Annual Report 2024

Carol Gribnau and Idriss Nor, DOEN Foundation Executive Board. (Photo: Nathalie Hennis)

Championing pioneers who are making a difference

In 2024, DOEN continued to focus on supporting people and initiatives working to build a better world. Thanks to the players of the Postcode Loterij and VriendenLoterij, we supported 238 pioneers and more than 700 community projects that are demonstrating on a daily basis that change is possible.

Hope, inspiration and possibility

Regenerative economy

40 pioneers – 21 in the Netherlands, 19 abroad

Social solidarity

774 neighbourhood projects, 35 innovative community projects, 37 social enterprises

Power of imagination

90 pioneers – 62 in the Netherlands, 28 abroad

DOEN Ventures

A portfolio of 68 pioneers – 48 in the Netherlands, 20 abroad

Communications

Showing that things can be different

Organisation

A solid foundation

Postcode Loterij Buurtfonds – fuelling community projects across the Netherlands

We’re proud to say that 774 small-scale neighbourhood projects were realised in 2024 with the support of the Postcode Loterij Buurtfonds. We also supported 35 innovative community projects that are thinking on a bigger scale. Each and every one is for and by local people. 

VriendenLoterij Fonds – working together for a better future

Through the VriendenLoterij Fonds, in 2024 we supported 37 social enterprises and projects working to create a world where everyone participates. And we backed 62 art and cultural projects that are operating at the heart of society, critically questioning the world and involving people from all walks of life.

Impact case: het Bouwdepot

At any given time, 350,000 young people in the Netherlands are growing up in unstable home environments. This difficult start leaves many fending for themselves too soon, facing a host of problems, with no social safety net or support from family members. They risk leaving school early, getting into debt, even ending up homeless. Het Bouwdepot offers some of these young people breathing space by providing them with financial support for a year. The resulting peace of mind and trust give them a chance to get their lives on track. The VriendenLoterij Fonds has supported the project since 2020.

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Impact case: MISSION REUSE

The world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic each year. More than a third is used for packaging, much of which is discarded immediately after use. The throwaway mentality is still deeply embedded in human society. Enviu, the Fair Resource Foundation and Natuur & Milieu decided tackling the plastic problem meant changing that attitude. So they started the Mission Reuse project in 2020 to make reusable products the norm in everyday life. The DOEN Foundation has supported Mission Reuse from the beginning.

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Impact case: StagingWood

Everything we do, from the thoughts we form to the choices we make, derives from our human–centred view of the world. Being numerous and dominant, people have a huge effect on the earth. But what if we took not ourselves but the forest as a starting point for devising new forms of thinking, working and producing? In his four-year art project StagingWood, the artist Elmo Vermijs is searching for new relationships between humans and the forest. He is working with societal organisations, activists, scientists, thinkers, island residents and the Oerol theatre festival.  