What CultuurSchakel does

CultuurSchakel is a Dutch non-profit foundation headquartered at Prinsegracht 27 in Den Haag (The Hague), founded on 17 May 2013 and led since May 2014 by directeur-bestuurder Marijn Cornelis. Its mission is to enable a lifetime of engagement with art and culture for every resident of The Hague, operating as a 'schakel' (link) between three constituencies: schools (primary, secondary and vocational/MBO), cultural providers and institutions (artists, museums, theatres, dance and music groups), and individual residents. The organization runs approximately 52 staff across two operating departments — Schooltijd and Vrije tijd — plus a financial-support team and a marketing & communications unit, with a dedicated network of culture coaches covering all Hague school districts.

Its core product surface centers on two flagship school programs — Vonk for primary education and Expeditie C for secondary education — delivered via printed brochures distributed to every Hague school and a web platform (cultuurschakel.nl) that serves as a searchable directory of 500+ cultural providers, an events calendar (CultuurSchakel Agenda), an online subsidy application portal, and a content knowledge bank (Kennisbank). Supporting the school programs are KunstTreffer for special education, the BinnenBuiten neighborhood program, the COH (Cultuuronderwijs op zijn Haags) curriculum framework, and centralized bus transport that removes a key logistical barrier. Financial-support services under the 'Geld voor je' brand — including a pilot Geld voor je Podium scheme — award low-barrier subsidies (typically up to €2,000–€10,000) via simple forms and video pitches, with decisions within one week. De Bruiserij, co-developed with KOO, extends the offering to residents with disabilities. Annual events (Spotlight, Haagse Cultuuronderwijs Dag, Kinderboekenweek) and a podcast round out the engagement layer.

The business model is government-funded intermediation rather than commercial revenue. Primary funding flows from the Municipality of The Hague (gemeente Den Haag), which underwrites school visits, bus transport and the subsidy programs; the national Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie supplements this with grants for long-term programs such as Cultuureducatie met Kwaliteit (CmK). The organization distributes pass-through funds (over €250,000 via the IMPULS! COVID recovery subsidy alone) and provides services to schools at no direct cost. No parent company, private equity or venture capital is involved, and no commercial revenue stream — subscriptions, advertising, fees — is disclosed. The organization does not own patents, trademarks, certifications or technology integrations beyond its own web platform, and its addressable market is intentionally limited to the city of The Hague.

Name

CultuurSchakel

Legal name

CultuurSchakel

Website

https://cultuurschakel.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CultuurSchakel is a Dutch non-profit foundation in The Hague that connects schools, cultural providers and residents through subsidized school cultural programs, a 500+ provider directory, and low-barrier subsidy schemes, funded primarily by the Municipality of The Hague.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Education and Participation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-District Consortia & Shared Services Authorities (EDADABAN)

Keywords

• Arts education programs
• Cultural participation services
• Community arts funding
• Cultural education brokerage
• Arts subsidy administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Municipal Government Funding: CultuurSchakel is funded primarily by the municipality of The Hague (gemeente Den Haag) to carry out its public mission of promoting arts and culture education and participation. Subsidies from the municipality fund school cultural visits, bus transport, and the subsidy programs for cultural providers.
2. Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie Grants: The organization receives grants from the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie (Cultural Participation Fund) to support long-term projects, including Cultuureducatie met Kwaliteit (CmK) programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CultuurSchakel brokers cultural education and participation in The Hague by connecting primary, secondary, vocational schools and cultural institutions through curated programming (Vonk, Expeditie C, KunstTreffer), and by supporting cultural providers and residents through low-threshold subsidies (Geld voor je suite) and an online provider directory. Services include free bus transport for school cultural visits, dedicated culture coaches advising schools, professional development for teachers, and an accessibility platform for residents with disabilities.

Product overview

CultuurSchakel is a cultural education and participation organization serving The Hague, operating as a unified service platform rather than a modular product architecture. The core offerings center on two flagship programs: Vonk (primary education cultural brochure) and Expeditie C (secondary education cultural program), both providing subsidized school visits to cultural institutions with free bus transport. Supporting programs include KunstTreffer for special education, BinnenBuiten for neighborhood-based in-school/out-of-school connections, and COH (Cultuuronderwijs op zijn Haags) as the underlying curriculum framework. Financial support services under the 'Geld voor je' brand offer low-threshold subsidies requiring only a video pitch. Resource and event tools include the Haagse Ladekast (teaching materials), the CultuurSchakel Agenda (training calendar), De Bruiserij (accessibility platform), and the annual Spotlight event during Cultuurnacht.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vonk: Cultural offering brochure for primary education in The Hague, helping schools arrange museum visits and performances
• Expeditie C
• Geld voor je kunst!
• BinnenBuiten
• IMPULS!
• De Haagse CultuurAcademie

Products and services

• Vonk Annual brochure and coordination program presenting curated cultural offerings for primary schools (primair onderwijs) in The Hague, including museum visits, performances, subsidies, and bus transport coordination. Targeted at primary schools and their internal culture coordinators.
• Expeditie C Cultural offerings program for secondary schools (voortgezet onderwijs) classes 1, 2, and 3 in The Hague, providing access to cultural institutions and artistic experiences with coordinated logistics.
• KunstTreffer Customized cultural education program for special education schools (so) in which cultural institutions and schools collaborate to develop a tailored cultural curriculum fitting school-specific needs.
• BinnenBuiten Program connecting in-school and out-of-school cultural activities in neighborhoods where cultural participation is less common, tailoring offerings to children living in those areas.
• Geld voor je (subsidies: Basis, Groei, Kunstproject, Uitvoering, Podium) Suite of low-threshold subsidies for Hague cultural initiatives, including Geld voor je kunst! (up to €2,000), basic subsidy (up to €2,000–€3,000), presentation subsidies (up to €10,000), and special subsidies for care performances and outdoor concerts. Applications use simple forms or video pitches with independent jury review and a one-week decision turnaround.
• Haagse Ladekast Digital resource cabinet containing teaching materials, short assignments for special occasions such as Kinderboekenweek, and COH Magazine for cultural education.
• COH (Cultuuronderwijs op zijn Haags) Cultural education curriculum framework for Hague schools, including teaching methodology, learning lines, and workshops for educators to support a structured approach to cultural education.
• De Bruiserij Platform for cultural course offerings in The Hague specifically for people with disabilities, developed in partnership with KOO to bundle accessible cultural course options in one searchable location.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 100,000 Hague students participate in cultural visits annually via Vonk and Expeditie C
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KOO (KunstOpofferingsbewustzijn, The Hague)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultuurSchakel and KOO co-founded De Bruiserij, a specialized platform that bundles accessible cultural course offerings in The Hague for people with disabilities. This is a key initiative in CultuurSchakel's mission to make arts and culture accessible to everyone, including residents with physical, intellectual, or mental challenges.
• Gemeente Den Haag (Municipality of The Hague)coreOthersCultuurSchakel receives primary funding from the municipality of The Hague to carry out its public mission of promoting arts and culture education and participation. The municipality funds school cultural visits, bus transport, and the subsidy programs administered by CultuurSchakel.
• Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie (Cultural Participation Fund)coreOthersCultuurSchakel receives grants from the national Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie to support long-term programs including Cultuureducatie met Kwaliteit (CmK), which facilitates sustained partnerships between cultural institutions and schools.
• Haagse culturele instellingen (Hague cultural institutions)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHague cultural institutions including museums, theaters, and concert halls serve as the supply side of CultuurSchakel's school programming. These institutions provide performances and educational programs that are featured in the Vonk and Expeditie C brochures and facilitated through CultuurSchakel's bus transport and booking coordination.
• Ooievaarspas (The Hague discount pass for low-income residents)minorOthersCultuurSchakel partners with the Ooievaarspas municipal discount program, enabling 80 cultural providers to offer reduced-cost arts lessons and courses to residents with limited financial means, supporting equal access to cultural participation.
• Haagse culturele aanbieders (10+ Hague cultural organizations)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultuurSchakel co-organized the 'Kinderen willen kunst!' event with 10+ Hague cultural organizations (including KOO, Lonneke van Leth Dans, Art-S-Cool, Theaterschool Rabarber, Haags Theaterhuis, Huis van Gedichten, Musicon, Beweigi, Topaze, and Drang) to present solutions for accessible cultural education to municipal council members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• A New Direction: UK-based charity that connects schools and young people with cultural opportunities in London. Closely comparable mission, model, and target audience (children and young people in schools), though operating in a different national context.
• Kunstloc Brabant: Regional cultural education intermediary for the Brabant province. Comparable model — connecting schools, cultural institutions, and amateur artists through advising, subsidies, and programming — but operating across multiple municipalities rather than a single city.
• Children & the Arts: UK charity that connects schools with cultural venues and provides subsidized access to arts and culture for children. Directly comparable mission to CultuurSchakel's Vonk and Expeditie C programs.
• Kunstgebouw: Zuid-Holland-based cultural education organization operating in the same broader region as CultuurSchakel. Comparable mission around school-time and free-time cultural participation, with overlapping school and provider networks in The Hague and surrounding municipalities.
• LKCA (Landelijk Kennisinstituut Cultuureducatie en Amateurkunst): Dutch national knowledge institute for cultural education and amateur arts. Directly comparable as it supports schools, cultural providers, and municipalities with cultural education programming and policy implementation, operating at a national scale rather than city scale.
• Cultuurconnectie Groningen: Regional cultural education and participation intermediary in Groningen. Similar role connecting schools, cultural providers, and amateur artists through advising and programming — a comparable model with different geographic focus.

Others

• Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie: National Dutch government fund that provides grants to CultuurSchakel for CmK programs. Functions as a key upstream funder rather than a direct competitor, but operates in the same cultural-participation ecosystem.
• CJP (Cultureel Jongeren Paspoort): National Dutch youth cultural pass offering discounts on cultural activities. Complementary to CultuurSchakel's mission of increasing youth cultural participation, though operating at national scale via a membership pass model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultuurschakel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 CultuurSchakel