IMC Weekendschool

What IMC Weekendschool does

IMC Weekendschool (Stichting IMC Weekendschool) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation founded in 1998 by psychologist Heleen Terwijn in collaboration with trading company IMC (International Marketmakers Combination). The organization delivers ToekomstExpeditie, a motivation-focused supplementary education concept that exposes youth aged 10-14 from vulnerable neighborhoods to diverse professional fields through guest lectures by volunteer professionals. Programs are structured as a three-year curriculum at ten weekend school locations across seven Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Groningen, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Utrecht) and as a parallel in-school program at 24 partner primary schools serving 1,600+ students, with a lifelong alumni network of 4,000+ members and 8,000+ annual volunteer guest teachers drawn from a network of 400+ corporate and foundation partners.

The core operating model is donation-funded: all programs are free of charge to students, with revenue derived from companies, foundations, lotteries, and individual donors (no structural government funding). The organization holds ANBI status, CBF keurmerk, and Goede Doelen Nederland membership, which enables tax-deductible giving and signals sector governance. The 15-subject curriculum spans Medicine, Law, Entrepreneurship, Philosophy, Visual Arts, Journalism, and Politics, with each subject comprising approximately four sessions culminating in a real-world product such as a mock trial, exhibition, or debate. Concept delivery is supported by a dedicated R&D function, academic research collaborations (University of Amsterdam, VUB, Utrecht, Groningen, Hogeschool van Amsterdam), and consultancy evaluations (Strategy&, Kearney, Ruigrok NetPanel).

In 2024, the organization executed a strategic refocusing, discontinuing its 2016-launched newcomers program (for refugee and migrant children) and concentrating on weekend school and primary school delivery. International reach is maintained through sister schools in Hong Kong, Brussels (Belgium), Chiapas (Mexico), and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), though domestic operations remain the operational core. The organization employs approximately 211 staff and is governed by two managing directors under a supervisory board, with anchor funding from Postcode Loterij, Fonds 21, ING, Adessium Foundation, Sint Laurensfonds, VSBfonds, and a roster of named corporate partners (ASML, Google, KPMG, Stibbe, NPM Capital, NXP, RWE).

Name

IMC Weekendschool

Legal name

Stichting IMC Weekendschool

Website

https://imcweekendschool.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IMC Weekendschool is a Dutch nonprofit foundation, founded in 1998, that delivers free ToekomstExpeditie supplementary education to youth aged 10-14 from vulnerable neighborhoods via 10 weekend schools, 24 partner primary schools, and a 4,000+ member alumni network, funded by 400+ corporate, foundation, and individual donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Supplementary Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Enrichment Camps (General Studies) (EDAMALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Supplementary education
• Youth education
• Weekend school programs
• Career orientation
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: IMC Weekendschool is entirely dependent on financial support from companies, funds, and private donors. The organization receives no structural government funding. Donations can be made as one-time or monthly contributions, periodic gifts (minimum 5-year commitment with tax benefits), or legacy bequests.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Companies provide financial support and can also enable employee volunteerism as guest teachers. Partners gain CSR fulfillment, communication opportunities, exclusive event access, and tax benefits through ANBI registration.
3. Foundation/Fund Grants: Various foundations and funds provide financial support to specific programs, locations, or subjects. Examples include Fonds 21 supporting all 10 weekendscholen and Sint Laurensfonds supporting Rotterdam locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IMC Weekendschool provides motivation-focused supplementary education to youth aged 10-14 through its proprietary ToekomstExpeditie educational concept, a three-year curriculum covering 15 subjects taught by volunteer professional guest teachers. The program is delivered free of charge through weekend schools (10 locations on Sundays), integration into primary schools during regular school hours (24 schools), and a lifelong alumni network serving thousands of graduates.

Product overview

IMC Weekendschool operates as a single unified educational concept called ToekomstExpeditie, delivered through two main delivery channels: weekend schools (10 locations on Sundays) and primary school programs (24 schools during regular hours). The ToekomstExpeditie curriculum covers approximately 10-15 subjects including Medicine, Law, Entrepreneurship, Philosophy, Visual Arts, Journalism, and Politics, taught by volunteer guest teachers who are professionals in each field. After completing the three-year curriculum (weekend schools) or two-year curriculum (primary schools), students join the Alumninetwerk - a lifelong alumni network providing ongoing development opportunities, events, and pathways for alumni to return as guest teachers. The organization is a nonprofit foundation established in 1998, not a technology platform company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ToekomstExpeditie: Het onderwijsconcept van IMC Weekendschool. Motivatiegericht aanvullend onderwijs voor jongeren vanaf 10 jaar, gegeven door bevlogen professionals.

Products and services

• ToekomstExpeditie educational concept A motivation-focused supplementary education concept for youth aged 10+ that introduces students to diverse professions through guest lectures by passionate volunteers, aiming to broaden future perspectives, strengthen self-confidence, and develop life skills through approximately 10-15 subjects per cycle. Each subject consists of approximately four sessions working toward an end product (e.g., mock trial, journalistic report, debate, exhibition).
• Weekendscholen (Weekend Schools) Ten weekend school locations across seven Dutch cities offering a three-year curriculum where students aged 10-14 attend Sunday classes taught by guest teachers from various professions, covering 15 different subjects including Medicine, Law, Journalism, and Politics. Free of charge to participants.
• Basisscholen Programma (Primary School Program) Integration of ToekomstExpeditie into primary schools during regular school hours for groups 7 and 8, reaching over 1,600 students across 24 schools in vulnerable neighborhoods, with a 2-year curriculum covering 10-15 subjects. Free of charge.
• Alumninetwerk (Alumni Network) A national network for 4,000+ former students of the weekend schools and primary school programs, offering events, masterclasses, leadership training, coaching, and opportunities for alumni to become guest teachers for new generations. Activities are tailored for three cohorts: schoolchildren (13-16), students (16-26), and starters/workers (26+).

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% of guest teachers feel energized by teaching about their profession to children
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IMC (International Marketmakers Combination)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrading company that collaborated with psychologist Heleen Terwijn to found IMC Weekendschool in 1998. The company name forms part of the organization's identity.
• Universiteit van AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting studies on alumni outcomes, including self-confidence, future perspectives, and social connectedness.
• Hogeschool van AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner studying the effects of ToekomstExpeditie on students, teachers, and society.
• Vrije Universiteit BrusselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to studies on social-emotional learning outcomes.
• Strategy& (PwC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsultancy that evaluated the pilot phase of the primary school program, demonstrating quality improvement for schools.
• Universiteit UtrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting studies on motivation enhancement and proven practices.
• Ruigrok NetPanelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting impact studies on guest teachers.
• Hogeschool UtrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner studying effects on teacher motivation.
• Rijksuniversiteit GroningencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to studies on educational outcomes.
• Hogeschool RotterdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner contributing to educational research.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: US charter school network serving disadvantaged students with extended-day programming and a college-prep mission. Operates at much larger scale across the full K-12 spectrum rather than a supplemental weekend/primary school program.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters: Large, established volunteer-mentoring nonprofit for youth. Operates a broader mentoring mandate at significantly greater scale, but shares the volunteer-driven, relationship-based model of supporting disadvantaged young people.

Emerging players

• Year Up: Workforce development nonprofit for low-income young adults aged 18-24. Similar mission of opening professional pathways for disadvantaged youth through structured programming and corporate partner engagement, though targeting an older cohort.
• Peace First: Nonprofit activating young people as social-change leaders through grants, mentoring, and learning communities. Overlaps with IMC Weekendschool's emphasis on confidence, self-efficacy, and broadening perspectives of disadvantaged youth.
• City Year: Nonprofit deploying young adult volunteers into schools to support at-risk students. Comparable in leveraging a large volunteer base inside school settings and serving the same educational-equity mission, though focused on near-peer tutoring rather than career exposure.
• iCould (UK): UK-based career inspiration platform featuring real professional stories to broaden young people's future perspectives. Closely mirrors the career-exposure premise of ToekomstExpeditie, though delivered through digital content rather than live volunteer sessions.

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement (JA Worldwide): Global nonprofit delivering work-readiness, entrepreneurship, and career-exposure education to youth through volunteer professionals. Closest global analogue to IMC Weekendschool's ToekomstExpeditie, with a similar partnership-driven, volunteer-led model targeting disadvantaged youth.
• Stichting Jong Ondernemen: Dutch affiliate of Junior Achievement providing entrepreneurship and career-readiness programs to Dutch schoolchildren. Most direct domestic peer, sharing the volunteer-professional teaching model and school-based delivery to disadvantaged youth.
• Career Ready (UK): UK charity providing structured workplace exposure, mentoring, and career preparation to disadvantaged young people aged 15-18. Highly comparable model: structured curriculum, volunteer professionals, focus on motivation and broadening future perspectives for underrepresented youth.

Regional players

• Stichting Lezen en Schrijven: Dutch national literacy and basic-skills nonprofit. Comparable in being a sizable Dutch education-focused nonprofit funded by foundations and government grants, and in addressing educational disadvantage, but focused on adult literacy rather than youth career exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpRgBjU4bIMPFU1VJdW0f0w
• Instagraminstagram.com/toekomstexpeditie_alumni
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichtingimcweekendschool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 IMC Weekendschool