Stichting Fight Cancer

What Stichting Fight Cancer does

Stichting Fight Cancer is a Dutch nonprofit foundation (ANBI-registered since 2 July 2013, RSIN 8529.69.284) headquartered in Hilversum that raises money for cancer research and prevention with a specific focus on adolescents and young adults (AYA, 18-39). It was spun out of KWF Kankerbestrijding in 2013 and now operates independently while retaining a structural partnership with KWF for research vetting, monitoring, and fund disbursement. The foundation runs a portfolio of seven branded sporting events — Swim to Fight Cancer, Light at Night Walk, LoveLife Run, Spin for Life, Rollercoaster Run, Buffelrun, and Tocht om de Noord — across multiple Dutch cities, complemented by an always-on peer-to-peer fundraising product (Start Zelf een Actie) that lets individuals launch personal action pages.

The underlying technology stack is not proprietary: the website runs on the Funraisin peer-to-peer fundraising platform, with Stripe and Girogate handling payment processing and Tikkie (ABN AMRO) providing SMS donation links since 2022. Payment methods supported include iDEAL, PayPal, credit card, and bank transfer. The Light at Night Walk 2026 portfolio, which is the foundation's most disclosed event, drew 940 participants across four locations and raised €199,481 across 5,481 donations, while the Amersfoort edition alone raised €126,661. Pricing is structured around €15 individual registration (€9 early bird, free for under-16s accompanied by an adult) with a €500+ business team tier, plus a minimum participant commitment of €350 and a €1.19 transaction fee.

The business model is a multi-channel donation and sponsorship stack: individual donations (one-time and recurring) through online forms and personal action pages; event participation fees; corporate sponsorship arrangements (Mandemakers Keukens as a "Gouden" sponsor, TW Steel co-branded product raising €25,000); and in-kind services from a knowledge partner network (EJP Accountants, BCS HRM, Quantes Druckerij, Elements Legal). The organization funds a research portfolio spanning fluorescence-guided pediatric surgery, DNA self-tests for uterine cancer, AI-assisted skin cancer detection, and genetic causes of cancer in young adults — most prominently the GERMAYA project at Radboudumc and the COMPRAYA / GENAYA consortia led from Antoni van Leeuwenhoek and Hartwig Medical Foundation across 37 Dutch hospitals. The foundation is staffed by a small core team (1-10 employees) and is entirely reliant on donations, event proceeds, and corporate partnerships — there are no external investors or endowment.

Name

Stichting Fight Cancer

Legal name

Stichting Fight Cancer

Website

https://fightcancer.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stichting Fight Cancer is a Dutch ANBI-registered nonprofit foundation that raises funds for cancer research and prevention through a portfolio of branded sporting events (Swim to Fight Cancer, Light at Night Walk, LoveLife Run, and others) and a peer-to-peer fundraising platform, with a specific focus on adolescents and young adults (AYA, 18-39).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Cancer Research Fundraising

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Cancer research fundraising
• Charity sports events
• Peer-to-peer donations
• Nonprofit foundation
• Community fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Hilversum

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals via online donation forms and personal fundraising pages. Participants raise funds through peer-to-peer campaigns linked to events.
2. Event Participation Fees: Registration fees for sports events: €15 for adults (early bird €9), free for children up to 15 years, €500+ for business teams up to 10 participants.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Strategic partnerships and marketing partnerships with businesses who sponsor events, create co-branded products, or participate as business teams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stichting Fight Cancer organizes branded charity sports events (swimming, running, walking, cycling) and operates an online donation and peer-to-peer fundraising platform that channels contributions into a portfolio of vetted cancer research projects managed in partnership with KWF Kankerbestrijding. The foundation runs Swim to Fight Cancer, Light at Night Walk, LoveLife Run, Spin for Life, Rollercoaster Run, Buffelrun, and Tocht om de Noord, supported by personal action pages and recurring donation options. Its stated mission is to inspire individuals—particularly young adults—to actively contribute to cancer research and prevention in the Netherlands.

Product overview

Fight Cancer (Stichting Fight Cancer) is a Dutch nonprofit foundation that raises funds for cancer research through a portfolio of sporting events and an online fundraising platform. Its core offering consists of multiple branded event products — Swim to Fight Cancer, Light at Night Walk, LoveLife Run, Spin for Life, Rollercoaster Run, Buffelrun, and Tocht om de Noord — which collectively engage participants across swimming, running, cycling, and walking disciplines to raise donations. These events are supported by a peer-to-peer fundraising platform (powered by Funraisin) that enables individuals to create personal action pages and accept online donations via Stripe/Girogate. The organization channels all proceeds into a curated portfolio of cancer research projects, managed in partnership with KWF Kankerbestrijding, spanning pediatric oncology, AI-assisted diagnostics, and genetic cancer research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Swim to Fight Cancer Recreational open-water swimming event held in cities across the Netherlands, where participants raise donations while swimming through urban waterways. Includes city-specific editions organized by local teams.
• Light at Night Walk Nighttime charity walk held in multiple Dutch cities where participants walk 5 to 25 kilometers through illuminated city streets carrying lights and lanterns, raising funds for cancer research. Multiple city-specific editions are organized annually.
• LoveLife Run Running event where current and former cancer patients, together with their relatives and doctors, run 5 kilometers to challenge their limits. Designed specifically for the AYA (Adolescent and Young Adult) age group.
• Spin for Life Indoor cycling marathon held at DeFabrique in Utrecht, featuring live DJs and instructors. Participants raise donations while cycling together in a high-energy atmosphere.
• Rollercoaster Run Running event that combines physical challenge with fundraising, held at or in connection with amusement park roller coasters.
• Buffelrun Dutch obstacle run event organized in partnership with Buffelrun, combining physical endurance challenges with fundraising for cancer research.
• Tocht om de Noord Cycling or sailing challenge event organized in the northern Netherlands region, where participants raise funds for cancer research.
• Start Zelf een Actie (Personal Fundraising Pages) Peer-to-peer fundraising tool allowing individuals to create personal action pages to raise donations for cancer research on behalf of Fight Cancer, with their own fundraising URL, donation tracker, and social sharing capabilities.
• Donatieplatform (Online Donation System) Online donation processing system that allows one-time or recurring (monthly) donations to Fight Cancer, integrated with the personal fundraising pages and event registration. Supports iDEAL, credit card, PayPal, and bank transfer payment methods.
• Onderzoeksportefeuille (Research Portfolio) Fight Cancer's portfolio of funded cancer research projects, including active studies on fluorescence-guided surgery for pediatric tumors, DNA self-tests for uterine cancer, AI-powered portable skin cancer detection devices, and genetic causes of cancer in young adults. Projects are co-managed with KWF Kankerbestrijding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 128,000+ annual cancer diagnoses in Netherlands
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KWF KankerbestrijdingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2013Long-standing partnership where KWF helps manage donated funds and monitors cancer research projects selected by Fight Cancer. This partnership ensures transparent and effective allocation of fundraising proceeds to high-impact research.
• Mandemakers KeukensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGouden Sponsor (Golden Sponsor) business team participating in Light at Night Walk Den Bosch with Neeltje Vevers and Jos Vevers as team members.
• TikkiecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment platform partnership since 2022 enabling participants to send SMS donation links via Tikkie for easy mobile payments. Donations processed through participant's personal action pages.
• FunraisincoreTechnology or IntegrationFundraising platform provider powering Fight Cancer's website, donation processing, and personal action pages.
• Stripe/GirogatecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor handling all online transactions. Donations show German bank account numbers from Stripe on bank statements.
• Discipline SportsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal organization partner for Light at Night Walk Amersfoort, working with Swim to Fight Cancer Amersfoort to organize the event.
• Swim to Fight Cancer AmersfoortminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal organization partner co-hosting Light at Night Walk Amersfoort with Discipline Sports.
• Toon Hermans Huis AmersfoortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPSO center for psychosocial care, participating in Light at Night Walk Amersfoort. Receives 15% of event proceeds for AYA support programs. Provides lotgenoten (peer support) groups for cancer patients aged 18-39.
• Hartwig Medical FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for GENAYA project conducting complete DNA analysis of 1,000 young adults with cancer. Prof. Edwin Cuppen serves as project leader. Collaborates with 37 hospitals across Netherlands.
• Antoni van LeeuwenhoekcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMPRAYA consortium lead for young adult cancer research (18-39 years). Prof. Winette van der Graaf and Olga Husson serve as project leaders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• KWF Kankerbestrijding: KWF is the dominant Dutch cancer charity and Fight Cancer's core research-vetting partner (and former parent organization). Both fund cancer research and prevention, but KWF operates at much larger scale with broader campaigns and a more diversified funding base.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Macmillan raises funds through events, individual giving, and corporate partnerships to support people affected by cancer — a mission adjacent to Fight Cancer's AYA-focused work. Their large-scale fundraising events (e.g., World's Biggest Coffee Morning) parallel Fight Cancer's event portfolio approach.
• NFK (Nederlandse Federatie van Kankerpatiëntenorganisaties): NFK is the Dutch federation of cancer patient organizations, operating more broadly across advocacy, support, and policy. Comparable in Dutch cancer nonprofit space and competes for similar donor and partnership attention as Fight Cancer.
• Cancer Research UK: Cancer Research UK is a large national cancer research charity combining community events, individual donations, and corporate partnerships. Comparable to Fight Cancer in mission and revenue model mix, but operates at vastly greater scale across the UK.
• American Cancer Society: The American Cancer Society runs Relay for Life and Making Strides — community fundraising events for cancer research with peer-to-peer donation models. While geographically distant, the operating model and event-driven donor mobilization are highly comparable to Fight Cancer.

Direct peers

• Movember Foundation: Movember runs a global peer-to-peer fundraising model tied to men's health, including cancer research. Their event-driven, social-cause fundraising approach and participant-led donation mobilization are structurally similar to Fight Cancer's Swim/Walk/Run playbook.
• Alpe d'HuZes / Stichting Alpe d'HuZes: Alpe d'HuZes is a Dutch sports-based cancer fundraising foundation whose model — participants raise donations through physical challenges — closely mirrors Fight Cancer's event-driven peer-to-peer approach. Both target the same Dutch donor base for cancer research funding.
• KiKa (Kinderen Kankervrij): KiKa is a Dutch foundation focused on childhood cancer research, using events and corporate partnerships to drive donations. It directly competes for the same Dutch donor pool and corporate sponsors as Fight Cancer, but with a pediatric cancer niche.
• Susan G. Komen: Susan G. Komen pioneered charity walk/run fundraising (Race for the Cure) for breast cancer research. It is the archetypal model for sport-based peer-to-peer cancer fundraising that Fight Cancer's Light at Night Walk and Swim events emulate.
• Pink Ribbon: Pink Ribbon is a Dutch charity funding breast cancer research and awareness through events, sponsorships, and individual donations. While disease-specific (breast vs. broad cancer), its fundraising model and target donor base overlap significantly with Fight Cancer's.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fightcancernl
• Instagraminstagram.com/fightcancer.nl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stichting-fight-cancer

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Fight Cancer