Fondation Botnar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Basel, Switzerland
 | |
| Formation | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Marcela Botnar |
| Location |
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| Website | www.fondationbotnar.org |
Fondation Botnar is a philanthropic foundation based in Basel, Switzerland, holding CHF 4 billion in assets.[1] The foundation was founded in 2003 by Marcela Botnar, wife of businessman and philanthropist Octav Botnar.
It is dedicated to the wellbeing of young people in urban and digital spaces around the world. The foundation works with partners across multiple sectors and provides funding and support for research and projects that fit within its strategic focus[2]
Fondation Botnar was founded in 2003 by Marcela Botnar to continue the philanthropic work of her and her late husband, Octav Botnar, motivated in part by the memory of their late daughter, Camelia.[3]
Strategic focus
The foundation concentrates on four interrelated areas: enabling liveable and sustainable city systems, enabling a human rights-based digital transformation, promoting mental health, and strengthening quality public education.[4]
The foundation also invests in biomedical research for children and young people’s health. In 2024, it committed CHF 900 million over 15 years to form the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering, an independent research institute in Basel, Switzerland.[5] In 2020, it also committed CHF 100 million to finance the founding of the Basel Research Centre for Child Health. The original funding was followed by additional commitments, for a total of CHF 165 million to date. [6]
