The Wyss Foundation is a private charitable foundation established in 1998 that funds conservation, medical research, education, the arts, and economic opportunity initiatives in the United States and globally.
The Wyss Foundation is a private philanthropic organization focused on advancing innovative, durable solutions that enhance lives, empower communities, and deepen connections with the natural world.
The Wyss Foundation was established in 1998 by Hansjörg Wyss. His early experiences exploring the Rocky Mountains and the American West shaped his commitment to public lands conservation. After building Synthes USA into a major medical device company, Wyss directed significant philanthropic resources toward conservation, medical research, economic opportunity, education, and the arts. The Foundation launched the $1.5 billion Wyss Campaign for Nature to address global conservation challenges. Since its founding, the Foundation and its partners have supported the permanent protection of more than 130 million acres of land and 5.7 million square kilometers of ocean.
The Wyss Foundation supports 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States and globally. Its funding includes large-scale conservation initiatives, medical research institutions, educational programs, arts organizations, and economic opportunity efforts. In 2024, the Foundation supported nearly 130 organizations. Funding allocations included conservation and environment (41%), medical research and care (41%), education and the arts (11%), and economic opportunity and social services (7%). Certain initiatives, such as the Wyss Fellows Program, operate by invitation for host organizations.
Since 1998, the Wyss Foundation and its partners have helped permanently protect more than 130 million acres of land and 5.7 million square kilometers of ocean. In 2024 alone, the Foundation mobilized more than $220 million across conservation, medical research, education, arts, and economic opportunity. Through the Wyss Campaign for Nature, it has committed over $1 billion toward advancing global 30×30 conservation goals.
The Foundation collaborates with local and Indigenous communities, national governments, land trusts, nonprofit organizations, universities, medical institutions, and arts organizations. It has supported institutions such as The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, major museums, and universities.