CliniClowns
CliniClowns is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that employs approximately 105 professional healthcare clowns to deliver in-person and digital therapeutic clowning visits to sick children, children with disabilities, and people with dementia across nearly all Dutch hospitals, care homes, and special schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersAmersfoort, Netherlands
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CliniClowns does
CliniClowns (Stichting CliniClowns Nederland) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation founded in 1992–1993 and headquartered in Amersfoort that delivers professional healthcare clowning services to sick children, children with disabilities, and people living with dementia. The foundation employs approximately 105 full-time, professionally trained clowns — not volunteers — who deploy an internal 'Health Care Clowning' methodology combining improvisational theater, play, humor, and adaptive contact. Services are delivered in nearly all Dutch hospitals with pediatric wards, plus psychiatry, rehabilitation clinics, hospices, special schools (via 'Speel je mee?' improvisation plays and 'Klein Zintuigen Orkest' sensory performances), daycare centers, home visits, and care institutions for people with dementia. The CliniClowns App extends reach digitally, providing monitored video calling and chat between clowns and registered children up to age 18.
The organization runs a multi-channel fundraising and revenue model. Individual donor subscriptions (minimum €2.95 per month) acquired via door-to-door canvassing firms (Activate Nederland, XS Direct), direct mail, telephone, and online channels form the primary income stream, with average donor retention of approximately 6 years. Supplementary revenue streams include corporate sponsorship and salary donation programs, one-time major gifts (notably a €1 million Postcode Loterij grant in March 2025), the Toet plush toy and Gouden Boekje merchandise line via the foundation's own webshop, Zuivelhoeve co-branded retail products, and recycling/clothing partnerships (Eeko at €3 per phone and €0.40 per cartridge; Climpex at €0.10–€0.13 per kilo of textiles). The foundation maintains ANBI status, CBF Erkend recognition, EFHCO quality label membership, AVG/GDPR compliance, and DDMA data marketing adherence. Of every euro spent in 2025, €0.72 went directly to mission delivery.
CliniClowns firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CliniClowns
- Legal name
- Stichting CliniClowns Nederland
- Website
- https://cliniclowns.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CliniClowns is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that employs approximately 105 professional healthcare clowns to deliver in-person and digital therapeutic clowning visits to sick children, children with disabilities, and people with dementia across nearly all Dutch hospitals, care homes, and special schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CliniClowns industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Clowning Services (Pediatric and Dementia Care)
- NAICS
- Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics (HLAFABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- School-Based & Community Women’s/Children’s Health Clinics (HLAFAJAO)
Keywords
Where CliniClowns is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amersfoort
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CliniClowns business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations and Sponsorship: Recurring monthly or periodic donations from individual donors acquired through door-to-door canvassing, street outreach, online campaigns, direct mail, and telephone fundraising. Donors typically remain supporters for approximately 6 years. Of every euro spent in 2022, €0.73 went to mission work, €0.23 to fundraising, and €0.04 to administration.
- Direct Charitable Gifts: One-time donations from individuals and corporate donors. Corporate sponsors support through financial donations, in-kind gifts, salary donation programs, and event partnerships.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded products including the Toet plush toy (€10.75, with €4.75 going to CliniClowns), figurines, bracelets, water bottles, clothing, promotional materials, and the special CliniClowns Gouden Boekje edition. Proceeds support the mission.
- Recycling and In-Kind Partnerships: Revenue from recycling partnerships: €3 per mobile phone, €0.40 per cartridge, €0.10-0.13 per kilo of textiles collected through Climpex and Eeko partnerships.
- Lottery and Major Grants: Major one-time grants such as the €1 million donation from Postcode Loterij (March 2025) funded by lottery participants. Also includes partnership revenue from product collaborations like the Boer'n Toet yogurt with Zuivelhoeve.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Toet plush toy sold at €10.75, with €4.75 going to CliniClowns |
| Subscription | Monthly | Minimum monthly donation of €2.95 for recurring donors |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | In-kind donations through recycling: €3 per phone, €0.40 per cartridge, €0.10-0.13 per kg textile |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
CliniClowns product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CliniClowns is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that employs approximately 100 professionally trained healthcare clowns to visit sick children, children with disabilities and people with dementia in nearly all Dutch hospitals with pediatric wards, psychiatric institutions, rehabilitation clinics, hospices, special schools, daycare centers and care institutions. Services are delivered through in-person clown visits, home visits, and a proprietary CliniClowns App for remote video contact, complemented by school programs (Speel je mee? and Klein Zintuigen Orkest) and healthcare professional training.
Product overview
CliniClowns is a Dutch healthcare charity organization operating a portfolio of therapeutic clown services for vulnerable populations. The core offering consists of in-person hospital visits, dementia care home visits, and a digital CliniClowns App for remote video consultations. These are complemented by school programs (Speel je mee? improvisation theater and Klein Zintuigen Orkest sensory performances), home visits for housebound children, and healthcare professional training. The organization also runs a merchandise line (Toet plush toys, Gouden Boekje books), recycling partnerships (Eeko), clothing collection (Climpex), and an online action platform for community fundraising. With approximately 105 professional clowns, CliniClowns serves children in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric facilities, and special education schools across the Netherlands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Research by Erasmus MC found that children accompanied by hospital clowns experienced less anxiety and pain during medical procedures than children accompanied by their parents.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CliniClowns
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CliniClowns technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
CliniClowns partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- ZuivelhoeveflagshipCommercial partnership launching the 'Boer'n Toet' yogurt (strawberry yogurt with granola and chocolate dragees) inspired by CliniClowns' mascot Toet. Available in supermarkets, Zuivelhoeve stores, and hospitals. A portion of proceeds goes to CliniClowns. Both organizations share a belief in the power of genuine attention and joy.
- Activate Nederland and XS DirectcoreProfessional door-to-door and street fundraising firms that recruit new donors for CliniClowns. They operate on a no cure no pay basis and work with student fundraisers wearing branded red jackets or polos. These partnerships are critical to CliniClowns' donor acquisition strategy.
- Eeko ccc B.V.minorRecycling partner that processes old mobile phones, tablets, cartridges, and toners. Eeko operates collection points, provides collection boxes, and pays a per-unit fee to CliniClowns (€3 per phone, €0.40 per cartridge). Approximately 10,000 phones/tablets are collected annually.
- ClimpexminorTextile recycling partner that conducts household textile collections and places collection containers. Climpex donates €0.10 per kilo (household) or €0.13 per kilo (collection actions/containers) to CliniClowns. Also handles corporate textile collection drives.
- European Federation of Hospital Clown Organizations (EFHCO)coreInternational federation of hospital clown organizations. CliniClowns is a member and has received the EFHCO quality label, which certifies compliance with strict artistic, financial, and organizational standards. The federation facilitates knowledge exchange on Health Care Clowning.
- Stichting Kind en ZiekenhuisminorCo-organizer of the 'De Kunst van Contact' symposium held in May 2025, bringing 200 healthcare professionals together to explore the importance of genuine contact in pediatric care.
- HAN University of Applied SciencesminorResearch partnership during the Rijnstate pilot (March 2025) where two HAN students, under the supervision of a CliniClowns researcher, measured the effects of extra clown presence on young patients.
- TekenfundminorPartner managing the Art4CliniClowns web shops where children sell artwork through personal online stores. Tekenfund handles payments and transfers proceeds to CliniClowns within 5 working days after the campaign ends.
- Rubinstein UitgeverijminorPublisher of the special CliniClowns edition of the Gouden Boekjes (Golden Books) series titled 'Op zoek naar Mila's lach', written by Mark Haayema and illustrated by Marijke Klompmaker.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CliniClowns competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hearts & Minds: Scottish hospital clown charity (formerly Clydebuilt) deploying professional 'clown doctors' to children's hospitals and adult healthcare settings across Scotland and the UK. Compares directly on workforce, hospital-based service delivery, and dementia-care extension.
- Le Rire Médecin: French healthcare-clown charity founded in 1991 that places professional clowns in pediatric wards of French hospitals. Closest direct peer to CliniClowns in mission, professional employment model, and hospital partnerships, with comparable EFHCO membership and donor-funded economics.
- Dr. Clown Foundation: Canadian therapeutic-clown organization delivering professional clown visits in pediatric hospitals and elder care facilities in Quebec and beyond. Direct peer on healthcare clowning methodology, professional workforce, and donor-funded operations.
- Theodora Children's Charity: Swiss-founded international organization that sends professional 'dream doctors' to visit sick children in hospitals across multiple European countries. Directly comparable in its professional-clown model, hospital integration, and donor-funded delivery model.
- Big Apple Circus Clown Care: US program placing trained clowns in pediatric wards across New York metropolitan hospitals. Operates under the same professional-clown-in-hospital model with multi-employer hospital partnerships and donor funding.
Others
- Ronald McDonald House Charities: International charity supporting families of seriously ill children near hospitals. Adjacent in mission (child healthcare experience) and Dutch/Northern-European donor market, but focused on family accommodation rather than direct therapeutic interaction with children.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation: Global charity granting wishes to critically ill children. Operates in the same Dutch donor market under comparable fundraising mechanics (door-to-door, events, corporate partners) and serves an overlapping beneficiary base, but with a fundamentally different intervention model.
- Starlight Children's Foundation: US/international charity addressing the emotional and social needs of seriously ill children through hospital programs. Adjacent mission (wellbeing of hospitalized children), different delivery model (programs, grants, entertainment technology), making it a thematic rather than direct competitor.
- Alzheimer's Association (Alzheimer Nederland): Dutch national dementia charity focused on research, support, and advocacy for people with dementia and their families. Comparable beneficiary population to CliniClowns' dementia program, with overlapping donor base but very different service delivery (information, support lines vs. in-person therapeutic visits).
Broad incumbents
- Gesundheit! Institute (Patch Adams): US-based broader healthcare clowning movement founded by Patch Adams that advocates hospital clowning globally, including through training and missions. A larger, less specialized incumbent that establishes the conceptual category in which CliniClowns operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CliniClowns social profiles
Digital presenceCliniClowns compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
CliniClowns financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CliniClowns leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CliniClowns funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CliniClowns M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CliniClowns
What does CliniClowns do?
CliniClowns is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that employs approximately 100 professionally trained healthcare clowns to visit sick children, children with disabilities and people with dementia in nearly all Dutch hospitals with pediatric wards, psychiatric institutions, rehabilitation clinics, hospices, special schools, daycare centers and care institutions. Services are delivered through in-person clown visits, home visits, and a proprietary CliniClowns App for remote video contact, complemented by school programs (Speel je mee? and Klein Zintuigen Orkest) and healthcare professional training.
Is CliniClowns a public or private company?
CliniClowns is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CliniClowns founded?
CliniClowns was founded in 1993. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CliniClowns based?
CliniClowns is headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does CliniClowns make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations and Sponsorship is the primary driver. The others are direct Charitable Gifts, merchandise Sales, recycling and In-Kind Partnerships and lottery and Major Grants.
Who are CliniClowns's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hearts & Minds, Le Rire Médecin, Dr. Clown Foundation, Theodora Children's Charity and Big Apple Circus Clown Care. Others are Ronald McDonald House Charities, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Starlight Children's Foundation and Alzheimer's Association (Alzheimer Nederland). Gesundheit! Institute (Patch Adams) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does CliniClowns have an API?
No public API is recorded for CliniClowns.
What industry is CliniClowns in?
CliniClowns's product category is Healthcare Clowning Services (Pediatric and Dementia Care). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFABAC, Outpatient Mental Health & Counseling Clinics, with a secondary code of HLAFAJAO, School-Based & Community Women’s/Children’s Health Clinics. Its NAICS code is 621 and its SIC code is 8090.