Scoreboard Funding via the Swisslos Sportfonds

An LED scoreboard is an investment, but nobody says your club has to shoulder it alone. Switzerland has a well-established funding instrument made for exactly this kind of project: the Swisslos Sportfonds (the cantonal sports funds fed by the Swisslos lottery). Many clubs are not aware that it can cover a substantial share of the purchase. This article explains how the Sportfonds works, how the eight largest cantons of German-speaking Switzerland classify a scoreboard, and how to prepare an application that gets approved.

What is the Swisslos Sportfonds?

The Swisslos cooperative runs lotteries and sports betting in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. Under federal law, part of its net profit goes to charitable purposes, including sport, culture, education and social causes. Each canton distributes its share through its own lottery fund or sports fund.

So the Sportfonds is not a single national body; it is organised at cantonal level. This has an important consequence: the conditions, the size of the grants and the application process differ from canton to canton. In French-speaking Switzerland, the Loterie Romande plays a similar role.

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants are usually:

• Non-profit sports clubs based in the canton concerned
• Associations and sports organisations
• In some cases municipalities that provide sports infrastructure

Commercial providers, private individuals and clubs without a verifiable club purpose are generally excluded.

What is funded?

Sportfonds money typically flows into:

• Sports facilities: renovations, new buildings, changing rooms, sports grounds
• Sports equipment: sports apparatus, training material and, depending on the canton, scoreboards and results displays too
• Elite sport and youth development
• Sports events of supra-regional importance

The funding rate varies: some cantons grant 20 % of the eligible costs, others up to 40 % or more, often with a maximum amount per project. The decisive question is whether your canton classifies the scoreboard as sports equipment or as part of a sports facility (more on this in the FAQ below).

How much support can you expect?

There are no blanket figures, but a few pointers:

• Equipment grants in many cantons sit at around 40 % of the eligible costs, often capped at CHF 20,000 per application.
• For facilities, cantons tend to work with lower rates (20 to 25 %) and higher caps.
• As a rule, the club has to contribute its own share; full funding is the exception.

For a 3 x 2 m LED wall costing CHF 12,000 to 15,000 all-in (see our article How much does an LED scoreboard cost in 2026?), a 40 % grant therefore means CHF 5,000 to 6,000. In practice the rest is covered by selling sponsor slots on the scoreboard; our whitepaper on the future of club sponsorship outlines the potential.

Sportfonds by canton: the grants at a glance

We have reviewed the official guidelines of the largest sports funds in German-speaking Switzerland (as of August 2026, all figures without guarantee; the cantonal guidelines are authoritative):

Two patterns stand out: equipment grants sit at around 40 percent almost everywhere, and several cantons (Zurich, Bern, Aargau, Zug) reimburse equipment retrospectively, whereas construction projects require an application before work starts practically everywhere. If in doubt, phone the relevant office beforehand to clarify how your scoreboard is classified (equipment or part of a facility); this often decides the grant rate.

The cantons in detail

Search behaviour shows that clubs look for their own canton ("Sportfonds Kanton Bern Material", "Swisslos Sportfonds Aargau"), not for Switzerland as a whole. Here are the particulars for each canton, each with the official entry point.

Zurich

In the canton of Zurich, equipment funding runs through the Zurich cantonal sports association (ZKS), which acts as the hub of the Sportfonds. The ZKS list explicitly names "display units of results systems" as eligible, and the grant is around 40 %. The application is submitted after purchase with receipts via the ZKS extranet; the deadline is 31 January of the following year. Entry point: ZKS Sportmaterial.

Bern

The Sportfonds of the canton of Bern works with an exhaustive sports equipment list: applications can be submitted for all the material listed, in all the sports listed. Anything not on the list is not funded as equipment. So check before ordering whether your scoreboard is on the list or whether it has to be submitted as part of a sports facility. Equipment applications are submitted online after purchase, by 31 December of the following year; the grant is a maximum of 40 %. Entry point: Sportfonds Kanton Bern.

Aargau

The Swisslos-Sportfonds Aargau distinguishes between sports equipment (fact sheet, 20 to 35 % depending on classification) and parts of a facility (degressive 10 to 40 %, max. CHF 200,000). Equipment applications can be made retrospectively, the invoice may be no older than three years, and one application per year is possible. Construction projects must strictly be submitted before work starts. Entry point: Swisslos-Sportfonds Aargau.

Solothurn

Solothurn funds sports material and equipment at 40 % of expenditure, max. CHF 20,000. The application is submitted online to the Department of the Interior. Entry point: Swisslos-Sportfonds Solothurn.

Basel-Stadt and Baselland

Both Basel cantons run their own sports funds; applications go through the sports office of Basel-Stadt or of Baselland respectively. Grant rates and deadlines differ by canton and project and are set case by case. Proof that scoreboards are funded: the canton of Basel-Stadt publishes its Sportfonds grants as an open dataset, which lists a "scoreboard" project of the Schwimmverein beider Basel (swimming club) with around CHF 34,900 in each of the years 2022 and 2023.

Lucerne

Lucerne funds equipment at 20 to 40 %, depending on whether the scoreboard is classified as primary sports equipment or as an auxiliary item; clarify this in advance with the sports promotion office. Infrastructure is supported at 20 % (max. CHF 150,000). The equipment subsidy is applied for together with the annual operating grant by 15 November via the Sportfonds portal, infrastructure applications before work starts. Entry point: Sportfonds Luzern.

St. Gallen

In St. Gallen the Sportfonds committee decides case by case; equipment, material and facilities are eligible. Applications are submitted online via IG Sport St. Gallen; construction applications are possible only every 24 months. Entry point: IG Sport SG.

Thurgau

Thurgau pays around 40 % of the purchase cost, max. CHF 20,000, for purchases from CHF 3,000. The application can be submitted before ordering or up to one year afterwards. Entry point: Thurgau sports office.

Step by step to your application

1. Identify the responsible office

Search online for "Sportfonds" or "Swisslos Sportfonds" together with the name of your canton. You will usually end up at the cantonal sports office or the cantonal sports association. That is where you find the current guidelines and application forms.

2. Check the conditions

Read the guidelines before you apply. Typical points:

• Minimum investment sum (often CHF 3,000 to CHF 10,000)
• Submission deadlines (some cantons work with fixed dates, others accept applications on a rolling basis)
• Requirements on own contributions and co-financing
• Supporting documents such as club statutes, membership numbers or proof of activity

3. Document the project properly

A good application usually contains:

• Description of the project: what exactly is being purchased and why?
• Justification of the benefit: how do members, spectators, youth players and the region profit?
• Detailed quotation
• Financing plan: own funds, sponsors, other contributions, Sportfonds grant
• Timeline for implementation
• Club documents: statutes, latest annual report, annual accounts

4. Submit the application: timing depends on the canton

Important: for construction projects, practically all cantons require the application before work starts. For pure equipment purchases, several cantons (such as Zurich, Bern, Aargau and Zug) also reimburse retrospectively against receipts, with clear deadlines (see the table above). Check your canton's deadline before you order.

5. Wait for approval and settle the accounts properly

Implementation follows approval. Keep all receipts, invoices and photos; you will need them for the final statement. The grant is usually paid out only after that.

Tips for a successful application

• Plan early: allow 2 to 6 months of processing time, depending on the canton and the meeting schedule of the funding committee.
• Combine several funding sources: Sportfonds, municipality, local foundations, sponsors, own funds. A well thought-out mix looks professional.
• Consider hiring instead of buying: if you only need the scoreboard for one tournament, hiring is cheaper and needs no application.
• Emphasise the benefit for the region: a scoreboard that can also be used by schools, the municipality or at events has better chances.
• A clean layout: a clear, professionally prepared project file makes an impression.

Other Swiss funding sources

Besides the Sportfonds, it is worth looking at:

• Municipal and regional development funding: many municipalities support club infrastructure directly.
• Crowdfunding: platforms such as lokalhelden.ch (Raiffeisen) are also used for scoreboard projects.
• Swiss Olympic / national federations: mainly for clubs active in competitive sport.
• Local and regional foundations: searchable via platforms such as stiftungschweiz.ch.

Frequently asked questions

Sports equipment or sports facility: how is the scoreboard classified?

Each canton decides this itself, and it determines the grant rate and the timing of the application. Zurich explicitly lists "display units of results systems" as sports equipment. Bern works with an exhaustive equipment list: if the scoreboard is not on it, it has to be submitted as part of a sports facility, and that means before work starts. Lucerne and Aargau have tiered rates depending on classification. Rule of thumb: mobile or bolt-on boards tend to count as equipment, LED walls on foundations with a mast and power connection tend to count as a facility. Ask the relevant office before you order.

Does the Swisslos Sportfonds actually pay towards scoreboards?

Yes, there is evidence: Basel-Stadt lists a funded scoreboard project in its open data, and the ZKS list in Zurich explicitly names results displays.

Does the application have to be submitted before the purchase?

For sports facilities yes, practically everywhere. For sports equipment, Zurich, Bern, Aargau, Thurgau and Zug also reimburse retrospectively, each with its own deadline (see the table). If you are unsure, submit before ordering.

How much is left to finance after the Sportfonds grant?

With a 40 % grant on a 3 x 2 m wall costing CHF 14,000, around CHF 8,400 remains. With 8 to 12 sponsor slots on the scoreboard, that remainder is covered within one to two seasons; our post on finding sponsors for a football club explains how to sell them.

Conclusion: funding is no secret, but it takes care

The Swisslos Sportfonds is a valuable instrument for making the purchase of a scoreboard noticeably cheaper. The hurdles are manageable, but preparation pays off: a well-documented application with a clear benefit, a sound financing plan and realistic quotations has a much higher chance of success.

Are you planning a scoreboard project and need technical documents, quotations or arguments for your application? Contact us; we are happy to provide the documents you need to make your Sportfonds application convincing.