Buitenfonds

What Buitenfonds does

Buitenfonds (Stichting Buitenfonds) is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2013 and headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands. It operates as the dedicated crowdfunding and fundraising arm of Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch Forestry Commission, channeling individual and corporate donations into nature conservation projects across Dutch public nature areas. Donations are organized into six thematic "project worlds" — Bomen (trees), Dieren (animals), Planten (plants), Bloemen (flowers), Water, and Landschap — giving donors a cause-based giving menu. The organization holds ANBI status (Dutch registered charity designation) and operates with a lean six-person team.

The foundation runs on a third-party technology stack: iRaiser for the donation and crowdfunding platform, Buckaroo for payment processing, and AWS for hosting. It accepts one-time gifts, periodic/recurring donations, and legacy gifts from individuals, alongside corporate sponsorships and CO2-certificate purchases (piloted via Biesbosch Vaantje in 2025). The commercial model is segmented across individual donors (long tail) and a small set of major corporate partners — most prominently Shell (€17.4M committed over 12 years), Lidl, AstraZeneca, Provincie Overijssel, and EO — supplemented by the 1% for the Planet channel for member businesses.

Revenue mechanics are pass-through by design: the foundation raises and directs funds to Staatsbosbeheer-managed conservation projects, retaining only an operating budget. The ANBI filing self-classifies organization size at up to €500,000, consistent with a small foundation, while gross annual donations likely sit materially above that figure given the Shell commitment and a diversified corporate and individual-donor base. Geographic scope is structurally limited to the Netherlands through the exclusive Staatsbosbeheer affiliation.

Name

Buitenfonds

Legal name

Stichting Buitenfonds

Website

https://buitenfonds.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Buitenfonds is a Dutch non-profit foundation that functions as the crowdfunding and fundraising arm of Staatsbosbeheer, channeling individual and corporate donations into nature conservation projects across Dutch public nature areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (1132)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Nature conservation crowdfunding
• Charitable fundraising platform
• CO2 compensation certificates
• Tax-deductible donations
• Forest restoration financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Amersfoort

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual donations via crowdfunding: One-time and periodic donations from individual donors to specific nature projects. Donors receive digital certificates for tree planting (€10 per tree). Periodic gifts are tax-deductible with no minimum donation.
2. Periodic giving (schenkingsovereenkomst): Multi-year periodic gift agreements (minimum 5 years, minimum €75/year) that qualify for full income tax deduction under ANBI status. Enables donors to give more while paying less net.
3. Legacies and bequests (nalaten): Individuals can include Buitenfonds in their testament to leave a lasting gift to Dutch nature conservation.
4. Corporate sponsorship and CO2 certificates: Businesses purchase CO2 certificates to compensate emissions, funding forest planting and maintenance. Shell contributed €17.4 million over 12 years. 1 hectare = 3,000–5,000 trees planted.
5. Campaign-based fundraising: Time-bound campaigns such as EO 'Nederland plant bomen' (€7.50/tree), Lidl statiegeldactie (€100,000 raised), and media partnerships mobilising broad public participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting Buitenfonds operates a crowdfunding and fundraising platform (buitenfonds.nl) that channels donations from individuals and corporations to specific nature conservation projects managed by Staatsbosbeheer across the Netherlands. Offerings include one-time and recurring donations for individual projects, tax-efficient periodic gift agreements (schenkingsovereenkomst), legacy/bequest giving (nalaten), tree planting at €10 per tree with digital certificates, and corporate CO2 compensation certificates.

Product overview

Buitenfonds is a crowdfunding and fundraising platform for Dutch nature conservation managed by Stichting Buitenfonds, supporting projects of Staatsbosbeheer. The platform offers individual project donations across six thematic worlds (Ecologische footprint, Nieuwe Wildernis, Culturele Schatten, Kinderen, Boswachter, Beleving), a dedicated tree planting program (Nederland Plant Bomen) for €10 per tree in provincial locations, legacy giving programs with tax benefits (Schenken en Nalaten), and CO2 certificates for corporate partners. The platform is built on iRaiser technology and processes donations via Buckaroo payments and iDEAL.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crowdfunding Platform for Nature Projects Self-service online platform where donors browse and fund specific nature conservation projects (forest ranger stories, cultural heritage restoration, play forests, observation towers) across all Dutch provinces. Includes preset donation tiers (€10, €25, €50) and custom amounts.
• Nederland Plant Bomen (Tree Planting Program) Tree planting initiative allowing donors to contribute €10 per tree (€7.50 under EO campaign) to plant trees in their chosen Dutch province. Donors receive a durable digital certificate after donation.
• Schenken en Nalaten (Periodic Giving and Bequests) Legacy giving and periodic donation programs with Dutch tax benefits. Multi-year periodic gift agreements (minimum 5 years, minimum €75/year) qualify for full income tax deduction under ANBI status. Includes testamentary giving options.
• CO2 Compensation Certificates for Businesses Corporate offering enabling businesses to compensate CO2 emissions by financing forest planting and maintenance in the Netherlands. Delivered via dedicated account management with measurable environmental outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• €17.4 million raised from Shell partnership for 1,740 hectares of forest
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Provincie OverijsselcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2021Provincial government provided land for 5 hectares of new forest. Combined with Columbus Junior/4Kids donation of ~20,000 trees, managed by Staatsbosbeheer. Part of provincial 'Iedereen een Boom' (1.1 million trees) project.
• EOflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 February 2021EO broadcaster partnered with Buitenfonds, Staatsbosbeheer, and Stichting Nationale Boomfeestdag for 'Nederland plant bomen' campaign. Resulted in 65,731 trees planted. TV programmes on NPO 1 and NPO Zapp drove mass public donations at €7.50/tree.
• STIP (keurmerk voor verantwoord houtgebruik)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSTIP is a responsible wood certification body that supports new forest planting. STIP certificate holders have planted over 25,000 trees across 4 forests via Buitenfonds.
• 1% for the PlanetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBuitenfonds is an Environmental Partner of 1% for the Planet, a global movement connecting businesses with environmental partners. Member companies donate 1% of annual revenue to approved environmental causes.
• Stichting Nationale BoomfeestdagcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational Tree Day Foundation co-runs the 'Nederland plant bomen' campaign, particularly engaging children and schools to participate in tree planting via Buitenfonds/Staatsbosbeheer.
• MRVOminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMRVO is an accounting and tax advisory firm that performs financial administration audits for Buitenfonds.
• Stichting het Biesbosch VaantjecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPilot started 2025 by Gemeente Drimmelen in cooperation with entrepreneurs and watersports associations. Watersports visitors buy day or annual passes (vaantjes) to fund maintenance of moorings, steigers, and jetties in the Biesbosch.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Staatsbosbeheer: Buitenfonds' mission partner and the largest Dutch public-land manager; operates at national scale with 150M+ annual visits and a broader portfolio than Buitenfonds. Comparable as the incumbent whose projects Buitenfonds funds and whose brand it borrows.
• National Trust (UK): UK heritage and nature conservation charity running membership, donations, legacies and corporate partnerships for protected landscapes. Comparable as a broader incumbent showing what a mature, multi-channel conservation fundraising organisation looks like at scale.

Others

• Geef.nl: Dutch online donation platform aggregating hundreds of ANBI charities and facilitating individual giving, periodic gifts and campaign fundraising. Comparable as an enabling/infrastructure layer for the same donor pool that Buitenfonds targets.

Direct peers

• Trees for All: Dutch ANBI-certified foundation that raises private and corporate donations to plant trees in the Netherlands and abroad. Closest direct peer to Buitenfonds: similar ANBI crowdfunding model, tree-planting unit pricing and corporate CO2 compensation offerings.
• Natuurmonumenten: Largest Dutch nature conservation organisation (~700,000 members) managing its own reserves and running donation, periodic-giving and legacy fundraising programmes. Direct peer operating the same Dutch nature-fundraising model as Buitenfonds but for Natuurmonumenten-managed land.
• WWF Nederland: Dutch branch of WWF running donation, periodic giving and corporate partnerships for nature conservation, with similar ANBI crowdfunding mechanics. Comparable as another major Dutch nature-focused fundraising foundation competing for individual and corporate donors.

Regional players

• Landschap Overijssel: Provincial Dutch landscape conservation foundation running member and donor programmes for nature areas in Overijssel — the same province where Buitenfonds' Columbus Junior / 4Kids forest project is sited. Comparable as a regional fundraising peer in an adjacent Dutch province.
• Natuurpunt: Belgian nature conservation organisation with member-based fundraising, donations and corporate partnerships for nature reserves. Comparable as a regional peer running a near-identical model in a neighbouring country with similar regulatory and donor dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buitenfonds

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Buitenfonds