Petje af

What Petje af does

Petje af is a Dutch charitable foundation (Stichting Petje af, KvK 32116837), founded in 2006 and headquartered in Amersfoort, that delivers an extracurricular educational program for children aged 9–14 from less privileged backgrounds. The core product is a structured annual curriculum of 30 meetings, organized into seven thematic blocks of four sessions each, in which children encounter role models and explore diverse professions through guest lectures and company visits. The program is delivered in two scheduling formats — Petje af op zondag (Sunday, 11:00–15:00) and Petje af doordeweeks (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday afternoons) — across 54+ local locations in municipalities throughout the Netherlands, plus a Petje af Alumni continuation track for graduates. The operating stack is non-technical: no proprietary platform, with internal management on Mendix Cloud and a public website for enrollment and donations.

The business model is a donation-and-grant-funded foundation model rather than a commercial revenue model. The program is free for participating children; funding flows from four streams: corporate and individual sponsorship packages (€50 to €30,000 tiers, including sponsor-a-child at €1,500/year and full-year program at €30,000), national foundation grants (notably €500,000 from the Nationale Postcode Loterij in 2022 via the SKB consortium with JINC, Stichting Move, Stichting Nederlands Debat Instituut, and Jong Ondernemen), municipal subsidies secured through local Petje af foundations, and recurring individual donations. Go-to-market is community-led: new locations are established via tri-sector local initiative groups (education, local government, business — the '3 O's model'), with schools referring eligible children and municipalities providing funding. Volunteer coaches and guest lecturers are recruited through dedicated pages and campaigns.

In 2024–2025 the organization completed a major restructuring — the 'EEN Petje af' transition — moving from independent local boards to a centralized structure with local execution preserved, supported by a KPMG study and reaching 70% adoption by September 2024. Petje af was officially recognized as a 'goed onderbouwde interventie' (well-substantiated intervention) by the Nederlands Jeugdinstituut in June 2025 and received full CBF-Erkenning at end of 2025. Ruth van Bommel succeeds nine-year CEO Brecht van Schendel as directeur-bestuurder effective March 1, 2026. The stated organizational ambition is to reach 3,000 children per week by 2028.

Name

Petje af

Legal name

Stichting Petje af

Website

https://petjeaf.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Petje af is a Dutch charitable foundation that delivers a free extracurricular program of 30 annual sessions in 54+ municipalities, helping children aged 9–14 from less privileged backgrounds explore professions through guest lectures and company visits, funded by donations, grants, and municipal subsidies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amersfoort

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship packages: Corporate and individual sponsors can purchase various sponsorship packages ranging from €50 (museum tickets) to €30,000 (full year program). Options include sponsoring a child (€1,500/year), a thematic block (€5,000), or organizational support (€10,000 for location management).
2. Foundation grants: Funding from the Nationale Postcode Loterij (€500,000 contribution to Petje af from €3M SKB grant) and other national foundations for operational costs and program expansion.
3. Municipal funding: Local Petje af foundations secure funding through subsidies and donations from municipalities in their regions, facilitated by Petje af Nederland with training on fundraising.
4. Recurring donations: Monthly or annual donor subscriptions available for individual supporters, with easy cancellation options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Petje af (Stichting Petje af) is a Dutch charitable foundation founded in 2006 that delivers a free extracurricular educational program for children aged 9–14 from less privileged backgrounds. Each participant follows 30 sessions per year featuring guest lecturers from various professions and visits to local companies, designed to broaden horizons, expose children to career paths, and help them discover and develop their talents. The program is delivered across 54+ locations throughout the Netherlands and actively involves parents and families.

Product overview

Petje af is a single, unified extracurricular educational program for children aged 9-14, organized by Stichting Petje af, a Dutch non-profit foundation. The core product consists of 30 sessions per year where children discover careers and develop skills through inspiring role models and field visits. The program is delivered through two main modalities: the Sunday program (Petje af op zondag) and the weekday program (Petje af doordeweeks). The organization also maintains an alumni program for graduates and relies on volunteer coaches and guest teachers. Fundraising is supported through various donation packages ranging from €50 items to full-year sponsorships. The organization operates 54+ local locations across the Netherlands under centralized coordination.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Petje af op zondag

Quantifiable outcome

• Program recognized by NJi as evidence-based intervention
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MOOVE OosterhoutminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Youth work organization where sports coach Kay de Jong works. Partnership for reaching children and providing supplementary activities outside Petje af sessions
• MadurodamminorOthers · 1 January 2024Host venue for the Gelijke Kansen Event organized during Week van Gelijke Kansen, bringing together organizations focused on youth equality
• SKB (Samenwerkingsverband Kansengelijkheid & Burgerschapsonderwijs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Petje af is a founding partner of the SKB collaboration together with JINC, Stichting Move, Stichting Nederlands Debat Instituut, and Jong Ondernemen. The SKB received €3 million from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, with Petje af receiving €500,000 to intensify and expand cooperation with partners and reach more children.
• Bouwbedrijf GelensminorOthers · 1 January 2022Local construction company whose director Eric Goos made a significant donation to Petje af and plans to give guest lectures to children about construction trades
• Dutch municipalities (various)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal governments provide subsidies and support for establishing and running Petje af locations in their communities. Key partners in program delivery across 54+ locations
• Dutch schools and school boardscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchools identify children who would benefit from Petje af, facilitate enrollment, and support family involvement in the program
• Local businesses and guest lecturersminorOthersCompanies and professionals who serve as guest lecturers and open their facilities for company visits, providing children with real-world exposure to professions

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stichting Nederlands Debat Instituut: Dutch foundation providing structured debate education to youth, including under-privileged groups. SKB co-founding partner with Petje af, working toward similar youth-equality outcomes via school-based programming.
• IMC Weekendschool: Dutch weekend-school concept offering children from underserved neighborhoods long-term exposure to professions and role models. Closely mirrors Petje af's weekend format, 9-14 age target, and equal-opportunities mission.
• Stichting Move: Dutch civic-education foundation active in primary schools, focused on democratic values and equal opportunities. SKB co-founding partner alongside Petje af, sharing the supplementary-education, equality-of-opportunity remit.
• JINC: Dutch non-profit providing career-orientation and labor-market preparation programs for youth aged 8-16 from less-privileged backgrounds. Co-founding partner in the SKB coalition with Petje af and operates a directly comparable talent-development model across Dutch municipalities.
• Jong Ondernemen: Dutch foundation promoting entrepreneurship skills among young people through school-based programs. SKB co-founding partner with Petje af, addressing equal opportunities via experiential youth education.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Nederland: Dutch branch of UNICEF, the global children's-rights organization, active in fundraising, advocacy, and youth programming. Comparable as a large Dutch non-profit serving children's welfare with national reach.
• Stichting Kinderpostzegels: Dutch children's charity supporting vulnerable children through fundraising (annual Kinderpostzegels stamp campaign) and project grants. Comparable in mission and Dutch fundraising scale to Petje af, but funds external projects rather than running direct programs.
• Plan Nederland: Dutch arm of Plan International, a large international NGO focused on children's rights and gender equality. Comparable in mission (youth equality) and Dutch fundraising footprint; previous employer of incoming Petje af CEO Ruth van Bommel.
• Save the Children Nederland: Dutch branch of Save the Children, an international NGO focused on children's rights and education. Comparable mission and Dutch fundraising footprint to Petje af, though broader in scope and international in delivery.
• Stichting Leergeld: Nationwide Dutch foundation providing financial support so low-income children can participate in educational, cultural, and sporting activities. Addresses the same inequality-of-opportunity problem space as Petje af but through financial subsidies rather than direct program delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/petjeaf
• Facebookfacebook.com/stichtingpetjeaf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-petje-af
• Xx.com/petjeaf_NL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Petje af