What PlanetRomeo Foundation does

PlanetRomeo Foundation is an Amsterdam-based, Dutch-registered nonprofit (Stichting ANBI) founded in 2009 that provides micro grants of up to €6,000 to grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations worldwide, with priority given to groups in the Majority World (Africa, Asia, Latin America) and to organizations with little or no access to other funding sources. Its funding is organized into three thematic programs — Community Organizing, Safety & Shelter, and Sports & Culture — and applications are managed through the third-party Optimy grant platform, with quarterly review cycles. The Foundation does not develop proprietary technology; its stack is fully composed of SaaS tools including Acapture and PayPal for donation processing, MailChimp for newsletters, Google Analytics for web analytics, and WP Google Maps for project mapping. All operations are run by an 8-person volunteer team with no paid staff, overseen by a 6-person Management Board and a Supervisory Board.

The Foundation's business model is purely donation-based. Historically, it was funded through three streams: (1) annual corporate sponsorship from Romeo B.V. — the company behind the ROMEO gay dating platform — which historically accounted for 64-78% of annual donations (€100K-€120K annually between 2015 and 2017); (2) donations from ROMEO platform community users (€20K-€64K annually in that period); and (3) third-party individual donations (€1K-€5K annually). Since founding, the Foundation has disbursed €1,779,492 across 419 projects in 97 countries. Following Romeo B.V.'s decision in late 2024/early 2025 to end its sponsorship, the Foundation entered a transition phase and announced in December 2025 it will not open new funding rounds in 2026 while it pursues a fully independent operating model with new donors and partners.

Romeo B.V. remains a distribution partner via the Foundation Supporter Badge system on the ROMEO dating platform and HUNQZ platform, but is no longer a financial sponsor. The Foundation holds GDPR compliance, Dutch ANBI status (Chamber of Commerce #34350443, RSIN 8210 43 134), and is registered at De Ruyterkade 7, 1013 AA Amsterdam. Its 2025 grant portfolio of €47,086 across 9 projects funded emergency shelters, art advocacy, health education, sports programs, and community organizing across Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan.

Name

PlanetRomeo Foundation

Legal name

Stichting PlanetRomeo Foundation

Website

https://planetromeofoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Amsterdam-based nonprofit founded in 2009 that provides micro grants up to €6,000 to grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations worldwide; has funded 419 projects across 97 countries totaling €1,779,492 and is now transitioning to independent operations after the loss of corporate sponsorship from Romeo B.V.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Grantmaking Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Grassroots LGBTQI grants
• Micro grants funding
• Nonprofit foundation
• Community organizing support
• Human rights philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Donation (Romeo B.V.): PlanetRomeo B.V., the company behind the ROMEO dating platform, was the founding sponsor providing substantial financial support. In 2015, PlanetRomeo B.V. donated €111,000. In 2016, €100,000. In 2017, €120,000. This sponsorship ended in 2025 when Romeo B.V. made the decision to end its financial support.
2. Community Donations (ROMEO platform users): Donations from the ROMEO dating platform community. In 2015, €20,460 from romeo.com community. In 2016, €25,466 from PLANETROMEO community. In 2017, €64,462 from ROMEO community.
3. Third-Party Individual Donations: Donations from other external individual donors. In 2015, €5,353 from other sources. In 2016, €1,269 from other sources. In 2017, €1,505 from other sources.
4. Release of Funding Obligations: When projects were finished with less expense than budgeted or didn't meet original goals, unused funds were released back to income. In 2015, €11,150. In 2016, €10,700. In 2017, €9,935.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PlanetRomeo Foundation provides micro grants of up to €6,000 to grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations worldwide, supporting projects in three thematic areas: Community Organizing, Safety & Shelter, and Sports & Culture. Grant applications are submitted and managed through the Optimy online platform, with quarterly review cycles and funding rounds running 3-6 months from submission to payment. Since 2009, the foundation has funded 419 projects across 97 countries totaling €1,779,492.

Product overview

PlanetRomeo Foundation operates as a non-profit micro grants organization that provides financial support to LGBTQI+ grassroots groups worldwide. The core offering is its micro grants program, which distributes funding up to EUR 6,000 per project. The organization supports three main thematic areas: Safety & Shelter, Community Organizing, and Sports & Culture. Funding applications are processed through the Optimy Grant System, an online portal that handles the full application lifecycle from submission through payment. The Foundation also publishes comprehensive annual reports documenting its activities and outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Micro Grants Program The Foundation's primary offering: micro grants of up to €6,000 awarded to grassroots LGBTQI+ organizations worldwide. Grants support projects in three thematic areas (Community Organizing, Safety & Shelter, Sports & Culture) with quarterly funding rounds and a 3-6 month process from submission to payment. Applications are reviewed and managed through the Optimy platform.
• Optimy Grant Application Portal Online grant management and application portal where LGBTQI+ organizations create accounts, submit funding requests, upload documents, track application progress, and complete reporting. Supports a two-stage application process with secure handling of sensitive applicant data.
• Annual Reports Publication Publicly published annual reports documenting the Foundation's activities, funding decisions, financial overviews, and organizational developments. Reports are available from 2013 through 2024 on the Foundation's website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 419 projects funded across 97 countries since 2009
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ROMEO BVcoreTechnology or IntegrationROMEO BV operates the ROMEO dating platform and provides integration for the Foundation Supporter Badge system. Profile names are transferred from ROMEO BV to the Foundation during donation payment processes to enable automatic badge assignment on donor profiles.
• ILGA Europe Azerbaijan Crisis FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2017, PlanetRomeo Foundation proactively donated €5,000 to the Azerbaijan Crisis Fund of ILGA Europe to support activists working directly with victims of atrocities in Azerbaijan, helping with temporary accommodation or travel costs to safer locations.
• Russian LGBT NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2017, PlanetRomeo Foundation granted €5,000 to the Russian LGBT Network in support of their efforts to deal with the Chechnya crisis, providing exception to their regular by-request-only policy due to the urgent and horrific nature of the events.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Frontline Defenders: International organization providing grants, protection, and capacity-building to human rights defenders, including LGBTI activists at risk. Highly comparable emergency-grant and rapid-response model to PlanetRomeo's crisis funding work.
• Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice: Philanthropic foundation funding LGBTI, sexual rights, and gender justice movements globally, with emphasis on smaller grassroots groups in the Global South and East. Closely aligned mission and micro-grant methodology to PlanetRomeo's approach.
• Arcus Foundation: Major private foundation funding LGBTI social justice and conservation worldwide. Directly comparable as a thematic grantmaker to grassroots LGBTI movements with global scope, though operating at substantially larger asset scale.
• Global Fund for Women: International foundation funding feminist and LGBTI grassroots movements through small grants. Directly comparable in micro-grant model, recipient focus on grassroots/women/LGBTI groups in restrictive geographies, and global operational footprint.
• Outright International: Direct grantmaking and capacity-building peer focused on human rights of LGBTI people globally. Comparable as an internationally-operating LGBTI-focused grantmaker with similar global footprint, though larger budget and advocacy-driven mandate.
• Gill Foundation: Private foundation funding LGBTI rights organizations and movements, particularly in restrictive U.S. state contexts. Comparable as an LGBTI-focused grantmaking foundation, though primarily U.S.-focused.
• ILGA World: International umbrella federation advancing LGBTI human rights globally with member organizations in 160+ countries. Comparable as a global LGBTI grantmaker/funder; PlanetRomeo Foundation actually partnered with ILGA Europe's Azerbaijan Crisis Fund in 2017.

Broad incumbents

• Hivos: Dutch-based international development organization funding LGBTI rights, civic innovation, and green energy across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Comparable grantmaking footprint and Dutch operational base, though wider thematic mandate.
• Open Society Foundations: Largest private foundation active in LGBTI rights funding globally, including restricted-region grantmaking. Comparable global LGBTI funding footprint and grantmaking infrastructure, though part of a much broader rights-and-democracy portfolio.

Regional players

• COC Netherlands: Dutch LGBTI advocacy organization founded in 1946 with international programs supporting LGBTI movements worldwide. Comparable grassroots-grantmaking mission and Dutch operational base, with overlapping international program work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/planetromeofoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/planetromeo-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PlanetRomeo Foundation