About Wyss Foundation
The Wyss Foundation gives in a highly concentrated way, making very large, repeated grants to a small set of partners rather than spreading support broadly. Its portfolio is split between major conservation and land-protection efforts — especially wildlife rewilding, protected areas, and ocean/environment groups — and a distinct science/philanthropy thread through the Wyss Center and Wyss Zurich Foundation. It also supports policy and advocacy organizations tied to environment, consumer protection, and economic fairness, suggesting a mix of conservation, research, and systems-change interests.
Focus Areas
Global Wildlife Conservation and RewildingProtected Lands and Public Lands AdvocacyMarine Conservation and Ocean ProtectionBiomedical Engineering and Neurotechnology ResearchEnvironmental Policy and Advocacy InfrastructureConservation in Africa, Latin America, and North America
Giving Approach
Large, concentrated grants to a relatively small group of repeat grantees, often with multi-grant support to core partners and flagship institutions.
Notable grantees: Wyss Center for Bio & Neuro Engineering, Wyss Zurich Foundation, African Parks Foundation of America, The Conservation Fund, The Trust for Public Land
About Wyss Foundation
Wyss Foundation’s recent filings are dominated by three very large charitable contributions to “See Attached Schedule,” each recorded in Washington, DC and each described in the same broad terms. That pattern points to a funder that moves sizable resources through consolidated or intermediary grants rather than through many small line-item awards. The foundation’s public grantmaking also shows a clear conservation identity: the Wyss Scholars Program supports graduate education for future U.S. land-conservation leaders, while its campaign-related work backs large-scale efforts to protect land and ocean systems and strengthen conservation policy. Alongside those major conservation commitments, the foundation’s program descriptions include grants for economic opportunity, scientific discovery, and community services. The structure of the recent grants suggests the foundation often documents detailed sub-recipients elsewhere, while the public record on its own shows only the top-level payee and generic charitable-contribution language. Molly McCusick serves as president and director.
What Wyss Foundation Funds
Land and wildlife conservation is a core theme. The Wyss Foundation’s campaign for nature work focuses on protecting 30% of the planet by 2030, and its program descriptions describe support for locally led conservation projects, science, and policy efforts. The foundation also backs conservation training. Through the Wyss Scholars Program, it supports graduate-level education for emerging U.S. land conservation leaders, including tuition and expense support for master’s or law degrees, plus qualifying internships and later employment in land management or conservation advocacy. Beyond conservation, the foundation’s stated program areas include economic opportunity, scientific discovery and research, and community services. Those themes appear in its general grantmaking descriptions, which frame support broadly across nonprofits and institutions.
How Wyss Foundation Gives
The typical grant size is extremely large: p25 is $152,834,200, the median is $156,335,665, and p75 is $159,837,130. The recent grant record also shows three six- and nine-figure awards, all classified as charitable contributions to a consolidated recipient. That pattern is consistent with one-off, high-value institutional giving rather than small repeat awards. The available records point to a regular funder structure, not a donor-advised fund, and the foundation does not fund individuals directly. One active program, the Wyss Scholars Program, is open to unsolicited applications; the larger general and campaign grantmaking programs are not.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$222.6M
Total Assets
$1.7B
Total Revenue
$243.9M
Total Expenses
$242.9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $70K and $1M, with a median of $250K.
25th Percentile
$70K
Median
$250K
75th Percentile
$1M
Leadership
MOLLY MCUSIC
PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Wyss Foundation Funds
Top 9 recipient countries by grant volume for Wyss Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 198 | $185.7M | 87.2% |
| 2 | Switzerland | 9 |
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