Stichting Jonge Helden

What Stichting Jonge Helden does

Stichting Jonge Helden is a Dutch non-profit foundation (ANBI-status stichting) founded in September 2008 in Bussum, Netherlands, by Saskia Koning to provide preventive peer support for children and adolescents aged 4–18 who have experienced significant loss — including death of a parent or sibling, parental divorce, serious illness of a family member, or war/refugee trauma. The organization is entirely volunteer-run since May 2013, operating with approximately 13 volunteer staff and a network of ~17 trained, licensed grief and loss coaches delivering programs across the Netherlands (and since 2018 in Curacao). Its core offerings comprise six peer-support programs: Kameleonprogramma (divorce), Sterprogramma (bereavement), OverHoopprogramma (seriously ill family member), Nieuwe Heldenprogramma/Egelprogramma (refugee/war trauma), and the TNO-co-developed Dappere Dino's (ages 6–8) and Stoere Schildpadden (ages 4–6) prevention programs for young children of divorce.

The technology surface is deliberately lightweight and human-facilitated: no proprietary AI or software platform is described. Digital assets consist of five audience-segmented advice websites (voorjongehelden.nl, oudersvanjongehelden.nl, jongeheldenindeklas.nl, jongeheldenopdebbo.nl, jongeheldeninjeomgeving.nl), the herinnerdingen.nl memorial-creation platform, and the 'Vraag Emma' online Q&A service answered by named human grief and loss experts within three school days. Program content is anchored in externally validated methodologies — Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers's Gedeeld Verdriet framework and the American CODIP program adapted with TNO — both listed in the Dutch Databank Effectieve Interventies.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of fee-for-service and donation streams: schools pay €950–€1,850 per program (€450 plus travel for workshops); individual donors contribute one-time, monthly (€3.50–€10), salary-donated, and bequest gifts (zero-rated for inheritance tax under ANBI status); and corporate/foundation sponsors (Kinderpostzegels, VSBfonds, Fonds Weeshuis der Doopsgezinden, Fiep Westendorp Foundation, DELA Fonds, SIDN, Marriott Curacao, Eeko, Palatino, Martine Feenstra) provide grants, in-kind support, and matched-giving. Management and fundraising overhead is held to 10–13% of incoming funds, with the remainder directed to programs. Marketing relies on earned media (Trouw, AD, Margriet, Jeugdjournaal, Leraar24), ambassador advocacy (Ernst and Bobbie, Barbara de Wolf, Sidney Vollmer), and school-network referrals.

Name

Stichting Jonge Helden

Legal name

Stichting Jonge Helden

Website

https://stichtingjongehelden.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Jonge Helden is a Dutch ANBI-status nonprofit foundation that delivers volunteer-run, school-based peer support programs for children and adolescents (ages 4–18) experiencing bereavement, divorce, family illness, or refugee trauma, supplemented by specialized advice websites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

School Counseling Services (Individual & Group) (EDAKAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy Services (K–12) (EDAJALAG), Family Engagement & Caregiver Support Programs (SEL/Mental Health) (EDAKAMAK), School Counseling & Guidance Services (Academic/Social-Emotional) (EDAJALAF)

Keywords

• Peer support programs
• Child bereavement support
• School-based interventions
• Grief counseling services
• Youth social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bussum

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and gifts: Individual donors contribute one-time or recurring (monthly) donations. The organization promotes direct bank transfers and automatic deductions. Corporate donors and sponsors also provide financial support. A salary donation program allows employees to donate a portion of their salary, often matched by employers.
2. School program fees: Schools pay for peer support programs and workshops. The Kameleonprogramma, Sterprogramma, OverHoopprogramma, and presentations/workshops are available to schools for a fee. Fees are standardized per program type and group size.
3. Sponsorships and corporate partnerships: Corporate sponsors provide financial or in-kind support. Examples include SIDN, Marriott hotel Curacao, Eeko (mobile phone collection), Palatino bookshop (affiliate donations), and art sales where Martine Feenstra donates 25 EUR per painting sold. Companies can also sponsor via dedicated sponsorship arrangements.
4. Bequests and legacies: Individuals can leave a bequest to Stichting Jonge Helden in their will. As an ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling), the organization is exempt from inheritance taxes on bequests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stichting Jonge Helden delivers school-based peer support group programs for primary and secondary school children experiencing parental divorce, serious illness of a family member, bereavement, or refugee trauma, facilitated by trained volunteer coaches. The foundation also operates online themed advice platforms and a digital memorial service (Herinnerdingen.nl) that provide free guidance to children, parents, and educators, complemented by in-service workshops and presentations.

Product overview

Stichting Jonge Helden offers a comprehensive portfolio of preventive peer support programs for children and teens dealing with loss, grief, divorce, serious illness in the family, and refugee/trauma experiences. The core programs include Kameleonprogramma (for divorce), Sterprogramma (for bereavement), OverHoopprogramma (for seriously ill family members), Nieuwe Heldenprogramma (for refugee/war backgrounds), and Egelprogramma (for refugee children). For younger children, they offer Stoere Schildpaddenprogramma (ages 4-6) and Dappere Dinoprogramma (ages 6-8), both developed with TNO. Complementing the programs are digital platforms: Herinnerdingen.nl (online memorial creation), the five-network Jonge Helden Adviessites with 'Emma' online advisory service, and professional development workshops for educators. All programs are delivered by licensed grief and loss coaches at schools throughout the Netherlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kameleonprogramma: Peer support program for children whose parents divorced, based on Gedeeld Verdriet Scheiding by Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers
• Sterprogramma
• OverHoopprogramma
• Nieuwe Heldenprogramma / Egelprogramma
• Dappere Dino's
• Stoere Schildpadden
• Herinnerdingen.nl
• Emma

Products and services

• Kameleonprogramma
• Sterprogramma
• OverHoopprogramma
• Nieuwe Heldenprogramma
• Egelprogramma
• Stoere Schildpaddenprogramma
• Dappere Dinoprogramma
• Herinnerdingen.nl
• Jonge Helden Adviessites Set of five themed advice websites (covering divorce, illness, death, refugee experience, and bullying) providing free self-guided information, tips, and support for children, parents, and teachers.
• Presentations and workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• Children completing Kameleon-, Ster-, and OverHoop programs report feeling relieved/lighter, less angry, less afraid, and less sad. A significant proportion shows improved concentration and learning at school.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Marriott hotel CuracaominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Marriott hotel Curacao donated funds to Stichting Jonge Helden following its 2019 renovation, enabling the Kameleonprogramma to be delivered at two schools on Curacao.
• TNOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013TNO collaborated with Stichting Jonge Helden starting in 2013 to adapt the American Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP) for the Dutch context. This produced the Dappere Dino's program (for children 6–8 years) and two years later the Stoere Schildpadden program (for children 4–6 years). Both programs are listed in the Databank Effectieve Interventies as theoretically well-founded.
• Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers / Expertisecentrum Omgaan met VerliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiet Fiddelaers-Jaspers, an expert in loss and grief, developed the Gedeeld Verdriet (Shared Sorrow) program materials. The Kameleonprogramma and Sterprogramma are based directly on her Gedeeld Verdriet Scheiding and Gedeeld Verdriet Rouw programs. She also contributed as an expert to the Jonge Helden advice sites and runs the associated webshop (in-de-wolken.nl).
• Gerda Schmidt and Janet SchmidtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSisters Gerda and Janet Schmidt co-developed the Jonge Helden loss workshop for teachers and have been involved since the organization's inception. They developed the 'Stromen van Verbinding' (Currents of Connection) visual guidance tool used across programs. Both run their own grief and loss practices and train other workshop coaches.
• EekominorGTM or Marketing PartnerEeko runs a mobile phone collection program for Stichting Jonge Helden. Collected phones are recycled, generating funds for the organization while benefiting the environment.
• Palatino bookshopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPalatino is a socially conscious online bookshop that donates a portion of its revenue to Stichting Jonge Helden for orders placed via a dedicated link (palatino.nu/832346).
• Martine Feenstra (artist)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArtist Martine Feenstra donates 25 EUR to Stichting Jonge Helden for each painting sold, supporting the organization through art sales.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fier (formerly FIOM): Dutch organization addressing domestic violence, child abuse, and family disruption including divorce. Overlaps in the divorce/family-crisis support space but operates at national scale with paid staff across multiple program lines.
• Stichting Kindertelefoon: Major Dutch nationwide children's helpline and online advice service. Overlaps with Jonge Helden's Emma advice feature and child-and-family wellbeing remit, but addresses a much broader set of issues beyond grief and loss.

Direct peers

• The Dougy Center: US-based pioneering peer-support program for grieving children and teens, including divorce- and illness-related loss. Operates a similar group-based, school- and community-delivered peer-support model that Jonge Helden's programs mirror.
• Expertisecentrum Omgaan met Verlies (Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers): Riet Fiddelaers-Jaspers's expert center on loss and grief, whose Gedeeld Verdriet methodology underpins Jonge Helden's core programs. Functions both as content partner and as a parallel provider of training, materials and workshops on the same methodology.
• Villa Pinedo: Dutch foundation specifically focused on supporting children of divorced parents. Directly competes with the Kameleonprogramma in the Dutch K-12 divorce-support niche.
• Winston's Wish: UK charity supporting bereaved children and young people, offering peer support, online advice and professional guidance. Closest international analogue in mission, target audience (grieving children) and program mix (helpline, online, school-based).
• Stichting Achter de Regenboog: Dutch nonprofit providing support to children and families dealing with the death of a loved one. Direct overlap with Stichting Jonge Helden's Sterprogramma and bereavement focus; one of Jonge Helden's own editors (Larissa Bacher) is also active there.

Emerging players

• Stichting Nieuwe Generatie Bridgers: Emerging Dutch organizations focused on refugee/newcomer youth integration, comparable to Jonge Helden's Nieuwe Helden and Egelprogramma but typically broader in scope (education, language, social support) rather than grief-specific.

Others

• AJN Jeugdartsen Nederland: Professional association of Dutch youth (school) doctors, including board member Catelijne van der Hoeven of Jonge Helden. Functions as a referral network and professional endorser for school-based child wellbeing programs.
• TNO (Child Health): Dutch applied research organization that co-developed the Dappere Dino's and Stoere Schildpadden programs with Jonge Helden. Acts as a research and content-development partner rather than a direct service competitor, but influences the methodology stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/stichtingjongehelden
• Facebookfacebook.com/stichtingjongehelden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-jonge-helden

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stichting Jonge Helden