Financial Summary
“Every year millions of Scouts are taking action to build a more sustainable, peaceful and inclusive world. It is our job at the World Scout Foundation to ensure World Scouting has sufficient resources so that every Scout can be empowered to lead action in communities across the globe.”
Mark Knippenberg, Chief Executive OfficerA financial journey: from donations to Scout action
Each dollar donated to Scouting via the Foundation follows a specific pathway before it is granted to World Scouting. Discover this journey and learn how we manage and invest your donations to support the growth and development of Scouting:
Our Donors
Donation Origin
In 2024 we raised a total of USD 3.45 million in direct fundraising income (2023: USD 4.73 million):
Indirect fundraising income
In 2024, our indirect fundraising income totalled USD 1.74 million. This total includes fundraising achieved jointly with World Scouting, with the income transferred directly via the World Scout Bureau due to donor stipulations; fundraising undertaken via the World Scout Foundation Funds in Canada and Australia; and recognised in-kind donations.
Total fundraising income
Our total fundraising income (direct and indirect) in 2024 was USD 5.19 million.
Funding youth-led action
Grants to World Scouting
Our extensive fundraising and investment activities allow us to provide two main funding streams for World Scouting:
Total funds disbursed to World Scouting in 2024: USD 4.7 million
Fund allocation
How donations are managed
Donations to the World Scout Foundation are sorted and allocated into one of two fund types: restricted or unrestricted, prior to being allocated to Scouting.
Investing in Scouting’s Future
WSF income and expenses
As part of our endowment funding model, many of the Foundation’s assets are distributed across an investment portfolio managed primarily by JP Morgan Private Bank Switzerland and the Fiduciary Trust Company International (USA). The Foundation’s Investment Committee closely monitors the portfolio.
Interest and dividend income, together with realised gains and fluctuation in financial assets, brought returns of USD 4 million. Together with donations and other income such as events and the returns from funds abroad, the total income of the Foundation in 2024 was USD 7.49 million.
By covering our operational expenditures out of the returns of our General Endowment Fund, the Foundation can assure its donors that every new gift to the Foundation goes entirely to Scouting. No fees or expenses are paid to Officers of Members of the Board or its Sub-committees.
After ensuring that all disbursements and grants to Scouting were made and our own expenses were covered, we were still able to reinvest USD 0.9 million into our Endowment Fund to provide long-term support for Scouting.
In addition to the Endowment and Designated Purpose Funds, the Foundation’s assets also include funds held abroad for the Foundation at Scouts Canada, Scouts Australia and in the WSF Deutschland Foundation. It is also important to note that the World Scout Foundation has agreed to hold in trust funds from related parties — the Asia-Pacific Foundation, World Scout Bureau (including one of its regional offices), Africa Scout Foundation, Interamerican Scout Foundation and the Hong Kong Scout Foundation — to invest on their behalf. These funds held in trust are treated as financial assets and are distributed into our investment portfolio. Its gains or losses are reinvested on behalf of our related parties. These assets are not part of the Endowment Fund, nor the Designated Purpose Funds.
The Foundation’s total assets, including funds held abroad and funds held in trust, reached just over USD 70 million on 31 December 2024, an increase from USD 69.7 million in the previous year.
Integrity, Inclusivity, Accountability and Transparency
The World Scout Foundation is an independent, not for profit, charitable organisation based in Switzerland, established under Swiss law and subject to supervision by the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority of Foundations.
The Foundation has entities or funds established in Australia, Canada, France and Germany, which will accept tax-deductible contributions from donors residing in these countries.
Please refer to this list to see all the countries in which residents can make tax-deductible donations.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audits the accounts and financial statements annually. Please contact the World Scout Foundation for a copy of the audited 2024 Financial Statements.
Balance Sheet as of 31 December 2024
| Assets (USD) | 31.12.2024 | 31.12.2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Current Assets | ||
| Cash | 3’044’450 | 1’120’703 |
| Donations receivable | 0 | 0 |
| Donations gross | 2’000’000 | 2’250’000 |
| Provision | -2’000’000 | -2’250’000 |
| Prepayments and accrued income | 406’749 | 843’619 |
| 3’971’973 | 2’208’373 | |
| Non-current assets | ||
| Financial assets | 59’928’380 | 61’150’067 |
| Fixed assets | 14’307 | 14’858 |
| 59’942’688 | 61’164’926 | |
| Total Assets | 63’914’661 | 63’373’299 |
| Funds held abroad in trust for the Foundation | 6’878’436 | 6’369’981 |
| Total assets of the Foundation incl. Funds held in trust abroad | 70’793’097 | 69’743’280 |
| Liabilities & Funds (USD) | 31.12.2024 | 31.12.2023 |
| Current Liabilities | ||
| Undisbursed grants payable | 2’991’447 | 3’645’903 |
| Loan from related party | 13’652’981 | 12’715’410 |
| Accrued and other liabilities | 183’372 | 1’180’174 |
| 16’827’800 | 17’541’488 | |
| Restricted Funds | ||
| Designated Purpose Funds | 3’938’319 | 3’478’077 |
| Unrestricted Funds | ||
| Capital of the Foundation | 1’557’347 | 1’557’347 |
| Endowment Fund | 41’591’194 | 40’796’387 |
| 43’148’541 | 42’353’734 | |
| Total Funds | 47’086’861 | 45’831’811 |
| Total Liabilities and Funds | 63’914’661 | 63’373’299 |
Statement of Operations for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
| (USD) | 31.12.2024 | 31.12.2023 |
|---|---|---|
| General Income | ||
| Individual donations | 3’208’200 | 4’566’167 |
| Income from related party funds | 250’400 | 162’827 |
| 3’458’610 | 4’728’994 | |
| General Expenditures | ||
| Project and grant expenditure | (2’104’612) | (3’409’139) |
| Grant to the World Organization of the Scout Movement | (2’800’000) | (2’800’000) |
| Administrative expenditures | (1’675’731) | (1’728’787) |
| (6’580’344) | (7’937’926) | |
| Operating result | (3’121’733) | (3’208’931) |
| Net financial income | ||
| Financial income | 6’452’917 | 8’087’517 |
| Financial costs | (2’415’503) | (3’385’010) |
| 4’037’414 | 4’702’507 | |
| Profit / (Deficit) for the year | 915’680 | 1’493’576 |
| Changes in restricted funds | ||
| Allocation of income | (1’886’100) | (3’212’842) |
| Operational expenditure | 1’915’227 | 5’087’926 |
| Net financial (income) / loss | 0 | (1’175’627) |
| (944’806) | (2’193’033) | |
| Net surplus / (deficit) for the year prior to allocations | 944’806 | 2’193’088 |
| Release / (Allocation to) General Endowment Fund | ||
| – allocation of income | (1’572’510) | (1’516’152) |
| – operational expenditure | 4’665’117 | 2’850’000 |
| – net financial (income) / loss | (4’037’414) | (3’526’880) |
| (944’807) | (2’193’033) | |
| Net surplus / (deficit) for the year after allocations | 0 | 0 |