Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF)

What Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF) does

Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF) is a Dutch non-profit foundation, founded in 2010 and holding ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) public-benefit status since January 2012, that delivers free financial literacy education to MBO (secondary vocational) students aged 15–22 across the Netherlands. Its core product is a three-module curriculum covering organizing personal finances, spending behavior and resisting temptation, and income sources/financial independence — aligned with Nibud learning objectives and designed to fit within the Dutch Loopbaan en Burgerschap (Career and Citizenship) curriculum. The foundation also operates a one-day Train the Trainer program that prepares volunteer guest lecturers from the Dutch financial sector.

The foundation runs a community-led delivery model: a small paid project bureau (four staff) coordinates a network of hundreds of volunteer guest lecturers drawn from sponsoring financial institutions. In school year 2024/2025, LEF reached approximately 11,200 MBO students (10% YoY growth) and added 137 new volunteers (17% growth). The revenue model is entirely donation- and sponsorship-based, with 25+ corporate backers including Rabobank, a.s.r., Achmea, ING, ABN AMRO, and NHG; no government subsidy is received and the program is free to schools and students. There is no proprietary technology stack beyond a Framer-built marketing website, the Keis Toer platform for volunteer scheduling, and SurveyMonkey for feedback collection — LEF is fundamentally a curriculum-and-people operation rather than a technology business. Distribution is direct-to-school via online lesson requests and account manager outreach, supplemented by media coverage, an annual newsletter, the Week van het Geld event, and the podcast 'Je Geld en/of Je Leven' launched in 2024.

Name

Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF)

Legal name

Stichting Leven en Financiën

Website

https://lefnet.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF) is a Dutch non-profit foundation, founded in 2010, that delivers free three-module financial literacy education to MBO vocational students aged 15–22 across the Netherlands, taught by volunteer guest lecturers from the Dutch financial sector and funded entirely by corporate sponsors and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Literacy Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Finance & Financial Literacy for Students (EDAMAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (EDAAAJAA), Financial Literacy, Debt Counseling & Default Prevention (EDALAJAK), Financial Education & Coaching (Digital Programs, Tools) (FSAGADAH), Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

Keywords

• Financial literacy education
• Vocational education programs
• Youth financial awareness
• Volunteer guest lectures
• Nonprofit sponsorship model

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: LEF operates as a non-profit ANBI institution entirely dependent on donations and sponsor contributions. No government subsidy is received. The organization has ANBI status since January 2012, which provides tax benefits for donors. The program is offered free of charge to MBO schools and students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting LEF delivers a free financial literacy education program for Dutch MBO (vocational) students, consisting of three modules — organizing personal finances, spending behavior and resisting temptation, and income sources/financial independence — taught at MBO schools by volunteer guest lecturers recruited from the Dutch financial sector. The organization also runs a one-day 'Train de Trainer' program to prepare financial-sector professionals as guest teachers, and operates a project bureau that coordinates scheduling, school relations, and communications. All offerings are provided free of charge to schools and students, funded entirely by corporate sponsors and individual donors.

Product overview

Stichting LEF offers a unified financial literacy curriculum for Dutch mbo (secondary vocational) students, consisting of three core educational modules: Module 1 ('Hoe krijg je jouw geldzaken op orde?') focuses on organizing personal finances; Module 2 ('Hoe geef jij jouw geld uit?') addresses spending behavior and temptation; and Module 3 ('Hoe kom jij aan geld?') covers income sources and financial independence. The program is complemented by a 'Train de Trainer' program that prepares volunteer guest teachers from the financial sector to deliver the lessons at mbo schools. All programs are provided free of charge to schools thanks to sponsor funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEF Lesprogramma (Financial Literacy Curriculum) A comprehensive three-module financial literacy education program for Dutch MBO (vocational) students aged 15–22, delivered free of charge to schools by volunteer guest teachers from the financial sector. The program is designed to fit within the Loopbaan en Burgerschap curriculum and can also integrate into subjects like Economie and Maatschappij. Modules can be taught as full 60 or 90-minute sessions or as individual lessons.
• Module 1: Hoe krijg je jouw geldzaken op orde? First module of the LEF financial literacy curriculum, focused on helping MBO students organize their personal finances. Covers rights and obligations, savings goals, monthly budgeting, and identifying support resources. Typically delivered as a 60 or 90-minute session by a volunteer guest lecturer in the classroom.
• Module 2: Hoe geef jij jouw geld uit? Second module of the LEF financial literacy curriculum, addressing spending behavior. Covers personal money types, spending patterns, influence and temptation, and choice topics including housing, gambling, fines, installment purchases, and insurance. Typically delivered as a 60 or 90-minute session by a volunteer guest lecturer.
• Module 3: Hoe kom jij aan geld? Third module of the LEF financial literacy curriculum, focused on income sources and financial independence. Covers part-time jobs, tax returns, criminality and fraud, cryptocurrencies, investing, financial responsibilities at 18, lending, and entrepreneurship. Typically delivered as a 60 or 90-minute session by a volunteer guest lecturer.
• Train de Trainer (Guest Teacher Training) A one-day training program that prepares professionals from the financial sector to become LEF guest teachers, teaching them how to deliver the three curriculum modules at MBO schools. Volunteers must commit to at least two teaching sessions per year (three modules each) after the training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,200 MBO students reached in school year 2024/2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Deloitte Impact FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Collaboration with Deloitte Impact Foundation and Albeda mbo for the Week van het Geld 2026 event. Deloitte professionals participated in a pre-event gathering on March 9, 2026, focusing on financial resilience of youth. The partnership aims to structurally embed financial education within MBO education.
• Albeda mbocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Host institution for the Week van het Geld 2026 event, representing a committed partnership to structurally integrate financial education in MBO curriculum. Albeda provides facilities and student access for the program.
• Nibud (Nationaal Instituut voor Budgetvoorlichting)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEF's curriculum is aligned with Nibud's learning objectives. The organization references Nibud research and educational materials in its program content. LEF also shares links to Nibud resources for students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nibud (Nationaal Instituut voor Budgetvoorlichting): Dutch national institute for budget education and the recognized authority on financial literacy curricula. LEF's curriculum is explicitly aligned with Nibud learning objectives, making it the closest direct peer in Dutch youth financial education.
• Wijzer in Geldzaken: National Dutch financial education platform coordinating public-private financial education efforts. Functions as both a peer and a structural partner/funder ecosystem in which LEF operates.
• Money Ways: Dutch platform providing financial education programs and tools for young people, including classroom materials. Directly competes with LEF in delivering financial literacy content to Dutch students.
• JINC: Dutch non-profit that provides young people (often from disadvantaged backgrounds) with workshops and career skills, including financial literacy. Operates with a similar volunteer-led model in MBO/HBO schools and targets overlapping student populations.
• Week van het Geld (Wijzer in Geldzaken): National Dutch Money Week initiative run by the Money Wise platform (Wijzer in Geldzaken), a partnership of Dutch financial sector and government. LEF is an active partner, but Wijzer in Geldzaken is the broader coordinating body for similar classroom interventions.

Broad incumbents

• ING Financial Education Programs: ING's in-house financial education and youth outreach programs. Overlaps in goal (youth financial literacy) but is delivered as a corporate CSR activity rather than a standalone non-profit.
• Junior Achievement (JA) Netherlands: Global non-profit delivering entrepreneurship and financial literacy education to students, including at MBO level in the Netherlands. Partial overlap with LEF's curriculum goals with broader scope.

Emerging players

• Stichting Weet Wat Je Besteedt: Dutch non-profit focused on financial awareness and budgeting for young adults. Operates with a similar community-based approach in financial education but targets a slightly broader age range than LEF.
• FutureMakers (ABN AMRO): ABN AMRO's financial education initiative for youth and schools in the Netherlands. Overlaps with LEF's mission and is both a potential partner and competitor for school engagement and sponsor funding.
• MoneyFit (Stichting Geldinzicht): Dutch platform providing financial education for young people in schools and via online tools. Partial overlap with LEF, with focus on digital delivery rather than volunteer guest lecturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stichting Leven en Financiën (LEF)