Foundations and funds

EDUCA SWISS is the Swiss foundation for the promotion and financing of education. The non-profit foundation pursues the goal that every ambitious person in Switzerland should be able to start and successfully complete an education or further education, regardless of his or her financial situation, living situation or social background. The free coaching and non-profit loans encourage people who do not receive sufficient support from the state or family and are looking for an alternative financing option.

• EDUCA SWISS – Homepage (German or French) 
   

The Oskar Lerch Foundation aims to support people who have no or inadequate schooling and are without means. Potential applicants are Swiss citizens or recognized refugees.

• Oskar Lerch Scholarship Foundation – Homepage (in German)
   

• Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft – Homepage (in German) 
  
  

The Funk Foundation supports non-profit research or cultural projects of for example universities, non-profit associations or artists in the field of risk management and risk awareness.

• Funk Stiftung – Application for funding – Information for applicants
   

Pro Juventute supports children who have lost one or both parents until they complete their initial education (up to the age of 25 at the latest) with a fund. The contributions are a supplement to the benefits paid by the Confederation and the cantons and help to secure the minimum subsistence level:

• Pro Juventute – Financial support (in German) 
   

The Pestalozzi Foundation supports young people from Swiss mountain regions and remote rural areas with scholarships and loans:

• Pestalozzi Foundation – Homepage (German or French)
   

• Swissuniversities – Scholarships to study abroad
  
  

• Scientific Policy Scholarships – Homepage
  
  

• Swiss Study Foundation – Scholarships
   

• Swiss National Science Foundation – Funding – Get a grant
  
  

The «Swiss-European Mobility Program» (SEMP) offers Swiss universities and colleges the opportunity to sponsor students, lecturers and staff for study, internship, teaching and further education stays in Europe. Detailed information can be found on the Movetia (Swiss Agency for Exchange and Mobility) website:

• Movetia – Programs – Europe – Swiss Erasmus+ Program – Tertiary level – Mobility – SEMP
   

The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) provides annual financial grants for dissertation projects based on a cooperation agreement between a Swiss university and a partner university abroad (Europe). These are called «Cotutelles de thèse» projects:

• Swissuniversities – Promotion-of-young-talent – Cotutelles de thèse (SERI)
   

The University of Bern has set up a database of foundations and funds in its internal network. It is only accessible with a campus account. Filtered searches can be carried out on the database. These can be limited to «scholarships», for example, and combined with a field of study so that the corresponding foundations appear.

The address and contact person are listed with the search results. You are advised to contact them directly in order to obtain more information on the possibilities and conditions for scholarships or other support:

• University of Bern – Student Financing – Foundations and funds
   

One fund for emergencies is the Social Fund of the Student Association of the University of Bern (SUB). It is available to SUB members and mobility students with massive financial difficulties. It is primarily used to bridge acute financial emergencies.

The Social Fund Commission can grant an amount of up to CHF 5000 in the form of a one-time scholarship or loan. The application form is available online at the SUB. You can also see on its webpage which documents have to be submitted:

• SUB – Social fund of the SUB
   

The Social Fund Foundation at the University of Bern helps enrolled students with financial emergencies, for example with tuition fees, for a maximum of two semesters before their Bachelor's or Master's degree. The benefits provided by the Social Fund Foundation are one-off and non-repayable and include contributions of more than CHF 5000 each.

It only grants loans for cases of hardship and not scholarships. Applications must be submitted in due time! An information sheet on how to submit an application, a budget template and a form for a financing plan can be found here:

• University of Bern – Student Financing – Social Fund Foundation

We recommend that you arrange an interview with the managing director of the Foundation His contact details can also be found on the website.
 

A detailed overview of foundations and funds with explanatory notes can be found on the website of the Faculty of Philosophy and History:

• University of Bern – Faculty of Philosophy and History – Financial support

The Faculty of Theology at the University of Bern can grant scholarships for a year of study abroad:

• University of Bern – Faculty of Theology – Outgoing (in German)  
   

• University of Bern – Outgoing – All exchange possibilities
  
  

Foreign researchers and artists are eligible for federal excellence scholarships:

• University of Bern – Mobility and Exchange – Federal scholarships
   

• Hirschmann Foundation – Homepage
  
  

• Bern University of Applied Sciences – Architecture, Wood and Construction – Foundation Kaderschulung Holztechnik (in German) 

• Bern University of Applied Sciences – Study at BFH – BFH Burgdorf Foundation (in German)