In short — A funding request to a Swiss foundation succeeds on how it is presented, not just on the project. A complete dossier has five parts: a cover letter, the project description (objectives, beneficiaries, results, timeline), a short presentation of your organisation, the budget with its funding plan, and the specific amount you ask of that foundation. Read the foundation’s statutory purpose before you write, keep it clear and short, and send 12–18 months ahead.
You have a cultural or social project, you have found the right foundation, and in front of you is a blank page. This is where most requests are won or lost — not on the value of the project, but on how it is presented. Writing funding dossiers is the core of my work, and in this guide I set out the structure that works with Swiss foundations — the one I used for projects such as Voci che Connettono, on mental health, where the way you frame a sensitive subject is the difference between being understood and not. If you want the whole system first, start with the guide to fundraising for nonprofits in Switzerland; here we go into the document itself.
Before you write: understand the foundation
The best dossier sent to the wrong foundation is wasted paper. Each foundation can only support what its statutes allow, and the first thing to do is not to write, but to read: the statutory purpose, the projects it has already funded, the amounts it usually gives. Only then do you know whether your project fits its scope and how to frame it.
The anatomy of a complete dossier
The form changes from body to body — some foundations have online forms, others want a letter with attachments — but the substance is always the same. A complete dossier contains: a cover letter, the project description (objectives, beneficiaries, expected results, timeline), a presentation of the organisation behind it, the budget with its funding plan, and the amount requested from that specific foundation. Nothing more, nothing less: assessors read dozens of requests and reward clarity, not volume.
The cover letter: who, what, why, how much
The letter is the first thing a foundation board reads, and it often decides whether the rest is read carefully or in a hurry. In a few lines it must answer four questions: who you are, what you want to do, why it fits that foundation specifically, and how much you are asking for. It is an exercise in concision, not enthusiasm. Two paragraphs explaining why the project matches the foundation’s purpose are worth more than three pages of good intentions.
How to describe a project so it is understood
The most common mistake is writing for people who already know the project. The person reading at the foundation was not in your meetings: take them by the hand. Concrete objectives, precise beneficiaries (how many, who), results that can be verified. For a social project like Voci che Connettono, it is not enough to say “we talk about mental health”: you have to show what changes, for whom, and how it is measured. That is the difference between an idea and a fundable project. The point where most dossiers lose strength is the budget — numbers that do not match what the project promises.
What to attach, and what not to
Attach only what strengthens the request: the detailed budget, the organisation’s statutes, any partner letters, a one-page project summary. Do not bury the assessor in promotional material or unrequested documents. If the foundation states what it wants to receive, provide exactly that: following instructions is itself a sign of seriousness.
How and when to send
Many foundations accept email submissions as PDF, others only through an online portal, some on fixed deadlines. The rule that really matters is different: move well ahead. Foundation boards meet only a few times a year, and the contribution is almost always paid after the project is reported. In practice, a request is prepared 12–18 months before delivery. For public sources, official deadlines apply.
The pre-send checklist
- Does the foundation’s purpose genuinely match the project?
- Does the letter answer who, what, why and how much in under a page?
- Does the budget match what the project promises, and show co-funding?
- Are beneficiaries and results concrete and verifiable?
- Have you attached only what is required or useful?
- Are you on time relative to the board’s meetings?
If even one of these is uncertain, it is worth revising the dossier before sending: a well-built request leaves a good impression even when the answer is no, and prepares the ground for next time. I write dossiers for Swiss foundations and institutional funders — including Migros Kulturprozent, Pro Helvetia, Drosos and Ernst Göhner — for cultural and social organisations, working in Italian, English and French. If you want an outside eye on your dossier before you send it, get in touch: I reply within two working days.
