Livelihood security

A fair chance to participate

Increasing numbers of people in the Netherlands are struggling to keep up in society. We support initiatives that help them and work on long-term solutions. Our primary focus is on families and young people in vulnerable situations. Our goal is a society in which everyone has a fair chance to participate and develop their potential.

Facts & figures

In the Netherlands, 540,000 people live in poverty (source: Statistics Netherlands)
115,000 children live in poverty in the Netherlands (source: Statistics Netherlands)
1.2 million people in the Netherlands have hardly any financial reserves (source: Statistics Netherlands)

How we see this theme

Everyone deserves a fair chance to participate. Adessium supports initiatives that help families and young people in vulnerable situations to gain more security. This way, we work together to build an just and equitable society.

Poverty brings many other problems with it, such as stress, health problems and limited opportunities for a prosperous future. For children, growing up in poverty often leaves them at a permanent disadvantage as compared to their peers.

Adessium doesn’t just help to relieve the immediate effects of poverty; it also seeks to achieve structural solutions. We want to prevent children already having a disadvantage from an early age due to the situation they grow up in. That’s why we support initiatives that offer them opportunities and ensure that they can participate fully in society.

How we go about this

Immediate support. We help organizations that provide immediate aid to people in need. Such as financial assistance or voluntary debt counselling.
Preventing problems. We support initiatives that identify or prevent problems at an early stage. We particularly focus on better opportunities for young people from vulnerable families.
Innovation. We support innovative approaches within support services to solve persistent problems.
Advocacy. We support organizations that work to achieve policies and rules that address structural inequality.

Stories

“Sometimes sparks fly during a discussion”

Published in theme

Livelihood security

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“But surely you can just buy water at the supermarket?”

Published in theme

Livelihood security

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“Homeless young people: that’s hard to imagine too”

Published in theme

Livelihood security

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Adessium updates

New board member Dorine Manson: “I saw a striking courage at Adessium”

Published on: 8 December 2025
Marilles Foundation: “Adessium doesn’t hesitate to tell us that we can do things better”

Published on: 22 September 2025
ICIJ: “Adessium’s funding wasn’t tied to a single issue”

Published on: 14 July 2025

Organisations we support

IMC Weekendschool

IMC Weekendschool prepares young people for the most important step after their school years: making choices for their future based on their own talents and interests
ONSbank

Stichting ONSbank is a non-profit organization that strives for a more humane approach to people who struggle with debt.
Stichting PILP

PILP serves as the legal ally for a diverse group of stakeholders in the Netherlands, including NGOs, advocacy groups, movements, communities, activists, lawyers and academics.