Valmieras novada fonds / Valmiera Region Community Foundation

What Valmieras novada fonds / Valmiera Region Community Foundation does

Valmieras novada fonds (Valmiera Region Community Foundation) is a Latvian non-profit charitable foundation established in 2005 and headquartered at Rīgas iela 27, Valmiera, with a secondary office at Garā iela 10. The foundation operates as a community-led grantmaking and program-delivery organization supporting local residents, youth, ethnic minorities, Ukrainian civilians, and civil society organizations across 26 parishes and 6 towns in the Valmiera region (Valmiera, Mazsalaca, Rūjiena, Strenči, Seda) and increasingly across the broader Vidzeme region and all of Latvia. Its staff of nine employees, led by director Patricija Siliņa, runs a portfolio of more than a dozen named programs including the Ziedotāju klubs (Donors' Club), the 'Sev, tev, novadam' citizen idea competition (€10,000 annual pool in 2025), scholarships and a children/youth excellence program, an Eliza Purmale memorial fund, a Minority Support Program funded by the Ministry of Culture, the 'Drošas kopienas' (Safe Communities) program (2026-2029), and the Demokrātijas akadēmija (Democracy Academy) with its companion educational tools (Democracy Mirror, Democracy Cards, Democracy Bingo).

The foundation's technology stack is modest and built on a Drupal CMS-based website (vnf.lv) handling donation processing, program administration, and content, supplemented by two additional portals: demokratijasakademija.lv for accredited civic e-learning and ukraine-vidzeme.lv for Ukrainian-civilian support. Programs are coordinated with municipalities, schools, other regional NGO centers (Latgale, Kurzeme, Zemgale), Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, and a network of government and EU funders.

Its revenue model is entirely non-commercial: the foundation is funded by individual donations (regular Donors' Club members and one-time gifts), corporate philanthropy through thematic project competitions, and grants from the Ministry of Culture, the Society Integration Foundation (SIF), EEZ/Norway Grants via the Active Citizens Fund (EUR 300,000 for the Democracy Academy), the EU Asylum Migration and Integration Fund, and ESF+. All core programs and services are free to beneficiaries; the foundation does not charge fees. Its 20th anniversary was celebrated in 2025.

Name

Valmieras novada fonds / Valmiera Region Community Foundation

Legal name

Valmieras novada fonds

Website

https://vnf.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Valmieras novada fonds is a Latvian community foundation, founded 2005 and headquartered in Valmiera, that supports residents, youth, ethnic minorities, Ukrainian civilians, and NGOs across 26 parishes and 6 towns in Vidzeme through donations, grants, scholarships, and civic education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation / Regional Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Charitable donations
• Civic education
• Grantmaking services
• Youth development

Headquarters

HQ city

Valmiera

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Charitable donations from individuals — regular donors via the Donors' Club (Ziedotāju klubs) and one-time contributions to specific programs and projects.
2. Corporate Philanthropy Programs: Thematic project competitions and targeted donations from companies wanting to allocate charitable budgets to specific initiatives in the Valmiera region.
3. Government and EU Grants: Funding from the Ministry of Culture (Kultūras ministrija), State Budget of Latvia (Sabiedrības integrācijas fonds), EEZ and Norway Grants (Aktīvo iedzīvotāju fonds), EU Asylum Migration and Integration Fund, and ESF+ funding for civil society programs.
4. Free NVO Consultations: Free consulting services provided to NGOs, funded by the Ministry of Culture, representing an in-kind support service rather than direct revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Valmieras novada fonds is a regional community foundation that aggregates charitable donations and disburses them through grants and programs for community benefit. It funds local NGOs, runs civic education (Democracy Academy), supports families/seniors/youth, manages donor-advised funds and scholarships, delivers humanitarian support (including Ukrainian refugee and minority cultural programs), and provides free consultations for non-governmental organizations in the Valmiera and Vidzeme region.

Product overview

Valmieras novada fonds operates as a single unified charitable foundation offering multiple community support programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization's product portfolio includes: the core Donors Club (Ziedotāju klubs) and thematic project competitions for regular donors; the Sev, tev, novadam idea submission program for residents; targeted programs for families, seniors, and youth excellence; scholarship programs for students; the Eliza Purmale Memorial Fund; Ukrainian civilian support services in Vidzeme; the Minority Support Program for cultural heritage preservation; the Safe Communities (Drošas kopienas) program running 2026-2029; and the Democracy Academy (Demokrātijas akadēmija) with associated educational tools including Democracy Mirror, Democracy Cards, and Democracy Bingo. These programs work together to support local community initiatives, youth development, minority integration, civic education, and crisis support across the Valmiera region and broader Vidzeme area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vidzemes pilsonisko kompetenču centrs: Vidzeme Civic Competence Center - a program/function of the foundation focused on strengthening civic competencies in the Vidzeme region
• Ziedotāju klubs
• Demokrātijas akadēmija

Products and services

• Ziedotāju klubs (Donors Club)

Quantifiable outcome

• 149 graduates from first Demokrātijas akadēmija cohort (72-hour program)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and supporting.

• Latvijas Lauku Forums (Latvian Rural Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead implementing partner in the Demokrātijas akadēmija (Democracy Academy) initiative. Latvijas Lauku Forums initiated the Academy in cooperation with Latvijas Pilsoniskā alianse and regional NGO centers including Valmieras novada fonds.
• Latvijas Pilsoniskā alianse (Latvian Civic Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey implementing partner in the Demokrātijas akadēmija initiative. Latvijas Pilsoniskā alianse is the national-level coordinator of the program along with regional partners.
• Dienvidlatgales NVO atbalsta centrs (South Latgale NGO Support Center)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the Democracy Academy and 'Safe Communities' (Drošas kopienas) program. Represents the Latgale region in multi-regional civil society initiatives.
• Kurzemes NVO centrs (Kurzeme NGO Center)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the Democracy Academy and 'Safe Communities' program. Represents the Kurzeme region in civil society development initiatives.
• Zemgales NVO centrs (Zemgale NGO Center)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the Democracy Academy and 'Safe Communities' program. Represents the Zemgale region in civil society development initiatives.
• Vidzemes Augstskola (Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSigned long-term cooperation agreement with VNF in January 2023 to collaborate in education, research, and regional development. First university in Latvia to partner with the Democracy Academy initiative. Cooperation covers academic collaboration, student internships, and joint projects.
• Kultūras ministrija (Ministry of Culture of Latvia)coreOthersPrimary government funder of the Minority NVO Support Program and free NVO consultations. Full funding provided from the state budget for minority cultural heritage initiatives across Vidzeme.
• Sabiedrības integrācijas fonds (SIF - Society Integration Foundation)coreOthersGovernment body providing financial support for the foundation's website and general operations from the State Budget of Latvia. Key institutional partner.
• Aktīvo iedzīvotāju fonds (Active Citizens Fund - EEZ/Norway Grants)coreOthersPrimary funder of the Demokrātijas akadēmija (Democracy Academy) initiative with total project budget of EUR 300,000 fully covered by the fund. Also supports the 'Safe Communities' program through EEZ and Norway Grants.
• EU Patvēruma, migrācijas un integrācijas fonds (EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund)coreOthersFunder of the 'Help Platform for Ukrainian Civilians in Vidzeme' project, providing psychosocial support services and the information portal www.ukraine-vidzeme.lv.
• Teterev fonds (Teterev Foundation)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a supporter of the foundation, providing financial or operational support for charitable activities.
• Valmieras novads (Valmiera Municipality)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal government partner that VNF collaborates with on community initiatives, resident engagement, and civil society development in the Valmiera region.
• MicrosoftsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a supporter of the foundation, providing technology support.
• Smiltenes novads (Smiltene Municipality)regionalGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal partner in the 'Safe Communities' program and Vidzeme Civic Competency Center activities. Hosted resident council seminars and community development sessions.
• ESF+ (Eiropas Sociālais fonds)coreOthersFunder of the 'Safe Communities' program (project Nr. 4.3.4.9./1/25/I/001 'Society Resilience and Community Self-Organization Promotion') running from 2026-2029 across all of Latvia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sabiedrības integrācijas fonds (Society Integration Foundation, SIF): Government-backed national foundation providing institutional funding to VNF and running parallel minority, civic-society, and integration programs across Latvia. A larger incumbent in the same civic-development space.
• Community Foundations of Canada / CF Insights: Network and analytics body for community foundations globally. Useful sector benchmark for operating model, donor-club design and community-philanthropy metrics relevant to VNF's evolution.
• Aktīvo iedzīvotāju fonds (Active Citizens Fund Latvia): EEZ/Norway Grants programme operator in Latvia. Primary funder of VNF's Democracy Academy and Safe Communities program; broadly shapes the Latvian civic-society funding landscape VNF operates in.

Direct peers

• Liepājas Kopienu fonds (Liepāja Community Foundation): Peer Latvian community foundation operating donor clubs, local grants, scholarships and community philanthropy in the Kurzeme region — directly comparable in product type and recipient model.
• Zemgales NVO centrs (Zemgale NGO Center): Regional peer and Democracy Academy / Safe Communities partner in Zemgale. Offers overlapping capacity-building, training, and grant support services to local NGOs and civic actors.
• Latvijas Lauku Forums (Latvian Rural Forum): Lead national implementing partner of the Democracy Academy and a comparable Latvian NGO network working on rural community development, civic participation, and capacity building across municipalities.
• Latvijas Pilsoniskā alianse (Latvian Civic Alliance): National civic umbrella co-implementing the Democracy Academy with VNF. Directly comparable in mission (civil society strengthening), target audience (NGOs, civic leaders), and program portfolio (civic education, advocacy training).
• Dienvidlatgales NVO atbalsta centrs (South Latgale NGO Support Center): Regional NGO support center partnering with VNF on the Democracy Academy and Safe Communities in Latgale. Comparable mission and operating model at regional level.
• Kurzemes NVO centrs (Kurzeme NGO Center): Regional peer serving as parallel NGO support center and Democracy Academy / Safe Communities partner in the Kurzeme region of Latvia — same operating model, same funder ecosystem, same audience.

Regional players

• Talsu novada fonds (Talsi Region Community Foundation): Another Latvian regional community foundation providing grassroots grants, scholarships and donor-club programming in Talsi region — directly analogous operating model and scale to VNF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/valmierasnovadafonds
• Instagraminstagram.com/valmierasnovadafonds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valmieras-novada-fonds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Valmieras novada fonds / Valmiera Region Community Foundation