GRO Foundation Achieves Prestigious Charitable Status in Switzerland
GRO Foundation joins elite 5% of foundations granted full state approval for humanitarian mission
HERGISWIL, NIDWALDEN, SWITZERLAND, August 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- GRO Foundation, a Swiss-based environmental and humanitarian organization, has been granted prestigious charitable status by the Canton of Nidwalden, placing it among just 5% of all Swiss foundations to receive this coveted designation.
The July 30th ruling by the cantonal tax finance department represents a significant milestone for the foundation, which has set ambitious goals of planting one billion trees by 2030 while lifting one million people out of poverty through integrated community development projects.
"This recognition goes far beyond the financial implications," explains explains Paul Flynn Mukalazi, Founder & Trustee of GRO Foundation. "While the complete tax exemption certainly helps maximize resources for their environmental and humanitarian projects, what's truly remarkable is the state's full endorsement of their holistic approach to addressing both climate change and poverty."
The charitable status exempts GRO Foundation from all direct federal, cantonal, and municipal taxes, ensuring maximum resource allocation to field programs. More significantly, the recognition validates the foundation's innovative model of combining large-scale reforestation with comprehensive community development initiatives including water security, education, and microfinancing programs.
Founded with headquarters in Hergiswil, GRO Foundation operates under a mission to protect life on earth through projects aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Clean Development Mechanism. Their work spans multiple continents, focusing on regions where environmental restoration can simultaneously create economic opportunities for vulnerable populations.
The foundation's approach has garnered attention for its integrated methodology – rather than treating environmental protection and poverty alleviation as separate issues, GRO Foundation's projects are designed to address both challenges through coordinated interventions that create lasting, sustainable change.
According to the official ruling, the foundation met stringent requirements for charitable status, including demonstration of genuine public interest activities and purely altruistic operations with no commercial or self-serving purposes. The canton's assessment emphasized that the foundation's broad beneficiary base and commitment to serving communities worldwide qualified it for the highest level of state recognition available to charitable organizations.
Legal experts note that achieving charitable status in Switzerland requires extensive documentation of both mission alignment and operational integrity. The process typically takes months of review, with tax authorities conducting thorough evaluations of organizational structure, funding sources, and program effectiveness.
The timing of this recognition comes as environmental foundations worldwide face increased scrutiny over their impact and operational transparency. GRO Foundation's achievement of full charitable status signals strong institutional confidence in both their mission and their execution capabilities.
With this official recognition now secured, the foundation is positioned to accelerate its ambitious timeline toward the 2030 goals, backed by both financial efficiency and formal state endorsement of their innovative dual-focus approach to global challenges.
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Carbon Registry Information:
Learn more about GRO Foundation’s carbon registry projects in Uganda and Kenya by clicking here.
About GRO Foundation:
Based in Hergiswil, Switzerland, GRO Foundation develops environmental protection projects that build grassroots businesses within communities worldwide. Operating within UN frameworks, the foundation combines large-scale reforestation with sustainable enterprise development, working toward goals of planting one billion trees by 2030 while creating businesses aimed at lifting one million people out of poverty through innovative climate finance solutions.
About Carbon Orchard:
Carbon Orchard provides IPCC-approved, nature-based carbon removal certificates that are insurable through a Lloyd’s of London cover-holder. With more than 130 million certificates available on international registries, Carbon Orchard supports companies in achieving net-zero goals while channeling funding into community business development through independently verified environmental restoration projects.
Dustin Plantholt
GRO Foundation PR
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