Stichting Competens, IT Skillsfund

What Stichting Competens, IT Skillsfund does

Stichting Competens (also operating as IT Skillsfund) is an independent Dutch foundation (stichting) headquartered at Newtonlaan 115 in Utrecht, Netherlands. It originates from Stichting EXIN, founded in 1984 at the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs to examine the AMBI vocational education program. In 2021, the foundation sold its interest in EXIN Holding BV to Software Improvement Group (SIG) and rebranded as Competens, converting an operating-subsidiary structure into an endowment-funded catalyst foundation. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; its core offering is grant capital deployed through the FindNFund platform across four fixed application rounds per year, with a €100,000 maximum per round, evaluated on project quality, financial setup, digital-skills relevance, and societal impact.

The foundation's mission is to strengthen IT competencies in the Netherlands across five stated objectives: promoting professional IT knowledge, promoting IT standards, supporting optimal professional practice for IT professionals, improving the quality and societal return of IT applications, and promoting IT knowledge in Dutch society. Its 2025 portfolio of funded initiatives spans TUMO Amsterdam (including a satellite TUMO Box in Nieuw-West/Osdorp), JINC Rijnmond (mbo IT sector days reaching 550–600 students), TechMeUp (interest-free IT retraining loans and a Versterkingsprogramma), Zwarte Vrouwen voor Technologie / ZVVT (diversity-focused tech career program), Stichting Dock / CityGames (youth digital resilience through gaming), and Challenge the Cyber (annual cybersecurity bootcamp). Governance consists of a three-person Board (Maarten Naaijkens as Chair, Albert Kleinjan as Treasurer, Aruna Kishna as Secretary) and a three-person Supervisory Board (Artie Debidien as Chair, Momet Abas, Joep Frijdal).

Its business model is endowment-funded grant-making, not commercial revenue generation. The foundation earns no product or service revenue; its operating capacity derives from returns on the capital base realized through the 2021 EXIN divestiture. Distribution occurs via a self-serve application channel (FindNFund) and direct outreach to mission-aligned NGOs, with marketing and awareness supported through the competens.nl website and board-member LinkedIn presence. The foundation does not sell to commercial customers and does not charge beneficiaries; its "customers" in a portfolio sense are the non-profit implementing organizations it underwrites.

Name

Stichting Competens, IT Skillsfund

Legal name

Stichting Competens

Website

https://competens.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Competens is an independent Dutch foundation headquartered in Utrecht that funds non-profit initiatives strengthening IT competencies in the Netherlands, deploying up to €100,000 per round across four annual grant cycles via the FindNFund platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT skills development grants

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• IT skills development
• Digital inclusion funding
• Workforce reskilling grants
• IT education foundations
• Digital literacy grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns and Endowment: Following the sale of the foundation's stake in EXIN Holding BV to SIG in 2021, the foundation now operates using returns from its remaining capital endowment. This capital is deployed to fund initiatives that strengthen IT competencies in the Netherlands through grants and investments in qualifying projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stichting Competens is an independent Dutch foundation that funds and supports initiatives strengthening IT competencies and digital inclusion in the Netherlands. It disburses grants of up to €100,000 per application round across four annual cycles via the FindNFund platform, supporting programs such as youth technology education (TUMO), mbo IT sector days (JINC), IT retraining (TechMeUp), diversity-focused tech career programs (ZVVT), cybersecurity bootcamps (Challenge the Cyber), and digital resilience festivals (Dock/CityGames). The foundation also provides network access and expertise to qualifying applicants in addition to financial support.

Product overview

Stichting Competens is not a traditional technology product company but a foundation that funds IT skills development initiatives in the Netherlands. The organization's core offering is its funding and investment program, accessible through the FindNFund platform, which supports various initiatives that strengthen digital competencies. These include educational programs (TUMO Box, JINC IT days), retraining funds (TechMeUp), diversity-focused tech careers (ZVVT), cybersecurity training (Challenge the Cyber), and digital skills for youth (Dock/CityGames). The portfolio represents a collection of supported programs rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FindNFund Grant Application Platform Online platform used by Stichting Competens to receive and process grant applications from organizations seeking funding for IT-skills and digital-inclusion initiatives in the Netherlands. Supports four fixed application rounds per year with a maximum grant of €100,000 per round.
• IT Competency Grant Funding Program Foundational grant-making program of Stichting Competens that provides financial support (up to €100,000 per round) and network access to Dutch non-profit and educational initiatives that strengthen digital skills, increase digital awareness, and promote digital inclusion.

Quantifiable outcome

• TUMO: 75% of participants develop more interest in technology future careers (Dalberg 2023 research)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FindNFundcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFindNFund is the grant application platform used by Stichting Competens to manage and process funding requests. It provides a transparent, accessible application process for potential grantees.
• EXIN Holding BVminorOthersStichting Competens originated from EXIN, which was established in 1984 at the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs to examine the AMBI professional education program. In 2021, the foundation sold its stake in EXIN to SIG and rebranded as Competens.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Stichting Postcode Loterij / Dutch Postcode Lottery Charitable Funds: Major Dutch charitable organization that funds a wide range of nonprofits including those working on education and digital inclusion. Comparable as a large Dutch grantmaking entity, though with broader focus than Competens.

Emerging players

• Capgemini Invent Social Impact / Corporate Foundation: Global IT services firm with a corporate foundation funding digital skills and inclusion initiatives, including in the Netherlands. Comparable in supporting digital upskilling for underrepresented groups, though corporate-driven rather than independent.
• Dell Technologies Foundation: Corporate foundation funding STEM education, digital literacy, and IT skills programs globally. Comparable in funding digital skills and inclusion initiatives, with a narrower technology focus but broader geographic reach.

Broad incumbents

• Het Oranje Fonds: Large Dutch social grantmaking foundation supporting community welfare, social inclusion, and participation initiatives. Comparable as a Dutch grantmaking vehicle addressing social inclusion, though with a broader welfare mandate than Competens's IT-specific focus.
• Google.org: Google's philanthropic arm that funds digital skills, inclusion, and workforce development globally. Highly comparable as a grantmaking foundation focused on closing technology skills gaps, though operating at much greater scale and global scope than Stichting Competens.
• Vodafone Foundation: European telecom-affiliated foundation funding digital skills, inclusion, and youth technology programs across multiple European markets. Comparable in mission to Competens but with broader geographic mandate.
• Microsoft Philanthropies: Microsoft's grantmaking and skills program that funds digital inclusion, computer science education, and IT workforce development worldwide. Directly comparable mission and grantmaking model to Competens, with substantially larger capital base.

Direct peers

• KPN Foundation (Stichting KPN Maken): Dutch corporate foundation from KPN telecom that funds digital inclusion and IT education programs in the Netherlands. Highly comparable as a Dutch grantmaking entity with a digital skills mandate.
• SIDN Fonds: Dutch foundation connected to SIDN (the .nl domain registry) that funds internet-related and digital skills initiatives in the Netherlands. Closest domestic peer in terms of geography, mission focus on digital empowerment, and grantmaking structure.
• Stichting NL Digital: Dutch sector organization representing the tech industry and running programs related to digital talent development and IT skills in the Netherlands. Overlaps with Competens on digital skills mission in the Dutch market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-competens-it-skillsfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stichting Competens, IT Skillsfund