Approach

The Hilti Foundation is a charitable foundation financed jointly by the Martin Hilti Family Trust and the Hilti Group (which provides one percent of Group profit). Thanks to its independence from external sources of finance, it is able to proactively identify projects within the Foundation’s areas of focus and to work with suitable project partners.

In contrast to the conventional philanthropic approach, the Hilti Foundation does not make any financial contributions in the form of donations, but invests in projects that contribute to a basic and sustainable improvement of the living conditions of disadvantaged persons. In doing so, it focuses on a limited number of thoroughly reviewed projects that offer a match with the Foundation’s defined focus areas. In line with the value chain model, innovative ideas are tested in practical pilot projects and only launched on the market in the presence of positive results. This guarantees the systematic application of the tested concepts in a wider scope. In this context, the Hilti Foundation sees its activities as an investment in a better future: Thanks to the principle of “help for self-help”, this approach improves the living conditions of disadvantaged people and provides benefits for society at large.

The projects are implemented in cooperation with competent and reliable local partners who make sure that our commitment will be turned into tangible results in an efficient and swift manner. We attach great importance to a continuous measurement of efficiency and goal attainment. Monthly reports and regular project visits provide indications about progress and potential issues.

It takes time for a project to come to full fruition. As a rule, the Hilti Foundation commits itself for a period of three to five years in order to follow the progress of a project.