DOEN Foundation in brief
DOEN Foundation is the fund of the Dutch charity lotteries. The Dutch Postcode Lottery (Nationale Postcode Loterij) established the foundation in 1991 to support small initiatives. As of 1998 and 2004 DOEN has also received contributions from the Sponsor Bingo Lottery (Sponsor Bingo Loterij) and the BankGiro Lottery (BankGiro Loterij), respectively.
Mission
DOEN Foundation’s ambition is to help build a liveable world in which everyone can make a contribution by promoting sustainable, cultural and social innovators. DOEN seeks, supports, connects and inspires such innovatory pioneers.
About DOEN Foundation
DOEN’s basic principles
DOEN supports pioneers of sustainable, cultural and social innovation. We understand this to mean people who:
• take risks,
• have a creative or innovative approach,
• can transform pioneering concepts into concrete projects• can serve as an inspiring example to others,
• run sustainable and social business operations,
• put social and/or ecological objectives first and foremost, and/or
• create resourceful connections between sustainable, social and cultural interests
From 2010 DOEN Foundation is active in three principal themes: Climate Change, NewEconomy and Open society based on solidarity.
Financing through DOEN
DOEN works with subsidies, participations, loans and guarantees based on the following philosophy: subsidise where necessary, participations, loans and guarantees where possible. In this way, DOEN supports both large and small initiatives such as a project, a programme or an institutional subsidy for a maximum of three years.
DOEN can make longer-term commitments to organisations that have an ongoing pioneering role and that give priority to initiatives that reinforce projects funded by DOEN, whether with regard to topic, region or otherwise. Because of DOEN’s promotional role it is important that DOEN’s contribution has clear added-value for the initiative. This means that the initiative would not get off the ground without the support of DOEN.
History
DOEN Foundation was established in 1991 by the Dutch Postcode Lottery. The Foundation was given the following assignment: to pursue the same objectives as the lottery (people and nature) and to complement the lottery’s work. In order to underscore its entrepreneurial character, DOEN not only grants subsidies, it also issues participations, loans and guarantees.
Initially, DOEN focused on the same areas as the Postcode Lottery: Development Cooperation and Human Rights, and Nature and the Environment. Since 1998 DOEN Foundation has received an annual contribution from the Sponsor Bingo Lottery. With this it finances initiatives focusing on welfare issues. In September 2004 DOEN Foundation also became a beneficiary of the BankGiro Lottery; with this lottery funding DOEN finances cultural initiatives. In 2006 the National Postcode Lottery decided to add Social Cohesion toDevelopment Cooperation and Human Rights, and Nature and the Environment in the distribution of its funds.
Triodos-Doen and DOEN Participaties BV.
In 1994, together with Triodos Bank, DOEN Foundation established Triodos-Doen Foundationwith the objective of supporting small-scale entrepreneurs in developing country with a loan to start up or expand their businesses.
In order to provide professional support to enterprises engaged in improving the environment or bettering social conditions, in 1996 DOEN Foundation established its own venture capital fund
Income
From the 2009 net proceeds of the Dutch Postcode Lottery DOEN Foundation received a sum of € 22.5 million. This sum is divided among applications within the three themes of Climate Change, New Economy and Open and Solidarity-Based Society, and DOEN Participaties BV. From the 2009 net proceeds of the BankGiro Lottery, DOEN received a sum of over € 4.4 million for the Open and Solidarity-Based Society and New Economy themes. From the 2009 net proceeds of the Sponsor Bingo Lottery DOEN Foundation received a sum of over € 3 million for the New Economy theme.