MDT

What MDT does

MDT (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) is a Dutch national civic service program administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Ministerie van OCW). Launched in 2019, it enables approximately 300,000 young people aged 12-30 to develop talents, meet people outside their own social bubble, and contribute to society through voluntary service trajectories of approximately 80 hours each. The program is delivered through a network of approximately 2,000 partner organizations including schools, municipalities, nonprofits, sports clubs, healthcare institutions, and cultural organizations, with over 224 projects listed across themes such as care and wellbeing, sport, nature, media, sustainability, and education.

The program's core technology platform is the consumer-facing website doemeemetmdt.nl, which features a 6-step project matching quiz, a searchable project database, and an organizational portal (organisaties.doemeemetmdt.nl). Supporting tools include the MDT Certificate generator (mdt-certificaat.nl) and an MDT Startkit for new partner organizations. Analytics are collected via Piwik with IP anonymization. The program maintains active social media presence, email/WhatsApp newsletters, and conducts grassroots outreach through MDT on Tour school events reaching 100+ schools nationwide.

MDT operates as a publicly funded social program rather than a commercial entity. Participation is free for youth, with no revenue from participants; some projects offer voluntary work allowances (vrijwilligersvergoeding) or travel reimbursements. The program is funded through the Dutch Ministry of OCW's government budget and is overseen by Program Director Tasnim van den Hoogen. The organization is headquartered at the Ministry of OCW in Den Haag and employs approximately 260 staff.

Name

MDT

Legal name

Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (MDT) - Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap

Website

https://doemeemetmdt.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

MDT (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) is a Dutch national civic service program under the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, enabling youth aged 12-30 to develop talents and contribute to society through volunteer trajectories across 2,000 partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag (The Hague)

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: MDT is a government program funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). It operates as a publicly funded social program rather than a commercial entity. There is no revenue from participants (participation is free), and the program does not generate commercial income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MDT (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) provides a free national civic service program for Dutch youth aged 12-30, enabling them to complete structured volunteer trajectories (typically around 80 hours) at partner organizations across themes such as care & wellbeing, sport, nature, media & culture, and sustainability. The program is delivered through a centralized web platform (doemeemetmdt.nl) with a project matching quiz, a searchable project database of over 224 projects, partner toolkits, an impact measurement journey, and a certificate of completion, all funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW).

Product overview

MDT (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd) is a Dutch government civic service program administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The core offering is the MDT Youth Program, which provides youth aged 12-30 with structured trajectories at partner organizations where they develop talents, make social connections, and contribute to society. The ecosystem consists of the main MDT portal (doemeemetmdt.nl) featuring an interactive project finder quiz and searchable project database of over 224 projects across themes including sport, care & wellbeing, nature, sustainability, and media & culture. Supporting offerings include the MDT Toolkit for Organizations (providing house style, research, and practical implementation guides), the MDT Impact Journey (for measuring program effectiveness), the MDT Certificate system for participant recognition, and the MDT Startkit for new project organizations. The companion site organisaties.doemeemetmdt.nl serves partner organizations across sectors including education, municipalities, civil society organizations, and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MDT Youth Civic Service Program (Maatschappelijke Diensttijd)
• MDT Quiz / Project Finder
• MDT Project Database
• MDT Certificate
• MDT Toolkit for Organizations
• MDT Impact Journey
• MDT Startkit
• MDT Inspiration Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300,000 youth participants have completed an MDT trajectory
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Ministerie van OCW)coreOthersMDT is a national program of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), developed in collaboration with youth, societal organizations, schools, municipalities, and other ministries. OCW provides funding, policy direction, and institutional oversight for the program.
• Rotterdamse Helden (UVV Rotterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRotterdamse Helden is an MDT project run by UVV (landelijke vrijwilligersorganisatie) that engages youth as volunteers ('Rotterdamse Helden') to contribute to the city. One of approximately 750 youth participate as Rotterdamse Helden, helping elderly with digital skills at local libraries.
• Sparkel-2-DoencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSparkel-2-Doen is an MDT project focused on healthcare and well-being (zorg & welzijn), helping young people understand patients and people with chronic conditions. Located in Helmond with 3 locations.
• MDT Young ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Impact is an MDT project organizer that helps youth discover their talents and take action on social issues they care about (climate, loneliness, mental health). Offers both project-based MDT and youth panel/ambassador programs.
• MDT Jongerenpanel (Youth Panel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe MDT Youth Panel is a group of young people who have participated in MDT and contribute to program development, campaign actions, and peer outreach. Members help shape MDT and represent the youth voice in program decisions.
• Diversion (MDT on Tour)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDiversion organized the last editions of MDT on Tour, visiting over 100 schools nationwide to inform and inspire youth about MDT. Developed a comprehensive MDT on Tour Toolkit to share the concept for replication.
• IVN NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIVN Nederland runs nature-focused MDT projects including the Groen Traineeship, where youth engage in environmental activities like tree planting, awareness campaigns, and food forest festivals.
• Stichting Mara (MDT Connect 010)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStichting Mara runs MDT Connect 010 in Rotterdam, a project focused on building connection with oneself, others, and the community through various activities.
• Careibu (MDT Tegen Eenzaamheid, MDT voor dementie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareibu runs MDT projects matching youth with lonely seniors or seniors in early stages of dementia as buddies, addressing social isolation among vulnerable populations.
• Young Society (GROW, MDT Fix the Future)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Society is an MBO-focused organization running multiple MDT projects (GROW, Fix the Future) that connect vulnerable youth with societal challenges and skill-building opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Solidarity Corps: EU-level funded volunteering program offering young Europeans aged 18-30 structured solidarity placements across member states. Comparable mission to MDT at supranational scale and increasingly cited as a policy template for national civic service programs.
• National Citizen Service (NCS): UK government-funded youth civic service program targeting 16-17 year olds with structured personal and social development activities. Closest functional peer to MDT — same age band overlap, same structured trajectories, same government-backed model with strong brand.
• AmeriCorps: US federal agency funding national service programs for Americans of all ages, with strong youth participation. Comparable structurally to MDT as government-funded service infrastructure, though broader in age range.
• Bundesfreiwilligendienst: German federal volunteer service covering all ages with strong uptake among young participants. Comparable to MDT as a nationally legislated civic engagement scheme reliant on partner organizations.
• Service Civique: French national civic service program for 16-25 year olds delivered through accredited organizations. Closest continental European peer to MDT by structure, age range, and delivery via partner NGOs.

Others

• VolunteerMatch: US-based online platform matching volunteers with nonprofit opportunities. Comparable to the doemeemetmdt.nl quiz/project search layer as an enabling technology layer for civic engagement.
• Impact Hub: Global network of innovation hubs running social impact and youth programs including volunteering and civic engagement. Comparable as an ecosystem-style delivery infrastructure for societal organizations serving youth.

Broad incumbents

• City Year: Large US youth service nonprofit deploying 18-25 year olds in schools for full-year placements. Operates at greater per-participant intensity than MDT but shares the youth-talent-meets-civic-need model and national brand presence.
• United Nations Volunteers (UNV): UN program placing volunteers (with a strong youth track 18-29) in development assignments. Comparable as a high-prestige, age-structured volunteer platform, though operating globally rather than nationally.

Emerging players

• DoSomething.org: US nonprofit activating young people (13-25) in social impact campaigns via a digital-first platform. Comparable to MDT in audience (youth) and platform-led engagement model, though campaign-based rather than trajectory-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mdt_nl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mdtnl1393
• Facebookfacebook.com/MDTNL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mdtnl
• Instagraminstagram.com/mdt_nl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 MDT