Together. From challenge to empowerment.
Projekt Gänserndorf Integrative residential home for severely and slightly challenged persons with therapy animal farm.
UKBB Eckenstein-Geigy-Professorship and Research Centre for Paediatric Pharmacology at the University of Basel and the University Children's Hospital Basel.
Aluna Móvil Holistic care for children with special needs or at risk of developing a disability, and counselling for families in poverty-stroken neighbourhoods of the city of Cartagena de Indias.
Setting our sights on change
The Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation supports organizations that use innovative solutions to further develop the urgent cultural, societal, and ecological challenges facing our society today.
Selected projects
Targeted support - prudent investment: Together with our partners, we want to provide the impetus and achieve a tangible impact that will also benefit future generations.
Committed to the foundation's purpose
Our Commitment – Locally Rooted, Globally Engaged
The Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation supports projects that foster equal opportunities and independence, with a focus on long-term impact and sustainable change.
While our roots lie in the city of Basel and the surrounding region, we are also active on a global scale – wherever our values are shared and our support can make a meaningful difference.
We act with a strong sense of responsibility in the use of our resources and remain committed to transparency, open dialogue, and active communication. The foundation is non-denominational and politically neutral.
"Philanthropy is deeply rooted in our family tradition." (Jeannine and Matthias Eckenstein-Geigy)
Our History
One of the key reasons behind founding our foundation was the birth of Lucy – the first grandchild of Jeannine and Matthias Eckenstein, and daughter of Corinne Eckenstein and Rainer Berson. At birth, Lucy suffered a severe lack of oxygen, resulting in a complex form of spastic disability.
On June 22, 2024, Lucy passed away unexpectedly at the age of nearly 29. She simply did not wake up from her sleep. Her life was rich with diverse activities and shaped by her deep love for theater and dance. With her openness, strength, and joy, she profoundly enriched our family’s story.
Lucy's journey fundamentally changed our perspective on life and the privileges we often take for granted. As a family, we felt a growing commitment to support projects that enable people with different abilities to live dignified, independent, and self-determined lives.
Over the years, this commitment has led to the creation of various housing and educational projects in Germany, Austria, Colombia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Basel. All of them share a common goal: to provide children, adolescents, and young adults with access to better healthcare and education – and thus open the door to a life of dignity and opportunity.
Lucy's life and spirit continue to inspire us. Her story is at the heart of our foundation’s mission: to invest in the future and inclusion of the next generation, and to support sustainable projects that offer young people real perspectives and pathways toward a more inclusive world.
Foundation Board
Gabriel Eckenstein
President of the Foundation Board
«As Executive Director of our foundation, I take on a wide range of roles and responsibilities. Above all, I believe in the power of targeted Purpose-Related Investment, with the foundation’s mission always at the center. This approach forms the basis for measurable, positive impact on the social changes we care deeply about.
Professionally, I have been involved for many years in the trade of traditional Japanese art. In my personal life, I find balance as a husband and father of two, in nature, and in the company of our animals.
Both in my professional and personal life, intuition and empathy play a central role. These values shape the way I lead the Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation.»
Corinne Eckenstein
Member of the Foundation Board
«As a member of the Foundation Board, I see myself as an active bridge builder. Both in my private life as a mother of two children, one of whom is severely disabled, and in my professional life as an internationally active freelance director, choreographer and curator, the topic of inclusion is omnipresent for me.
In order for inclusion to take place across the board, trusting foundations and synergies must be created in order to connect the most diverse people with each other. This is where I see my strength and my passion.
My second passion is contemporary and urban dance. Creating space for young people from the most diverse backgrounds to meet, where they can express their vitality, feelings, and creativity, is what drives me and drives my commitment to the Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation.»
Dominik Eckenstein
Member of the Foundation Board
«Because dealing with people of different origins has fascinated me from an early age, I decided to work in the hospitality industry. Over the years, I have been able to take on new challenges again and again, mainly abroad. In the meantime, I have dedicated myself to revitalizing depleted farmland in North America and building ecosystems that sustain themselves.
Targeted impact investing turns visions into impact - measurable added value, environmental and social benefits, for which I work every day with conviction and heart and soul.
Opportunities are there to be seized and to grow from. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Eckenstein-Geigy Foundation, it is close to my heart to enable young, innovative people to seize their individual opportunities. At the same time, I am committed to global reforestation projects.»