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Our approach

Adessium Foundation believes in the power of long-term partnerships. We support organizations with flexible, multi-year donations and strategic advice. This enables us to work together to build impactful initiatives that accelerate and boost social change. Read more about how we work.

How we donate

In short, we stand for:

Our approach to philanthropy

Adessium Foundation is a philanthropic fund that has been supporting civil society organizations in the Netherlands and Europe since 2005. We offer financial support, advice and access to our network, to boost initiatives that contribute to a better society.

We operate independently, without religious or political affiliations. This position gives us the freedom to put funds to work where they will have the most impact. That freedom brings with it a responsibility. That’s why we focus on long-term solutions and support innovative ideas that won’t always get implemented by government or the market but have real value for society.

We don’t accept unsolicited proposals

As a strategic philanthropic fund, we formulate objectives within selected focus areas and develop an approach to achieve these objectives. Based on this strategy, our team proactively approaches civil society organizations to explore partnership opportunities and invite them to submit a funding application.

Our budget is limited and there are many more organizations and initiatives corresponding to our mission than we can support. So we make conscious choices and actively seek out funding opportunities that align with our priorities. We carefully research the organizations that we support and aim to be respectful of people’s time. For that reason, we don’t accept unsolicited proposals.

Our partnership with the organizations we support

As well as offering immediate support and relief, we seek to understand the causes of social problems and work to achieve structural change. This requires patience and a flexible approach. That’s why we often support organizations for several years. When necessary, we adjust our plans, for example when a unique opportunity or a crisis occurs.

We attach great value to a good relationship with the organizations we support and to openness about the challenges they encounter. That enables us to work together to find solutions.

How we help organizations to become stronger

We believe that strong organizations achieve effective results. Our donations can be broadly deployed within the organization’s mission. We also consider together where extra assistance is needed, for example to obtain strategic advice or an external assessment. We want our support to bring about positive social change. So we carefully analyze what works and what doesn’t. We learn from the organizations we support and use this knowledge to refine our methods and strengthen the sector.

Invitation Process

Our program managers propose organizations for funding, and these proposals are reviewed by our management and team. When Adessium invites an organization to submit an application, we follow these steps:

  1. 1

    Introduction

    We start with an introductory meeting to get to know the organization, its approach, and the intended impact. This may also include a project visit. If there is a strong match, we ask the organization to submit a brief project or program description (concept note).

  2. 2

    Review

    We discuss the concept note and assess whether the proposal has strong potential for a full application. We provide the organization with feedback and explain our decision.

  3. 3

    Full application

    If the concept note is positively assessed, we invite the organization to submit a full application. This can either be an existing application prepared for another funder, or we can provide specific guidance for developing one.

  4. 4

    Due diligence

    We verify that the organization meets requirements related to charitable status and general principles of good governance and financial management.

  5. 5

    Grant agreement

    If a grant is awarded, we discuss mutual expectations and document these agreements in a grant agreement.

  6. 6

    Monitoring and support

    We establish joint agreements on progress and results and stay in close communication. We offer support if challenges arise and value open, transparent dialogue.