Stichting Begrepen Klachten

What Stichting Begrepen Klachten does

Stichting Begrepen Klachten is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) established in 2021 and based in Genderen, North Brabant, Netherlands, founded by Marlies van Hemert, a non-practicing physician and chronic patient with POTS. The foundation targets people with long-term and partially unexplained conditions, including ME/CVS, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia, Q-fever, Lyme Disease, and Post-Acute Infectious Syndromes (PAIS), many of whom have been dismissed by conventional healthcare pathways. It operates with a small team of approximately 9 individuals drawn from non-practicing physicians, psychosocial therapists, and experiential experts.

Until December 2024 the foundation delivered individual care trajectories structured around six attention areas: medical intake and Personal Action Plans, psychosocial support for chronic grief and care trauma, and personalized pacing guidance. Services were priced intentionally low because they were not reimbursed by Dutch health insurers. The foundation also runs the monthly PAIS Case Discussion Network for medical professionals and provides education to Long Covid expertise centers, and it holds an active seat on the advisory board of Post-COVID Netwerk Nederland since February 2024. In November 2024 the foundation announced, and in December 2024 completed, the discontinuation of individual patient care, citing dependency on volunteers who were themselves ill and the absence of structural funding; operations continue on a smaller scale focused on advocacy, education, and content.

The business model relies primarily on donations and gifts, supported by ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) status obtained in December 2023, which makes donations tax-deductible above a threshold. Donations are received through the Geef.nl platform and direct bank transfers. Distribution is single-country (Netherlands) and digital. The foundation has no proprietary technology platform, no AI capabilities, no app, no API, no disclosed funding rounds, and no institutional investors; it is an independent foundation with no parent company or subsidiaries.

Name

Stichting Begrepen Klachten

Legal name

Stichting Begrepen Klachten

Website

https://begrepenklachten.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Begrepen Klachten is a Dutch non-profit foundation, founded in 2021, that supports patients with chronic unexplained conditions such as ME/CVS, Long Covid, and Fibromyalgia through advocacy, education, and the PAIS Case Discussion Network, having discontinued individual care services in December 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patient Advocacy and Chronic Illness Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Symptom & Pain Management In-Home (Palliative Clinical Visits) (HSABAFAG)

Keywords

• Chronic illness support
• Patient advocacy foundation
• Psychosocial healthcare services
• Long covid advocacy
• ME/CVS patient care

Headquarters

HQ city

Netherlands

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: The foundation operates primarily through donations and gifts. As an ANBI (public benefit organization), donations are tax-deductible after a threshold. They receive both one-time and recurring monthly donations through Geef.nl platform and direct bank transfers.
2. Low-fee Patient Services (discontinued): Previously offered individual care trajectories at low rates to maintain accessibility. Services were discontinued in December 2024. Care was intentionally kept affordable as it was not covered by health insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stichting Begrepen Klachten is a Dutch non-profit foundation that delivered medical, psychosocial, and practical support for people with chronic and unexplained conditions such as fibromyalgia, ME/CVS, Long Covid, and Q-fever. The foundation previously operated individualized care trajectories combining biomedical intake, personal action plans, psychosocial support for chronic grief and care trauma, and personalized pacing guidance. Following the December 2024 wind-down of direct patient services, the foundation continues to operate a monthly PAIS Case Discussion Network for medical professionals, deliver education to Long Covid expertise centers, and engage in patient advocacy and content publishing.

Product overview

Stichting Begrepen Klachten is a Dutch foundation providing medical, psychosocial, and practical support for people with chronic and unexplained conditions such as fibromyalgia, ME/CVS, Long Covid, and Q-fever. The organization previously operated individual care trajectories combining medical team support (intake, file review, Personal Action Plan), psychosocial team support (chronic grief, care trauma), and a Personal Pacing Plan. In December 2024, they discontinued individual patient care but continue operating a PAIS Case Discussion Network for medical professionals, provide education to Long Covid experts, and engage in advocacy and social media awareness. The foundation holds ANBI charitable status and maintains educational content through its blog and newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Care Trajectories Comprehensive personalized support combining medical, psychosocial, and practical guidance for patients with unexplained or chronic conditions including fibromyalgia, ME/CVS, Long Covid, and other post-infectious syndromes. Service was offered to individual patients directly online at deliberately low rates; discontinued December 2024.
• PAIS Case Discussion Network Monthly case discussion network for medical professionals (doctors) to discuss complex post-acute infectious syndrome cases and identify better care options for severely ill patients. Meetings held on the last Thursday of each month from 18:00-19:30.
• Medical Team Support Service Medical detective services including comprehensive intake, detailed questionnaires, file review, and development of a Personal Action Plan (Persoonlijk Plan van Aanpak) based on latest scientific insights for patients with unexplained chronic conditions.
• Psychosocial Team Support Service Psychosocial support focusing on chronic grief, care trauma, and dealing with incomprehension from surroundings, providing a listening ear and guidance for psychological needs of patients with chronic illness.
• Personal Pacing Plan Tailored pacing guidance program helping patients manage physical and cognitive symptoms and limited energy through a customized approach addressing all aspects of daily life for people with chronic fatigue and post-exertional symptoms.
• Medical Education and Training for Healthcare Professionals Education and training delivered by founder Marlies van Hemert to doctors at Long Covid expertise centers and the Post-Covid Netwerk Nederland, focused on biomedical approaches to unexplained chronic conditions.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Post-COVID Netwerk NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Active participation in the advisory board of Post-COVID Netwerk Nederland since early 2024. The network brings together scientists, healthcare professionals, patients, and societal parties to coordinate Long Covid research aligned with patient needs. The foundation contributes knowledge and experiences with post-infectious diseases.
• LymefondscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Lymefonds (Lyme Fund) director Fred Verdult to organize a PAIS awareness event at the Tweede Kamer (Dutch Parliament), bringing together 15 organizations representing chronic Lyme, Long Covid, ME/CVS, and Q-fever patients.
• 14 Patient Organizations (Chronic Lyme, Long Covid, ME/CVS, Q-fever)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 14 organizations working together on PAIS advocacy, including participation in parliamentary meetings and awareness events at the Tweede Kamer.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ieder(in): Dutch umbrella organization representing people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Comparable as a large, established Dutch non-profit advocate for chronic-illness recognition and policy change.
• Patiëntenfederatie Nederland: Dutch umbrella federation representing patient interests nationally. Functions as a broader incumbent in the Dutch patient advocacy space where Stichting Begrepen Klachten operates.
• Post-COVID Netwerk Nederland: Dutch national network coordinating Long Covid research across scientists, clinicians, patients, and societal parties. Stichting Begrepen Klachten sits on its advisory board; it is a broader, more institutionally backed peer in the same Long Covid ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Lymefonds: Dutch foundation supporting patients with chronic Lyme disease, a key cohort for Stichting Begrepen Klachten. Active coalition partner (joint Tweede Kamer event) and a directly comparable Dutch patient-advocacy foundation.
• Q-koorts Vereniging: Dutch patient association for Q-fever sufferers. Serves one of the same chronic post-infectious patient groups and was a co-organizer of the PAIS parliamentary event, making it a directly comparable advocacy peer.
• ME/CVS Vereniging: Dutch national patient association for ME/CFS, one of the core conditions Stichting Begrepen Klachten serves. Operates as a peer advocacy and support organization for the same patient population in the Netherlands.
• Long Covid Nederland: Dutch patient-led advocacy organization for people with Long Covid. Directly comparable as a Dutch non-profit focused on awareness, recognition, and improved care for one of the same core patient groups.

Regional players

• ME Research UK: UK-based charity funding biomedical research into ME/CFS. Operates in a different geography but is closely comparable as a small, mission-focused non-profit advancing science and awareness for one of the foundation's core patient populations.

Emerging players

• Open Medicine Foundation: International non-profit driving research and collaboration on ME/CFS and related chronic complex diseases. Comparable as a mission-aligned patient/research advocacy organization with a larger international footprint.
• Solve ME: US-based non-profit dedicated to ME/CFS and Long Covid advocacy and research funding. A peer in disease-specific chronic-illness advocacy with similar awareness, education, and research-alignment activities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/begrepenklacht
• Facebookfacebook.com/begrepenklachten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-begrepen-klachten
• Instagraminstagram.com/begrepenklachten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Stichting Begrepen Klachten