Mediclowns
Stichting Mediclowns is a Dutch ANBI-status nonprofit that arranges monthly in-person visits by trained volunteer contact clowns to elderly care and severe-disability institutions across the Netherlands, funded by donations, sponsorships, and €480/year location subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersRotterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Mediclowns does
Stichting Mediclowns is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (ANBI-status) founded in 2008 and headquartered in the Netherlands, operating in the therapeutic-clown segment of healthcare support services. Its single core offering, Contactclown Bezoekdiensten, consists of monthly in-person visits by trained volunteer contact clowns to Dutch healthcare institutions, primarily elderly care facilities (including dementia wards) and residential complexes for people with severe multiple disabilities. Each visit is conducted by a duo of clowns, lasts approximately one to one and a half hours, and is preceded by two free trial visits before a written agreement. The methodology is specialized: clowns are trained to make authentic, individual contact rather than to perform jokes, drawing on the Patch Adams philosophy and graduates of named Dutch clown schools.
There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying "technology" is the contact-clown methodology, volunteer training pipeline, and a five-region coordination network (South, West, Central, North, East) staffed by regional coordinators. The foundation is supported operationally by an external IT partner (Informapp), which built and maintains the mediclowns.nl website at a reduced rate. More than 60 volunteer contact clowns serve institutions including ZZG Zorgroep, Verpleeghuis Zuydtwijck (Leiden), Tertzio, and Careyn; the board and all participants are unpaid volunteers.
Mediclowns monetizes through three streams: (1) individual donations eligible for Dutch income tax deduction under ANBI rules, (2) corporate sponsorships including main-sponsor and per-location arrangements, and (3) an annual €480 location subscription that grants healthcare institutions one monthly visit by a duo of contact clowns and covers clown travel reimbursement and training. Go-to-market is community-led and inbound: institutions and prospective volunteers reach out through the website contact form, after which the board personally responds, and new clown recruitment flows from Dutch clown schools and word-of-mouth within the clowning community.
Mediclowns firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mediclowns
- Legal name
- Stichting Mediclowns
- Website
- https://mediclowns.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Stichting Mediclowns is a Dutch ANBI-status nonprofit that arranges monthly in-person visits by trained volunteer contact clowns to elderly care and severe-disability institutions across the Netherlands, funded by donations, sponsorships, and €480/year location subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mediclowns industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Therapeutic Clown Services for Healthcare Institutions
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Companionship & Social Engagement Visits (HSABAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Dementia Companion & Engagement Care (HSABAEAA), Recreational Outings, Community Participation & Mobility Support (Non-Clinical) (HSABAAAI), Special Needs Adult Day Programs (Developmental/Physical Disabilities, Seniors) (HLADAIAI)
Keywords
Where Mediclowns is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rotterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mediclowns business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations: Individual donors contribute to the foundation. Donations are eligible for income tax deductions under Dutch ANBI (public benefit institution) rules.
- Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors support the foundation. Sponsorship options include becoming a main sponsor or sponsoring a specific care location. Location sponsorships are offered as annual subscriptions.
- Location subscription fees: Healthcare institutions pay an annual subscription fee for monthly visits by a duo of clowns. This covers the cost of clown travel reimbursements and training programs. Volunteers receive at most the legally permitted volunteer allowance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual location sponsorship: €480 per year for a monthly visit by a duo of clowns |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Mediclowns product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stichting Mediclowns facilitates recurring in-person visits by volunteer contact clowns to healthcare institutions in the Netherlands, primarily elderly care homes and facilities for people with severe multiple disabilities. Visits are delivered by duos of clowns, typically monthly, lasting one to one and a half hours, and are designed to build genuine one-on-one human connection through play, humor, singing, acrobatics, and puppets adapted to each resident. The foundation is funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and an annual €480 subscription per healthcare institution.
Product overview
Stichting Mediclowns operates as a single-service charitable organization rather than a multi-product platform. Its core offering is the Contactclown Bezoekdiensten — facilitated visits by trained volunteer contact clowns to healthcare institutions across five Dutch regions. This service is offered to care institutions through a subscription model (Locatiesponsor-programma at €480/year) and supported by a network of volunteer coordinators and ongoing training workshops. There are no separate software products, modules, or digital platforms offered — the organization's offering is entirely service-based.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Contactclown Bezoekdiensten (Contact Clown Visit Services) Recurring monthly visits by duo of trained volunteer contact clowns to healthcare institutions (elderly care homes and facilities for people with severe multiple disabilities), with each visit lasting approximately one to one and a half hours per living room or individual apartment. The service includes two free trial visits before a formal written agreement is signed.
- Locatiesponsor-programma (Location Sponsorship Program) Annual subscription program under which healthcare institutions (or corporate sponsors) pay €480 per year to sponsor a specific location, entitling it to a monthly visit by a duo of contact clowns. The subscription covers clown travel reimbursements and training programs, with volunteers receiving at most the legally permitted volunteer allowance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Positive atmosphere transformation in living rooms after each clown visit
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Mediclowns
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mediclowns technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mediclowns partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- InformappminorInformapp, a Dutch app and web development company, supports Stichting Mediclowns in the area of automation and IT. Informapp designed and built the Mediclowns website at a significantly reduced rate, for which the foundation is very grateful. This is a non-cash sponsorship contribution.
- Patch Adams (Gesundheit! Institute)minorThe founders of Stichting Mediclowns drew inspiration from Patch Adams and his Gesundheit! Institute philosophy, which advocates for the use of humor and personal attention in healthcare. This is an ideological/inspirational connection rather than a formal partnership.
- School voor Clown & LevenminorOne of several Dutch clown schools that trains potential contact clowns. Mediclowns recruits graduates from this school (and others) as volunteer clowns.
- ClownspiritminorDutch clown school providing contact clown training. Mediclowns recruits graduates as volunteer contact clowns.
- ClownsperspectiefminorDutch clown school providing contact clown training. Mediclowns recruits graduates as volunteer contact clowns.
- Ray BiemansminorIndividual contact clown trainer. Mediclowns recognizes this trainer as a pathway for becoming a volunteer contact clown.
- EsterellaminorDutch clown school providing contact clown training. Mediclowns recruits graduates as volunteer contact clowns.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mediclowns competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stichting Theodora: Dutch arm of the international Theodora Foundation, deploying professional 'Giggle Doctors' to hospitalized children. Directly comparable in therapeutic-clown mission, Dutch footprint, and healthcare-institution partnership model.
- Hearts & Minds: UK-based charity providing therapeutic clown doctor visits to hospitalized children and people with dementia. Closely comparable therapeutic-clown nonprofit, with overlapping dementia-care segment that is central to Mediclowns' mission.
- CliniClowns Netherlands: Dutch foundation operating since 1992 that brings professional clown visits to children in hospitals and other healthcare settings. Most direct comparable to Mediclowns in mission, Dutch geography, and volunteer/professional clown model, though CliniClowns focuses primarily on pediatric care while Mediclowns focuses on adults.
- Le Rire Médecin: French nonprofit founded in 1991 that sends professional clowns into pediatric hospitals to support sick children. Highly comparable therapeutic-clown nonprofit model; differs from Mediclowns in serving children and operating in France.
- Rote Nasen (Red Noses International): Austrian-founded international charity bringing clown visits to sick children and elderly patients in hospitals and care facilities across more than 10 countries. Directly comparable mission and therapeutic-clown methodology, with broader geographic scope than Mediclowns.
- Humour Foundation (Clown Doctors Australia): Australian charity running the Clown Doctors program in children's hospitals and ElderPride visits in aged care. Closely comparable therapeutic-clown model covering both pediatric and elderly segments similar to Mediclowns.
Regional players
- Hartzorg: Large Dutch home-care organization providing clinical and non-clinical care to elderly and disabled clients in the Netherlands. Comparable Dutch elderly-care footprint and target population, though it operates as a paid clinical/personal-care provider rather than a volunteer companion program.
Broad incumbents
- ComForCare: Franchised home-care provider offering non-medical companionship and personal care to seniors and adults with disabilities. Overlaps with Mediclowns in serving the same elderly and disabled populations with non-clinical social support.
- Visiting Angels: Large US/home-care franchise network providing non-medical companion care to seniors in their homes. Comparable in delivering non-clinical companion services to elderly clients, but operates a paid professional-staff franchise model at much greater scale than Mediclowns' volunteer model.
- Big Apple Circus – Clown Care Unit: US pioneering therapeutic-clown program placing professional clowns in pediatric hospitals since 1986. Comparable therapeutic-clown healthcare intervention methodology, operated within a broader performing-arts organization rather than as a standalone elderly-care nonprofit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mediclowns social profiles
Digital presenceMediclowns compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Mediclowns financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mediclowns leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Mediclowns funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mediclowns 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 Mediclowns
What does Mediclowns do?
Stichting Mediclowns facilitates recurring in-person visits by volunteer contact clowns to healthcare institutions in the Netherlands, primarily elderly care homes and facilities for people with severe multiple disabilities. Visits are delivered by duos of clowns, typically monthly, lasting one to one and a half hours, and are designed to build genuine one-on-one human connection through play, humor, singing, acrobatics, and puppets adapted to each resident. The foundation is funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and an annual €480 subscription per healthcare institution.
Is Mediclowns a public or private company?
Mediclowns is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Mediclowns founded?
Mediclowns was founded in 2008. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Mediclowns based?
Mediclowns is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Mediclowns make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations are the primary driver. The others are sponsorship and location subscription fees.
Who are Mediclowns's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stichting Theodora, Hearts & Minds, CliniClowns Netherlands, Le Rire Médecin, Rote Nasen (Red Noses International) and Humour Foundation (Clown Doctors Australia). Hartzorg is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are ComForCare, Visiting Angels and Big Apple Circus – Clown Care Unit.
Does Mediclowns have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mediclowns.
What industry is Mediclowns in?
Mediclowns's product category is Therapeutic Clown Services for Healthcare Institutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABAAAA, Companionship & Social Engagement Visits, with a secondary code of HSABAEAA, Dementia Companion & Engagement Care. Its NAICS code is 624120 and its SIC code is 8000.