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]
History
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]
Projects
Fondation Botnar supports a range of projects and initiatives within its strategic area of focus.
OurCity
OurCity [7] is one of Fondation Botnar’s key initiatives, helping cities design and implement youth-centred strategies together with young people. Working in collaboration with youth networks, civil society, local authorities, and other innovators, OurCity now operates in five cities: Tanga (Tanzania), Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Barranquilla (Colombia), Koforidua (Ghana), and Manta (Ecuador).
Healthy Cities for Adolescents
Healthy Cities for Adolescents is a multi-year initiative by Fondation Botnar that supports adolescent health and wellbeing in intermediary cities across the Global South. [8] Active in six countries and 17 cities, the programme funds projects that engage young people in addressing issues such as mental health, education, public spaces, and climate change. Delivered through local partnerships, Healthy Cities for Adolescents promotes adolescent perspectives in urban planning and policy.[9]
The Being Initative
The foundation funds the Being Initiative, a global collaboration working to make youth mental health a global priority. Being works with young people (aged 10 to 24) in 12 low- and middle-income countries to improve their mental wellbeing through research, innovation, and partnerships.[10]
RIGHTS Click
RIGHTS Click, a global programme developed by the foundation with Amnesty International aims to improve the digital rights of children and young people. By combining research, human rights education, and youth-led advocacy, the initiative supports young activists to advocate for safer online spaces.[11]
D-Tree International
Since June 2018, the foundation has worked together with the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) and have awarded D-tree international more than $6 million to work with the Zanzibar Ministry of Health and key partners to roll out a national digital community health system to improve maternal, newborn, and child health services. The project will assist community health workers and equip them with digital technology to manage care for families, women and children.[12]
Also, with D-tree international, is the Afya-Tek program, a consortium of five organisations that are working to improve the decision-making and quality of care in Tanzania. Afya-Tek offers a digital link between patients, government health facilities, community health workers, and the private sector drug dispensers known as Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets.[13]
Ada Health Partnership
Fondation Botnar announced a partnership with Ada Health in 2018. The partnership aims to bring AI-powered healthcare to East Africa and Romania. The partnership has resulted in Ada's app becoming the first health guidance app to feature Swahili language integration, making its health assessment technology available to more than 100 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa.[14]
ITU-WHO Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Health
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