What Stichting Mano does

Stichting Mano is a Rotterdam-based Dutch nonprofit foundation (ANBI status) that delivers social integration, education, mental health, and training programs for vulnerable populations including newcomers, status holders, refugees, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The foundation was originally established in 2005 as Stichting Hoedje van Papier and rebranded to Stichting Mano in 2016, with operations in Rotterdam active since 2007. It runs a portfolio of programs including SamenDoorSamen (integration support for status holders via training, educational pathways, and job placement), Rotterdamse asiel- en doorstroomopvang (day activities at shelter locations including the Silja Europa cruise ferry housing approximately 2,000 status holders), Samen Sterk (Ukrainian refugee support since 2022), SamenVeerkrachtig and Uitpufspreekuur (preventive culturally-sensitive mental health support, the latter winning the AandachtsAward 2024), SamenOpgroeien (child and youth development), Taal & Thema (language courses), Helpende Handen (housing support via a learning-work trajectory), and an international partner project Pachachaca in Calca, Peru. The organization employs 80+ staff and engages 500+ volunteers to serve 2,000+ participants annually, with delivery infrastructure spanning headquarters, multiple shelter sites, a distribution warehouse in Schiedam, and community venues across Rotterdam and selected South Holland municipalities.

The business model is non-commercial: Stichting Mano does not sell products or services in a traditional sense. Revenue is generated from four streams: (1) government contracts — primarily commissioned work from the Municipality of Rotterdam for shelter operations and day activities, plus other national government programs; (2) foundation and fund grants from Dutch charitable institutions including Stichting Het Vergeten Kind, Oranje Fonds, Rabobank, Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur Rotterdam, and various community and corporate foundations; (3) individual donations through the 'Vriend van Stichting Mano' program with tiered levels ranging from EUR 25 to EUR 500; and (4) training and advisory services delivered to external organizations such as Bibliotheek Rotterdam, Vopak, DUO for a JOB, and Gemeente Rotterdam on intercultural communication, expert-by-experience deployment, positive psychology, and culture-sensitive working. The underlying technology stack is intentionally lightweight and commodity: Filemaker CRM for internal project administration, Mailchimp for email campaigns, and Microsoft Office platforms for forms and surveys. Service delivery is anchored on a human-expertise model using Ervaringsdeskundigen (experts by experience) drawn from participants' own communities, supported by a multilingual staff that includes mental health professionals from participants' countries of origin. Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed in the available source data.

Name

Stichting Mano

Legal name

Stichting Mano

Website

https://www.stichtingmano.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Mano is a Rotterdam-based Dutch nonprofit foundation delivering social integration, education, mental health, and training programs for newcomers, status holders, refugees, and disadvantaged children, serving 2,000+ participants annually through 80+ staff and 500+ volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services / Nonprofit Community Support

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (624110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights, Social Inclusion & Disability Inclusion (BPAGABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Systems Strengthening & Primary Care Development (HLAJAKAJ), Refugee, Crisis & Humanitarian Education Partnerships (EiE) (EDADALAG), Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

Keywords

• Social integration programs
• Refugee support services
• Community mental health
• Language training courses
• Youth development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations from individuals: Individual donations through 'Vriend van Stichting Mano' program with tiered donation levels (€25, €50, €100, €250, €500). Also accepts one-time donations and item donations.
2. Government grants and commissioned work: Primary funding from Municipality of Rotterdam for asylum shelter operations and day activities. Also funded by various national government programs and public institutions.
3. Foundation and fund grants: Funding from various Dutch foundations and charitable funds including Stichting Het Vergeten Kind, Oranje Fonds, various community foundations and corporate foundations.
4. Training and advisory services: Revenue generated from providing training services to external organizations on topics including intercultural communication, expert by experience deployment, positive psychology, and culture-sensitive working.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stichting Mano is a Rotterdam-based nonprofit foundation that delivers social activation, integration, mental health, language, and youth development programs for vulnerable groups including status holders, refugees, Ukrainian displaced persons, migrants, and children in poverty. Its core offering is a portfolio of branded programs (SamenDoorSamen, Samen Sterk, Uitpufspreekuur/SamenVeerkrachtig, SamenOpgroeien, Taal & Thema, Helpende Handen, Rotterdamse asielopvang) combined with an international community development partner project (Pachachaca in Peru) and paid training/advisory services to external organizations.

Product overview

Stichting Mano is a Rotterdam-based charitable foundation offering social integration programs rather than a traditional tech product. The organization operates a portfolio of interconnected community support programs including SamenDoorSamen (integration support for status holders), Rotterdamse asiel- en doorstroomopvang (emergency shelter activities), Samen Sterk (Ukrainian refugee support), Ondersteuning van mentale gezondheid (mental health services with Uitpufspreekuur), SamenOpgroeien (youth development), Taal & Thema (language courses), Pachachaca (Peru community development), Helpende Handen (housing assistance), and Trainingen & kennisdeling (external training services). These programs work together to support vulnerable Rotterdam residents including status holders, refugees, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SamenDoorSamen: Integration program for status holders in Rotterdam providing training, education, job placement, and ambassador networks
• Samen Sterk
• SamenVeerkrachtig
• Uitpufspreekuur
• SamenOpgroeien
• Taal & Thema
• Pachachaca
• Svitlo
• NextUp!
• Een Tweede Thuis
• Helpende Handen
• NextUp!

Products and services

• SamenDoorSamen A comprehensive program supporting Rotterdam status holders through training, educational pathways, job placement assistance, and event organization, delivered via experienced expert-by-experience ambassadors who know the target group from within.
• Rotterdamse asiel- en doorstroomopvang Day activities and mental support for status holders and refugees at various shelter locations in Rotterdam, including cruise ferry Silja Europa with approximately two thousand status holders, delivered on commission of Gemeente Rotterdam.
• Samen Sterk voor vluchtelingen uit Oekraïne Program developed since March 2022 providing support for Ukrainian refugees including language courses, employment assistance, mental health support, and housing guidance.
• Ondersteuning van mentale gezondheid (SamenVeerkrachtig / Uitpufspreekuur) Preventive mental health support including the Uitpufspreekuur (blow-off clinic), group meetings, and training provided by a team of mental health workers for newcomers in Rotterdam shelter facilities and for Ukrainian refugees.
• SamenOpgroeien City-wide program to increase self-reliance and participation of Rotterdam children from disadvantaged backgrounds, including skills training, educational support, talent development, and mental health services.
• Taal & Thema Language and theme-based courses including Taalcarrousel Basis and Plus, Met Taal Op Orde, and Digi & Taalfestivals targeting practical themes like health, financial literacy, and digital communication.
• Pachachaca Support for a Peruvian partner organization working on integral community development in Calca, Peru, through a family home for twelve children, an educational community center, and ambulatory social assistance, including a reforestation project.
• Helpende Handen voor nieuwkomer Work-learning trajectory helping new Rotterdammers make their new home habitable and start well in recently obtained housing through construction training and career orientation in the building sector.
• Trainingen, samenwerking en kennisdeling Training services in organizational development, expert-by-experience deployment, positive psychology, and intercultural communication provided to external organizations including Bibliotheek Rotterdam, Vopak, DUO for a JOB, and Gemeente Rotterdam.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving 2,000+ participants annually with personalized approaches
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Gemeente Rotterdam (Municipality of Rotterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner commissioning shelter operations, day activities, and integration programs. Provides core funding for asylum shelter management and various social programs.
• Bibliotheek RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for language programs and community activities. Collaborates on Digi & Taalfestivals and other literacy initiatives.
• DUO for a JOBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentoring organization connecting newcomers with Dutch mentors. Stichting Mano provides training for mentors.
• VopaksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPort company providing training and employment support for newcomers in Rotterdam.
• FenixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt museum hosting 'Aan tafel met de buren' community dinner program and other integration activities.
• HET LAB RotterdamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology education partner providing workshops for children including T-shirt printing and science activities.
• De StadscoalitiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for mental health initiatives including co-development of Uitpufspreekuur and publication of 'Luisteren heelt' book.
• Give a BikesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for bicycle repair training program enabling newcomers to learn technical skills and find employment.
• House of HopesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for community development activities in Rotterdam neighborhoods.
• DokhuissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue hosting CreEet program combining creative workshops with cross-cultural meals.
• Woonstad RotterdamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing corporation providing studio apartments for Ukrainian refugees with support from Stichting Mano.
• Albeda CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for vocational training and skills development programs.
• Erasmus Universiteit RotterdamsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for research, internships, and educational collaboration.
• Gemeente Calca (Peru)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for Pachachaca reforestation project, donating young trees for planting.
• Stichting VluchtelingenWerk ZuidWest-NederlandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugee work organization partnership for asylum seeker support services.
• PachachacacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Peru running family home, educational community center, and reforestation project. Led by former Stichting Mano director Liesbeth Kerstens and husband Pavel Marmanillo.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: Dutch national organization providing legal and social support to refugees and asylum seekers across the Netherlands. Direct peer with overlapping mandate on status holder integration, asylum shelter advocacy, and policy engagement, though at significantly larger national scale.
• Stichting Vluchteling (Dutch Refugee Foundation): National Dutch fundraising and program foundation for refugee emergency aid and structural support. Direct peer in fundraising-based refugee support with overlapping donor pools and grantmaking partners (Oranje Fonds, community foundations).
• Stichting DOCK: Dutch social work organization providing community-based support in neighborhoods for vulnerable groups including newcomers. Direct peer in localized social activation, language support, and community integration programming with comparable municipal funding dependencies.
• Stichting Leergeld Rotterdam: Rotterdam-based foundation enabling children from low-income families to participate in sports, culture, and education. Direct peer in Rotterdam child-poverty alleviation with overlapping municipal funding and similar target segments (SamenOpgroeien overlap).
• War Child Holland: Dutch NGO providing psychosocial support and education to children affected by armed conflict. Direct peer on mental health methodology for affected youth, training-of-trainers models, and culturally-adapted psychosocial interventions (relevant to Stichting Mano's Uitpufspreekuur).

Regional players

• ASKV (Steunpunt voor Asielzoekers en Statushouders): Amsterdam-based support center for asylum seekers and status holders offering legal aid, shelter support, and integration programs. Highly comparable model to Stichting Mano but operating in a different Dutch region, providing a useful geographic peer benchmark.
• Stichting De Verre Bergen: Rotterdam-based impact-oriented foundation funding social innovation and vulnerable-population programs. Comparable in Rotterdam positioning and target populations, though operating more as a grantmaker/impact investor than a direct service provider.

Broad incumbents

• Cordaid: Large Dutch international development and humanitarian relief organization. Broader incumbent in the same nonprofit space, with overlapping international development work, mental health programming in fragile settings, and shared Dutch funding ecosystem.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): International refugee resettlement and protection agency with operations across multiple countries. Broader incumbent providing comparable services (resettlement, mental health, integration) at significantly larger scale; useful benchmark for what a scaled Stichting Mano could resemble internationally.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief, refugee resettlement, and integration programming. Broader incumbent with overlapping integration and mental health programs for newcomers and refugees, providing scale and methodology benchmarking reference.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-mano
• Instagraminstagram.com/dish.and.wish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Stichting Mano