with your objectives.

Thematic funds

For one-off gifts or grants below CHF 500,000, this option enables them to be made within Fondation Philanthropia’s established framework, using one of five thematic funds.

Humanitarian
and social action

Medical and
scientific research

Arts and
culture

Education
and training

Environment and
sustainable development

Procedure for creating a sheltered fund

Become a
Lombard Odier client

Define your philanthropic project and the goal of your sheltered fund

Obtain approval for
your fund’s regulations

Transfer the money that will constitute the fund’s initial capital

Make your first gifts

Why choose Fondation Philanthropia

Fondation Philanthropia helps you to fulfil your philanthropic ambition with simplicity, security and personalisation – ensuring each giving strategy is structured around your specific goals.

The advantages

Choice: Adapt the fund’s profile to your existing needs, whether through an endowment, permanent funds, expendable capital funds, regular gifts, or legacies.

Compliance: Benefit from confidence that best practices are followed and kept up to date in an increasingly complex legal environment.

Flexibility: Take on an existing philanthropic project or embark on a new one.

Networking: Access a donor network and peer exchange platforms.

Governance

Operational management

Foundation Philanthropia benefits from the support of Lombard Odier, its philanthropic services and its wealth-planning subsidiary.

Memberships

Fondation Philanthropia is a member of SwissFoundations, the association of Swiss donor foundations, and upholds the Swiss Foundation Code.

Fondation Philanthropia is exclusively dedicated to the philanthropic projects of Lombard Odier’s clients, while Fondation Lombard Odier manages the Group's own philanthropic commitments.

Processus de création d’un fonds abrité

Funding requests

Fondation Philanthropia exists to serve the philanthropic aims of its donors. We therefore take a proactive approach to identifying projects that align with their personal areas of interest. As a result, unsolicited funding requests are generally declined. We thank you for your understanding in this regard.

Should you still wish to submit a request to the Foundation, please click the link below and complete the form.

Submit a funding request

Contact details

Fondation Philanthropia
c/o Banque Lombard Odier & Cie SA
Chemin Messidor 1
1293 Bellevue