Stichting Special Heroes Nederland

Name

Stichting Special Heroes Nederland

Legal name

Stichting Special Heroes Nederland

Website

https://specialheroes.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stichting Special Heroes Nederland is a Utrecht-based Dutch non-profit foundation delivering the RIVM-recognised Healthy Heroes and Healthy Habits lifestyle programmes — across six learning lines and a three-phase methodology — to children, young people and adults with disabilities through 1,400+ specialised schools and care institutions nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability lifestyle and inclusion programmes

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Special needs education programmes
• Disability lifestyle interventions
• Healthy habits curriculum
• Professional care training
• Inclusive sports transport

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, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Foundation / Institutional Funding: As a charitable foundation (ANBI status), the organisation is funded primarily through government subsidies, institutional grants, and donations rather than product sales. The primary funding sources include Ministry of VWS, Ministry of OCW, provincial and municipal governments, and social funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stichting Special Heroes Nederland delivers recognised lifestyle intervention programmes (Healthy Heroes for specialised education and Healthy Habits for care institutions) covering six learning lines — food & drink, relaxation & relationships, arts & culture, sports & movement, work & participation, and nature & technology — for children and young people with disabilities. Services are delivered free to partner schools and care institutions through a national network of regional project leaders, supported by an online Werkplaats resource portal, a guest-teacher pool, professional training courses, and a taxi transport scheme for athletes with physical disabilities.

Product overview

Stichting Special Heroes Nederland offers a comprehensive suite of lifestyle programs for people with disabilities, organized around a unified three-phase methodology (Kennismaken/Introduction, Verdiepen/Deepening, Gewoontes bouwen/Habit Building). The core programs are Healthy Heroes for specialized education and Healthy Habits for healthcare institutions, both comprising six interconnected learning tracks: Eten & Drinken (Food & Drink), Ontspanning & Relaties (Relaxation & Relationships), Kunst & Cultuur (Art & Culture), Sport & Bewegen (Sports & Movement), Werk & Participatie (Work & Participation), and Natuur & Techniek (Nature & Technology). Supporting infrastructure includes the Werkplaats online platform, visiting teachers pool, sports transport service, professional training programs, and publications. The organization also offers specialized programs like Kanjers in de Keuken and methodologies such as Junior P.A., Ik ben P.A., and Team 12 for work readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Healthy Heroes

Quantifiable outcome

• 249,993+ people with disabilities reached with healthy lifestyle programmes over 10 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johan Cruyff FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2026The Johan Cruyff Foundation takes over the Leerlijn Sport & Bewegen (including sports clinics, ShuffleSports, cycling and traffic lessons) and the Leerlijn Werk & Participatie (including Junior P.A. and Ik ben P.A.) for the specialised education sector from 1 August 2026. Experienced project leaders of Special Heroes will continue as staff of the Foundation, maintaining continuity for partner schools.
• Uniek SportencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Takes over coordination of the sport transport facility (Sportvervoersvoorziening) from 1 January 2026, ensuring continued transport for athletes with disabilities. Contact person: Edith Verhoeven.
• Vereniging Gehandicaptensport NederlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTakes over coordination of sports and movement publications and training courses for sports and movement sector professionals. Also takes ownership of the recognised intervention Revalidatie Sport & Bewegen. ReVALIDATIE centres will be supported by this organisation from 2026.
• MedilexcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakes over lifestyle training courses (scholingen) for long-term care (langdurige zorg) from 2025. Also organises the 'Bouwen aan gezonde gewoontes' training for care staff.
• LEEV! (Leefstijl Leerplatform)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partners can connect to the inspiring professional learning network of LEEV! for ongoing lifestyle knowledge development.
• GLOS EducatiefminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakes over the sleep lessons series (lessenserie Slaap) from the Ontspanning & Relaties learning line, to be integrated under the Charge Your Brainzzz programme.
• Huis voor BewegingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakes over the GLI (Gecombineerde Leefstijl Interventie) for people with intellectual disabilities from 2026.
• Fonds GehandicaptensportminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTakes over coordination of sport transport from 2026 alongside Uniek Sporten to ensure the route to sport remains open for everyone.
• Nationaal Preventie Akkoord (Ministerie van VWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe foundation is a signatory of the Nationaal Preventie Akkoord, a national agreement bringing together more than 70 societal organisations, companies, healthcare providers, insurers, municipalities, funds, sports federations, education, and government to promote health and vitality.
• Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (Ministerie van OCW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the 'Ik ben P.A.' programme within the Werk & Participatie learning line, the foundation helps young people with disabilities participate in Maatschappelijke Diensttijd (MDT), a national voluntary service programme for youth.
• Kenniscentrum Sport & BewegencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational knowledge institute for sport and movement. Co-founded the 'Kennis over Sportondersteuning' platform and collaborates on research and evidence development for the field.
• Revalidatie NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch organisation for rehabilitation institutions in the Netherlands, collaborating on the Revalidatie Sport & Bewegen programme and training courses for rehabilitation professionals.
• Hanzehogeschool GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on research and professional development, including the LEEV! lifestyle learning network and training programmes for care professionals.
• UMCG (Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates through the RespAct research group on generating evidence for the Revalidatie Sport & Bewegen intervention, contributing to its re-recognition as a well-founded programme.
• Windesheim HogeschoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides training instructors and course materials, including Cor Niks and Tina Bellemans who teach the 'Bewegen en bewogen worden' course.
• QarinminorOthersThird-party taxi service provider executing transport for athletes with physical disabilities under the Sportvervoersvoorziening programme. Owns and operates the Qarin portal for ride requests.
• LKCA (Landelijk Kenniscentrum Cultuureducatie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational knowledge centre for cultural education, supporting the Kunst & Cultuur learning line development and implementation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur: Dutch fund enabling children from low-income families to participate in sport and culture. Comparable as a financial partner and ecosystem connector for Special Heroes' participants transitioning from school to community clubs.

Direct peers

• Uniek Sporten: Dutch platform helping people with disabilities find suitable sports. Comparable as it is taking over coordination of the sport transport scheme from January 2026 and shares the same end-user population.
• Johan Cruyff Foundation: Dutch foundation promoting sport and physical activity for children, including those with disabilities. Directly comparable as the strategic successor taking over Special Heroes' Sport & Bewegen and Werk & Participatie tracks from August 2026.
• Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen: National Dutch knowledge institute for sport and movement. Co-founded the 'Kennis over Sportondersteuning' platform and collaborates with Special Heroes on evidence development and intervention recognition.
• Fonds Gehandicaptensport: Dutch fund supporting disability sport. Comparable as a financial partner that will co-coordinate sport transport from 2026 and shares Special Heroes' mission of inclusive sport access.
• Special Olympics Nederland: Dutch branch of Special Olympics providing sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities. Comparable mission and target population; originally part of the same Onbeperkt Sportief entity before the 2016 split.
• Vereniging Gehandicaptensport Nederland: Dutch sector association for disability sport. Comparable as it is taking over Special Heroes' sport publications, training courses and the Revalidatie Sport & Bewegen recognised intervention from 2026.

Broad incumbents

• Revalidatie Nederland: Dutch branch organisation for rehabilitation institutions. Comparable as a partner on the Revalidatie Sport & Bewegen programme and serves the same rehabilitation population.

Emerging players

• Medilex: Dutch training provider for healthcare professionals. Comparable as it is taking over Special Heroes' lifestyle training courses for long-term care from 2025 and serves the same care-institution buyers.
• Huis voor Beweging: Dutch organisation focused on movement and combined lifestyle interventions (GLI). Comparable as it is taking over Special Heroes' GLI for people with intellectual disabilities from 2026.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/special-heroes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Special Heroes Nederland