Bijenstichting (Dutch Bee Conservation)

What Bijenstichting (Dutch Bee Conservation) does

Bijenstichting is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (stichting) founded in 2010 and headquartered in Vorden, Gelderland, with 11 employees. It is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wild bee and bumblebee populations in the Netherlands, an area where 55% of the country's 359 wild bee species are nearly or fully extinct. Its core activities are education, policy advocacy, and practical habitat creation, delivered through the Bijen Educatiecentrum (Bee Education Center) in Vorden, a 5,000 m2 demonstration garden in Groesbeek, online courses, a volunteer Hommelcoaches network, and the Meetnet Hommels citizen-science monitoring program with 400+ volunteers.

The foundation operates on a diversified nonprofit revenue model combining recurring memberships (€5 trial, €40 annual ambassador), e-commerce webshop sales of bee hotels, seeds and bulbs, one-time donations and corporate gifts (e.g., the €750 Rotary Club Rotterdam contribution), legacies and bequests, and corporate partnerships structured around the "Rommel voor de hommel" deposit scheme. Underlying technology is limited to a self-hosted online course platform (bijen-educatiecentrum.nl), an e-commerce webshop, and standard content marketing channels—newsletters, social media, and a blog—rather than any proprietary software or AI system.

Go-to-market is community-led: the organization mobilizes individual home gardeners as its primary segment, supplemented by schools, businesses pursuing CSR programs, and Dutch municipalities. Its channel mix spans newsletter-led top-of-funnel demand generation, hands-on events such as Open Tuinen Dagen and Week van de Hommel, and targeted corporate outreach. The foundation also participates in EU-level policy and research, including the four-year Horizon Europe Butterfly Project (2025-2029) and successful advocacy for the EU phase-out of acetamiprid, positioning it as an institutional stakeholder in pollinator regulation rather than a technology-forward organization.

Name

Bijenstichting (Dutch Bee Conservation)

Legal name

Bijenstichting

Website

https://bijenstichting.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bijenstichting is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (founded 2010, 11 staff, Vorden) that protects wild bee and bumblebee populations through education, citizen-science monitoring, policy advocacy, and the Bijen Educatiecentrum, serving individual gardeners, schools, businesses, and municipalities across the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Apiculture (112910)

akta.pro primary industry

Organic Apiculture (Beekeeping) (AFAEAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pollinator-Safe Stinging Insect Management (Relocation/Deterrence) (HSAMALAF), Beekeeping & Apiculture (EDAOAOAL)

Keywords

• Wild bee conservation
• Pollinator protection
• Conservation education
• Bee habitat products
• Nature advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Vorden

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual ambassador membership provides access to online courses and community features for €40 per year. Trial memberships are offered for €5 one-time fee.
2. Webshop Sales: E-commerce sales of bee hotels, seeds, flower bulbs, field guides, and other bee-friendly products through the Bijenstichting webshop.
3. Donations and Gifts: One-time donations, periodic gifts, and corporate gifts such as the Rotary Club Rotterdam contribution of €750 for the Hommelsteunplan.
4. Legacies and Bequests: The organization accepts inheritances and bequests through wills, offering tax advantages for donors.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Businesses can participate in the 'Rommel voor de hommel' deposit scheme where companies donate proceeds from collected beverage containers, or make direct corporate donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bijenstichting is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that protects wild bees and bumblebees in the Netherlands through habitat creation, public education, advocacy, and citizen engagement. It sells bee-friendly products (bee hotels, wildflower seed mixes) via its own webshop and offers paid online courses and educational programs aimed at home gardeners, schools, and businesses.

Product overview

Bijenstichting (Dutch Bee Conservation) is a non-profit organization founded in 2010, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wild bee and bumblebee populations in the Netherlands. The organization operates primarily as an educational and advocacy entity rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings center on the Bijen Educatiecentrum (Bee Education Center) in Vorden, which serves as the hub for educational programs, workshops, and demonstration activities. The organization provides online education through Bijenportretten (monthly bee species portraits) and structured online courses available via subscription memberships. Its commercial arm, the Webshop, sells bee hotels, seeds, bulbs, and field guides. Additionally, Bijenstichting runs conservation programs including the Hommelsteunplan (Bumblebee Support Plan), the Hommelcoaches volunteer network, and manages the Inspiratietuin Groesbeek demonstration garden. The organization also provides free educational content through newsletters and maintains a network of information resources covering topics such as nectar plants, bee species identification, and bee-friendly gardening practices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rommel voor de hommel: A deposit return scheme initiative where companies collect empty bottles and donate the proceeds to the Bijenstichting for bumblebee habitat restoration.
• Hommelsteunplan / Hommelherstelplan
• Hommelcoaches
• Hommel Buzzz Club

Products and services

• Online bee conservation courses

Quantifiable outcome

• 55% of 359 Dutch wild bee species are nearly or fully extinct, highlighting the critical conservation need
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• Butterfly Project (Horizon Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA four-year Horizon Europe research project (2025-2029) bringing together 24 European organizations to study pollinators. The Bijenstichting participates alongside universities and research institutions to translate scientific knowledge into practical conservation measures. The project establishes Living Labs across European regions and develops a European atlas of plant-pollinator relationships.
• Groene ZakenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting sustainable business practices and environmental initiatives. Logo appears on the Bijenstichting website as a partner organization.
• DonateursbelangenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization representing donor interests. Logo appears on the Bijenstichting website as a partner organization.
• 1% for the PlanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal environmental giving network. Logo appears on the Bijenstichting website indicating membership or partnership affiliation.
• Vlinderstichting (Butterfly Foundation Netherlands)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Bijenstichting to develop the 'Hello Garden' pesticide-free plant assortment, suitable for bees and butterflies. Joint initiative to promote gifvrije (pesticide-free) gardening.
• EIS Kenniscentrum Insecten (EIS Knowledge Center Insects)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerLede Slikboer, project leader at EIS, is cited as an expert source on bumblebees. EIS serves as a knowledge center for insects in the Netherlands and contributes to monitoring and research on bumblebee populations.
• WeGlowminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDonation platform through which individuals can make direct one-time gifts to support the Hommelsteunplan. The Bijenstichting uses WeGlow to receive and process individual donations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vlinderstichting (Butterfly Foundation Netherlands): Direct peer and existing partner; Dutch nonprofit focused on butterfly and pollinator conservation with similar education, citizen science, and policy advocacy model. Co-developed the pesticide-free 'Hello Garden' plant assortment with Bijenstichting.
• Natuur & Milieu: Dutch environmental advocacy nonprofit focused on sustainability policy. Comparable in policy advocacy and public awareness mission, particularly around pesticide regulation where it overlaps with Bijenstichting's work.
• IVN Natuureducatie: Dutch nature education organization offering courses, citizen science, and volunteer programs. Directly comparable in the nature education and volunteer-engagement model, with potential overlap in curriculum and target audiences.
• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: US-based nonprofit dedicated to invertebrate conservation including bees. Closest international analog in terms of mission specificity (invertebrates/pollinators), citizen science programs, and policy advocacy.
• Buglife: UK invertebrate conservation charity with nearly identical mission of conserving bees, bumblebees, and other invertebrates through advocacy, education, and habitat work. International counterpart demonstrating the model in another market.

Broad incumbents

• LandschappenNL: Federation of 20 Dutch landscape conservation organizations. Comparable as a nonprofit managing land/habitat for biodiversity with member-funded model, but at a regional landscape scale rather than species-specific.
• Vogelbescherming Nederland: Dutch bird protection nonprofit with similar member/donor revenue model, advocacy focus, and educational programming. Established analog in adjacent species-conservation space that competes for the same individual donors and corporate CSR budgets.
• Natuurmonumenten: Largest Dutch nature conservation NGO managing natural areas and habitats. Comparable as a donation- and membership-funded conservation nonprofit, but with a much broader mandate beyond pollinators, making it both a model and a competitor for donor attention.
• WWF Netherlands: Local chapter of global conservation NGO with similar donor/membership model, advocacy approach, and corporate partnership programs. Much larger scale but competes for the same environmentally-minded Dutch donor base.

Regional players

• EIS Kenniscentrum Insecten: Dutch knowledge center for insects referenced as an expert source by Bijenstichting. More research-oriented while Bijenstichting is more education/advocacy, but both serve overlapping pollinator communities in the Netherlands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Bijenlint
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bijenstichting
• Instagraminstagram.com/bijenstichting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Bijenstichting (Dutch Bee Conservation)