Cultuur+Ondernemen

What Cultuur+Ondernemen does

Cultuur+Ondernemen is a Dutch non-profit knowledge platform and financier, headquartered in Amsterdam with approximately 70 employees, that operates as the central advisory and funding gateway for the Dutch cultural and creative sector. Its mandate spans three audiences: artists and creative entrepreneurs seeking financing and business development; business professionals in cultural organisations needing training; and supervisory board members responsible for governance. The organisation is the custodian of the Governance Code Cultuur, the normative framework required for cultural organisations to access government funding in the Netherlands.

The product surface combines free and fee-based advisory services, a structured training curriculum (Slagkracht Ontwikkelprogramma with modules, videocolleges, podcasts, and site visits), and two digital self-serve tools: the Culturele Financieringswijzer, a click-based questionnaire that recommends appropriate financing sources for cultural projects, and the Zelfevaluatiescan, an online tool for boards to evaluate their functioning. Direct cultural financing is delivered through Cultuurleningen, low-interest loans to artists and cultural organisations, with Triodos Bank absorbing larger ticket sizes. Distribution is exclusively within the Netherlands via the website, newsletter, LinkedIn, public events calendar, and embedded partnerships with NR Governance, Kunsten '92, LKCA, Qredits, Werktuig PPO, and municipal, provincial, and national government bodies.

Revenue is generated through a mix of government and fund grants, training fees (Slagkracht modules priced €250–€500; masterclasses €815), advisory fees (guided self-evaluation €1,450; unguided €445), interest income from the cultural-loan portfolio, and free orientation consults and helpdesk services funded by the public-sector mandate. Pricing for training is further reduced by the Werktuig PPO scheme, which reimburses 40-50% of training costs up to €3,000 per participant per year. No revenue is publicly disclosed and the entity operates as a private Dutch non-profit with no parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or external funding rounds.

Name

Cultuur+Ondernemen

Legal name

Cultuur+Ondernemen

Website

https://cultuur-ondernemen.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cultuur+Ondernemen is a Dutch non-profit knowledge platform and financier serving artists, cultural organisations, and board members in the Netherlands, offering low-interest cultural loans, the Slagkracht training programme, governance advisory, and the Governance Code Cultuur framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Sector Advisory and Financing

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG)

Keywords

• Cultural sector financing
• Cultural governance advisory
• Creative entrepreneurship training
• Nonprofit knowledge platform
• Low-interest cultural loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cultural Loans (Cultuurleningen): Low-interest loans offered to artists, creatives, and cultural organizations for projects, equipment, materials, productions, or workspace renovation. For larger loans, they collaborate with Triodos Bank. Revenue generated through interest on loans.
2. Training Programs (Slagkracht): Development program for business professionals in cultural and creative organizations. Offers various training modules on topics like financial management, stakeholder management, and organizational transition. Revenue from training fees.
3. Masterclasses and Workshops: Specialized programs for experienced supervisors in the cultural sector, delivered in collaboration with NR Governance. Examples include masterclasses on governance and supervisory board effectiveness.
4. Advisory and Guidance Services: Guided self-evaluation for boards and supervisory boards, including external advisors facilitating evaluation meetings and providing actionable reports.
5. Knowledge Platform Services: Free and fee-based advisory services, helpdesk, orientation consults, and e-learning programs on governance topics, with government and fund partnerships supporting the sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cultuur+Ondernemen is the Dutch knowledge platform for entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sector and a direct financier for cultural entrepreneurs. It provides low-interest cultural loans (Cultuurleningen), professional development training (Slagkracht), the Governance Code Cultuur framework, an online funding-finder tool (Culturele Financieringswijzer), board self-evaluation tools, and advisory services including orientation consults and a helpdesk to artists, cultural organizations, and supervisory boards in the Netherlands.

Product overview

Cultuur+Ondernemen operates as a knowledge centre and financier for the Dutch cultural and creative sector, offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offerings include the Culturele Financieringswijzer (an online funding finder tool), Cultuurleningen (low-interest loans for cultural entrepreneurs), and the Governance Code Cultuur (a mandatory governance framework for cultural organisations). The Slagkracht Ontwikkelprogramma provides professional development through training modules, videocolleges, podcasts, and the 'Zakelijk Leiders op Toer' site-visit series. Additional services include the Zelfevaluatiescan for board evaluation, e-learning modules, free orientation consultations, and a helpdesk. These offerings are designed to support artists, creative entrepreneurs, and cultural organisations across their business development and governance needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Slagkracht: Development program for professionalization and business development for starting business managers in cultural or creative organizations.
• Governance Code Cultuur
• Culturele Financieringswijzer
• Cultuurleningen
• Zelfevaluatiescan

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% reimbursement of training costs available through Werktuig PPO scheme, up to €3,000 per person per year

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NR GovernancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop and deliver specialized programs for supervisory board members in the cultural sector. Cultuur+Ondernemen develops content while NR Governance handles registration and delivery of masterclass programs for experienced supervisors in the cultural sector.
• QreditssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for business planning tools. Cultuur+Ondernemen advises users to use Qredits' business planning format when developing entrepreneurship plans.
• Kunsten '92supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization representing the interests of the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands, collaborating on Slagkracht videocollege content.
• LKCA (Landelijk Kennisinstituut Cultuureducatie)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational knowledge institute for cultural education, listed as a partner in video college content development for Slagkracht programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mondriaan Fonds: The Mondriaan Fund is the Dutch public fund for visual arts and cultural heritage, providing grants, commissions, and loans to museums, artists, and heritage institutions. It is a direct peer as a Dutch sector-specific cultural financier with comparable governance and grantmaking activities.
• Kunsten '92: Kunsten '92 is the Dutch umbrella association representing the interests of the cultural and creative sector, providing advocacy, networking, and professional development. It is a named partner of Cultuur+Ondernemen and shares a comparable role as a sector-wide support body for Dutch cultural organisations.
• Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds: The Prince Bernhard Culture Fund is one of the largest private cultural funds in the Netherlands, providing grants and prizes across multiple cultural disciplines. It is comparable as a Netherlands-based cultural grantmaking body and is already a named partner of Cultuur+Ondernemen for local project support.
• VSBfonds: VSBfonds is a Dutch fund that supports projects in culture, education, and societal participation, with a strong focus on audience development and sector professionalisation. It is comparable to Cultuur+Ondernemen in its mix of grantmaking and capacity-building support for cultural and creative organisations.
• Fonds Podiumkunsten: The Dutch Performing Arts Fund subsidises productions and activities in theatre, dance, and music in the Netherlands. It is comparable as another sector-specific Dutch public fund combining grantmaking with sector development, though focused specifically on performing arts rather than the broader cultural and creative sector.
• Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie: The Dutch Creative Industries Fund is a public cultural fund that finances designers, architects, and creative makers in the Netherlands. It is the closest direct peer to Cultuur+Ondernemen, sharing the dual mandate of financing and supporting entrepreneurship in the Dutch creative/cultural sector.
• LKCA (Landelijk Kennisinstituut Cultuureducatie): LKCA is the Dutch national knowledge institute for cultural education and amateur arts, providing research, training, and tools to cultural-education practitioners. It is a named partner of Cultuur+Ondernemen and is comparable as another Amsterdam-based Dutch knowledge platform serving the cultural sector.

Broad incumbents

• Triodos Bank: Triodos Bank is a values-based European bank that lends to sustainable and cultural ventures and is already a co-financing partner of Cultuur+Ondernemen for larger cultural loans. It is a broad incumbent because its cultural-sector lending overlaps with Cultuur+Ondernemen's loan products, but its scope is much wider.
• European Cultural Foundation: The European Cultural Foundation operates at a pan-European level supporting cultural cooperation, policy advocacy, and grantmaking. It is comparable in mission (cultural sector support and capacity building) but operates across a much wider geography than Cultuur+Ondernemen's Netherlands-only mandate.

Emerging players

• Qredits: Qredits is a Dutch microfinance institution providing small business loans and business planning support to SMEs, including cultural entrepreneurs via its referral partnership with Cultuur+Ondernemen. It is comparable in providing loan and business-planning support to small Dutch entrepreneurs, though its scope is broader than just the cultural sector.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultuur-ondernemen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Cultuur+Ondernemen