Buurkracht
Buurkracht (Stichting Buurkracht) is a Utrecht-based Dutch non-profit foundation that operates a community-engagement platform—mobile app, per-neighborhood websites, and trained facilitators—to help residents and municipalities run sustainability and social-cohesion projects in 800+ Dutch neighborhoods, funded by municipalities, provinces, and Enexis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersUtrecht, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Buurkracht does
Buurkracht (legal name: Stichting Buurkracht) is a Dutch non-profit foundation headquartered in Utrecht that supports neighborhood-led sustainability and community-action initiatives across the Netherlands. It originated as a societal initiative of Enexis Groep and became an independent foundation on 1 December 2019, with current activities financed by municipalities, provinces, and grid operator Enexis. The organization operates through community-led growth by forming and supporting neighborhood teams ('buurtteams'), backed by approximately 30 professionals, including a cohort of trained neighborhood facilitators ('buurtbegeleiders') and three regional relationship managers covering the North, Central, and South Netherlands.
Buurkracht's platform consists of the Buurkracht App (iOS/Android), Buurkracht Online (per-neighborhood websites, newsletters, flyers), the Buurkracht Platform (buurkracht.nl), Buurkracht Academie (knowledge hub including the annual De Nationale Buurkracht Monitor), and a Neighborhood Facilitation service ('Buurtbegeleiding') delivered via the proprietary Routekaart Participatie methodology. It serves two primary customer segments in parallel: residents and neighborhood initiatives (consumer/SMB-style self-serve) and Dutch municipalities, provinces, and national government (enterprise contracts), with named municipal engagements including Leeuwarden, Rotterdam, Zaanstad, Boxtel/Sint-Michielsgestel, and Gemeente Oosterhout.
The business model is professional-services and grant-funded: Buurkracht is commissioned by public-sector bodies to activate and involve residents in energy transition, climate adaptation, and social cohesion programs, and supplements this with coalition funding (Participatiecoalitie Energietransitie, Participatiecoalitie Welzijn Zorg en Hulp) and a 2026 partnership with Univé Buurtfonds (up to €5,000 per project). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, pricing is not standardized, and there is no venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership.
Buurkracht firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Buurkracht
- Legal name
- Stichting Buurkracht
- Website
- https://buurkracht.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Buurkracht (Stichting Buurkracht) is a Utrecht-based Dutch non-profit foundation that operates a community-engagement platform—mobile app, per-neighborhood websites, and trained facilitators—to help residents and municipalities run sustainability and social-cohesion projects in 800+ Dutch neighborhoods, funded by municipalities, provinces, and Enexis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Buurkracht industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Citizen Participation Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF)
Keywords
Where Buurkracht is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Utrecht
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Buurkracht business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Municipal and Provincial Contracts: Buurkracht is commissioned by municipalities, provinces, and national government (Rijk) to activate and involve residents in societal challenges such as sustainable energy, climate adaptation, and social cohesion. The organization brings together governments and resident initiatives.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Buurkracht product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Buurkracht is a Dutch social enterprise (Stichting Buurkracht) that helps residents and municipalities work together to make neighborhoods more sustainable, greener, caring, and socially cohesive. It offers a digital community engagement platform (Buurkracht App and Buurkracht Online) supported by professional neighborhood coaches (buurtbegeleiders) and structured methodologies such as Routekaart Participatie to organize collective local actions around energy transition, climate adaptation, greening, and social cohesion. The organization is commissioned primarily by Dutch municipalities, provinces, and the national government, with funding also from network operator Enexis.
Product overview
Buurkracht is a neighborhood empowerment platform consisting of multiple interconnected products and services. The core offering includes a mobile app (Buurkracht App) and web platform (buurkracht.nl) that enable residents to organize collective neighborhood actions around themes like sustainability, greening, social cohesion, and care. Buurkracht Online provides neighborhood-specific websites for local coordination, while the Buurkracht Academie delivers educational resources and research insights including the National Buurkracht Monitor. Buurtbegeleiding (neighborhood facilitation) services provide professional support through trained facilitators who help communities form teams and execute initiatives using structured methodologies like Routekaart Participatie. The platform primarily serves municipalities and residents across the Netherlands, operating as a social enterprise rather than a traditional SaaS product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Buurkracht App
Quantifiable outcome
- Active in over 800 neighborhoods across the Netherlands
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Buurkracht
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Buurkracht technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Buurkracht partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Participatiecoalitie EnergietransitiecoreBuurkracht is a proud partner of the Participatiecoalitie, a collaboration of organizations strengthening citizen participation around the energy transition. Partners include Energie Samen, LSA Bewoners, HIER, and the Natuur en Milieu Federaties.
- Participatiecoalitie Welzijn, Zorg en HulpcoreBuurkracht is affiliated with the Participatiecoalitie welzijn, zorg en hulp, working on good cooperation between municipalities, residents and partners in the social domain. Partners include LOC Waardevolle zorg, Zorghulp, LSA Bewoners, NLZVE, and Landelijke Vereniging voor Kleine Kernen.
- Stichting SteenbreekcoreCollaboration on greening, biodiversity and climate adaptation. Stichting Steenbreek is a national knowledge and network organization providing experts, action perspectives and campaigns.
- Univé BuurtfondsflagshipBuurkracht is partner of the Univé Buurtfonds which supports local neighborhood actions with a maximum of €5,000 per project for initiatives that improve livability and social cohesion in neighborhoods. This partnership began in 2026.
- Collectieve KrachtminorCollectieve Kracht is a knowledge platform by and for citizen collectives from all sectors: from energy to housing, from care to food.
- Binnenlands BestuurminorBuurkracht is knowledge partner of Binnenlands Bestuur, a platform for civil servants and administrators in all layers of government.
- We Doen Het Samen CoalitieminorThe We Doen het Samen coalition is a group of organizations committed to strong local communities. Buurkracht is a supporter of this coalition.
- Top van OnderopminorPartner in the Top van Onderop event organized by the Nationaal Klimaat Platform (NKP) to demonstrate the powerful movement from below in the Netherlands towards a sustainable future.
- Just PreparecoreResearch partner in the Just Prepare project which develops methods to help the energy transition in neighborhoods with fewer opportunities, ensuring municipal plans better connect to residents' needs and living environment.
- EmPowerEdcoreResearch partner in the EmPowerED project which develops a toolbox to help decision-makers understand the complex interaction of social, legal, financial and technical factors in local energy systems for the heat transition.
- ECCOcoreECCO (Empowering Citizen COllectives in societal transitions) is a research project working with numerous scientific and societal organizations to develop solutions that encourage and strengthen cooperation between governments and citizen collectives.
- Participatiecoalitie Welzijn, Zorg en HulpcoreBuurkracht is part of the Participatiecoalitie Welzijn, Zorg en Hulp which works on 'Land van Omzien'. This coalition focuses on solidarity, community sense, and ownership.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Buurkracht competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Decidim: Open-source participatory democracy platform used by European municipalities for citizen consultation. Comparable as a digital citizen engagement infrastructure layer competing for the same municipal technology budgets.
- Nationaal Klimaat Platform (NKP): Dutch national platform coordinating climate action across government, business, and citizens. Co-organizes 'Top van Onderop' with Buurkracht and operates in the adjacent municipal climate engagement space.
Broad incumbents
- Nextdoor: Large-scale hyperlocal community platform operating globally including the Netherlands. Competes with the Buurkracht App at the consumer/neighborhood connection layer, though it lacks Buurkracht's professional facilitation services and municipal B2B contracts.
- VNG (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten): Association of all Dutch municipalities. Indirectly comparable as the institutional body that shapes municipal procurement policies that determine Buurkracht's addressable demand and contract framework.
Direct peers
- Energie Samen: National Dutch association for energy cooperatives and citizen-driven sustainable energy initiatives. Participates with Buurkracht in the Participatiecoalitie Energietransitie and addresses overlapping citizen-energy engagement use cases for municipalities.
- Collectieve Kracht: Dutch knowledge platform for citizen collectives across energy, housing, care, and food sectors. Strategic partner of Buurkracht, focused on the same citizen-collective/municipality engagement dynamic.
- LSA Bewoners: Dutch umbrella organization for resident-led community initiatives. Direct coalition partner of Buurkracht in Participatiecoalitie Energietransitie and Welzijn Zorg en Hulp, serving the same citizen-driven neighborhood action space.
- Klimaatstichting HIER: Dutch climate foundation that mobilizes citizens around sustainability. Coalition partner of Buurkracht in Participatiecoalitie Energietransitie; addresses the same Dutch municipal-citizen sustainability engagement market.
- Stichting Steenbreek: Dutch national knowledge network for greening, biodiversity, and climate adaptation. Strategic partner of Buurkracht on greening initiatives, serving the same municipal-neighborhood engagement function in climate adaptation.
Regional players
- Rescoop Vlaanderen: Belgian federation of renewable energy cooperatives offering citizen energy engagement services in Flanders. Comparably structured to Buurkracht's energy transition work but operating in Belgium rather than the Netherlands.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Buurkracht social profiles
Digital presenceBuurkracht financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Buurkracht leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Buurkracht funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Buurkracht 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 Buurkracht
What does Buurkracht do?
Buurkracht is a Dutch social enterprise (Stichting Buurkracht) that helps residents and municipalities work together to make neighborhoods more sustainable, greener, caring, and socially cohesive. It offers a digital community engagement platform (Buurkracht App and Buurkracht Online) supported by professional neighborhood coaches (buurtbegeleiders) and structured methodologies such as Routekaart Participatie to organize collective local actions around energy transition, climate adaptation, greening, and social cohesion. The organization is commissioned primarily by Dutch municipalities, provinces, and the national government, with funding also from network operator Enexis.
Is Buurkracht a public or private company?
Buurkracht is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Buurkracht founded?
Buurkracht was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Buurkracht based?
Buurkracht is headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Buurkracht make money?
One revenue line is on record: municipal and Provincial Contracts.
Who are Buurkracht's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Decidim and Nationaal Klimaat Platform (NKP). Broad incumbents are Nextdoor and VNG (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten). Direct peers are Energie Samen, Collectieve Kracht, LSA Bewoners, Klimaatstichting HIER and Stichting Steenbreek. Rescoop Vlaanderen is listed as a regional player.
Does Buurkracht have an API?
No public API is recorded for Buurkracht.
What industry is Buurkracht in?
Buurkracht's product category is Citizen Participation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning, with a secondary code of BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts). Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 8600.