At the Z Zurich Foundation, we work alongside Zurich employees, businesses and NGOs in pursuit of a future where people can thrive in the face of increasing climate hazards, where those of us feeling the stresses of life are empowered to speak up, and where the marginalized in our society can reach their full potential.

What we all have in common is our willingness to turn belief into positive action and impact. For us, this kind of activism could be a Zurich employee volunteering for a local charity event or encouraging others in their team to stand up for issues in their own communities. And it could be uniting organizations and governments to bring about policy-level changes that benefit the many. We are taking pride in redefining what a corporate foundation can be by really getting involved with the causes we champion, on the ground, day after day.

We have set in place various initiatives to help the huge numbers of people impacted by the war in Ukraine, alongside Zurich. 

After monitoring the situation and discussing with charitable organizations involved in response efforts, we have made an initial donation to the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) to provide immediate help to people fleeing their homeland.

We also launched a campaign to support humanitarian efforts, pledging to match donations up to a value of CHF 1 million. In just four weeks, it raised CHF 2 million (including our matching) to help the victims of the crisis. The amount raised from individual donations was the largest in our 49 years of existence. In addition to this campaign, which benefits three international organizations (International Rescue Committee, International Committee of the Red Cross & Save the Children), we made over 20 donations to smaller local and international organizations assisting people affected by the crisis, also looking at the mental wellbeing impact of this crisis and the growth of inequalities. 

In 2020, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided immediate assistance to hundreds of charitable organizations and funded local initiatives proposed by Zurich's business units that focus on providing food and medical emergency relief, supporting mental well-being and adapting to the “new normal” by giving people access to technology. 

Thanks to the commitment of local charities and Zurich Insurance Group’s people, we have been able to act rapidly and help over 1 million vulnerable people worldwide.

In April 2021, we committed to support UNICEF’s efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses to the most vulnerable through the COVAX Facility. Zurich Insurance Company Ltd’s offices, employees, customers and distributors joined us in the race to end the pandemic. Our global campaign raised enough funds for UNICEF to deliver two doses of COVID-19 vaccine to more than 1.7 million people.