Stichting Lezen En Schrijven

What Stichting Lezen En Schrijven does

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven is a Dutch non-profit foundation (stichting) headquartered in The Hague at Bezuidenhoutseweg 60, operating for over 40 years to prevent and reduce low literacy among Dutch adults. The organization targets an estimated 3 million adults aged 16-75 (roughly 1 in 5 Dutch adults) with difficulty in reading, writing, and/or arithmetic — including 740,000 low-literate employees and approximately 333,000 parents — and delivers a portfolio of programs and tools spanning employer support (Taal werkt! across agriculture, construction, retail, hospitality, cleaning, transport, and social workplaces), health-literacy intervention (Voel je goed!, RIVM-recognized in 2020 and renewed in 2026), screening instruments (Basismeters), workplace training (IMPULS, Droombox, Succes!), free sector-specific e-learning modules (Gezin, Kraamzorg, Gezondheid, Werk, Dienstverlening, Financiële zelfredzaamheid), the Toolkit Empowerment with its courses (In je kracht, Jouw leven & werk, Voor jezelf?), the LLO Leerplatform for professionals, and the Groeimodel policy framework for municipalities.

The foundation operates a hybrid GTM combining enterprise field advisory (regional advisors serving all Dutch municipalities since the 2020 Vervolgaanpak laaggeletterdheid mandate gave municipalities the regierol on basic skills), direct employer engagement via Taal werkt!, community-led volunteer activation (taalvrijwilligers and taalambassadeurs), and event-driven awareness campaigns (annual Week van Lezen en Schrijven and Taalheldenprijs). Distribution channels include the regional-advisor network, online self-service portals (basismeters.nl, taalwerkt.nl, lezenenschrijven.nl, levenslangontwikkelen.inbrain.nl), Taalhuis partnerships in libraries, and NT1/Boom publishing for physical materials.

The revenue model is fundamentally non-commercial. Core funding comes from multi-ministry Dutch government subsidies (SZW, OCW, BZK) under recurring national programs (Vervolgaanpak laaggeletterdheid, Tel mee met Taal). Secondary revenue includes donations and ANBI-eligible legacies, lottery proceeds from Vriendenloterij and Nationale Postcode Loterij, co-funding from partners (FNO, Lidl, Achmea, Ipskamp Printing, Fonds Taal maakt gezonder), and modest commercial revenue from physical materials via NT1 publishing. All e-learning is provided free of charge. Strategic partnerships span SBCM, Movisie, Voedingscentrum, Kenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen, Nederlandse Vereniging van Diëtisten, Stichting ABC, and academic collaborators including Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Kohnstamm Instituut, and Maastricht University.

Name

Stichting Lezen En Schrijven

Legal name

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven

Website

https://lezenenschrijven.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven is a Dutch non-profit foundation that supports roughly 3 million low-literate adults through municipal advisory, employer programs, screening tools, free e-learning, and community interventions, funded primarily by national government ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adult literacy and basic skills services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Adult Literacy, Numeracy & Second-Chance Education (BPADAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remedial & Academic Intervention Programs (Reading/Math Recovery) (EDAJAGAC), Literacy & Reading Intervention (Phonics, Fluency, Comprehension) (EDAKADAA)

Keywords

• Adult literacy programs
• Basic skills training
• Low literacy prevention
• Employer language programs
• Municipal literacy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

The Hague

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidies: Core funding from Dutch ministries (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid, Onderwijs Cultuur en Wetenschap, Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties) for national support programs. Since 2020, municipalities are responsible for basic skills policy and Stichting Lezen en Schrijven supports them under the Vervolgaanpak laaggeletterdheid.
2. Donations and Legacies: Individual donations, sponsor actions, and legacy bequests. The foundation is an ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling), making it eligible for tax-advantaged giving.
3. Lottery Proceeds: Funding from national lottery organizations (Vriendenloterij, Nationale Postcode Loterij) that support Dutch charitable causes.
4. Professional Services and Materials: Sale of training materials, toolkits, and professional development services to municipalities, organizations, and employers. Materials available through NT1 publishing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven is the Dutch national foundation that prevents and reduces low literacy by supporting adults to improve language, numeracy, and digital skills. It delivers a portfolio of advisory services, screening instruments, training programs, e-learning modules, and teaching materials to municipalities, organizations, employers, and individual adults across the Netherlands. Its work spans policy advisory to municipalities under the Vervolgaanpak laaggeletterdheid, employer support via the Taal werkt! program, evidence-based interventions such as Voel je goed!, and grassroots volunteer-driven tutoring.

Product overview

Stichting Lezen en Schrijven is the Dutch organization dedicated to ensuring everyone in the Netherlands can read, write, and/or calculate. The organization operates as a platform of programs, instruments, and resources rather than a single product. Its portfolio includes employer support programs (Taal werkt!), screening instruments (Basismeters), e-learning modules (E-learning Aanpak van laaggeletterdheid), the Toolkit Empowerment with its courses (In je kracht, Jouw leven & werk, Voor jezelf?), the Voel je goed! health literacy intervention, and workplace learning tools (Droombox). The organization also provides the IMPULS training program for social work companies and maintains a Learning Platform for Lifelong Development (LLO). Together, these offerings form an integrated ecosystem addressing low literacy through municipal support, organizational training, individual learning materials, and community-based interventions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Taal werkt!: A program that supports employers in addressing basic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic, and digital skills) among employees.
• TaalHelden
• Week van Lezen en Schrijven
• Voel je goed!
• Toolkit Empowerment

Products and services

• Taal werkt! A program that supports employers in addressing basic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic, digital skills) among employees. Works with companies, industry associations, and O&O funds through a branch-oriented, integrated approach.
• Basismeters A screening instrument used to identify people who have difficulty with reading, writing, and/or arithmetic. Available for organizations and municipalities to detect low literacy.
• Succes! (teaching method) A teaching method that allows easy customized learning, designed to meet the learning needs of the low-literate target group.
• Toolkit Empowerment A complete toolkit for developing offerings focused on building self-confidence and self-insight for people with low literacy, enabling them to participate in society.
• Cursussen Empowerment Courses including 'In je kracht' (Discovering qualities), 'Jouw leven & werk' (Work-life balance), and 'Voor jezelf?' (Entrepreneurship) that develop self-insight and confidence.
• Voel je goed! A proven-effective integrated approach for adults who want to work on healthier weight and have difficulty with language and/or arithmetic. Combines personal diet advice with group lessons on health literacy taught by trained volunteers in simple language.
• Droombox A tool to help employees better learn to read and write, supporting workplace-based basic skills development.
• Groeimodel aanpak laaggeletterdheid A growth model that supports municipalities with regional and local policy development, helping to set goals and improvement points for a good integral approach to low literacy.
• IMPULS A practical approach for SW-bedrijven (social work companies) consisting of five short trainings covering language, arithmetic, and digital skills, plus a buddy training program.
• Leerplatform Leven Lang Ontwikkelen (LLO) A platform for professionals who work with people who have difficulty with basic skills, helping them recognize signals and provide targeted support.
• Gesprekskompas Conversation compass developed to help better recognize, reach, and activate difficult-to-reach target groups with insufficient basic skills.
• E-learning Aanpak van laaggeletterdheid Free e-learning modules on 'Aanpak van laaggeletterdheid' (Approach to Low Literacy) across multiple sectors. All e-learnings are free to complete; some are accredited.
• Workshop 'Bespreken van laaggeletterdheid' A workshop to practice skills in discussing low literacy, available for organizations to host.

Quantifiable outcome

• Municipalities rate satisfaction with Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's support at 8/10
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SBCM (Stichting Bevordering Collectieve Marge)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2025SBCM is the national knowledge partner for social workplaces (sociaal werkbedrijven) in the Netherlands. Stichting Lezen en Schrijven collaborated with SBCM to develop and launch the IMPULS training program for basic skills on the work floor. The program was extensively tested at five SW-bedrijven before launch and is funded by the OCW ministry's Tel mee met Taal subsidy scheme.
• MovisiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStichting Lezen en Schrijven and Movisie jointly established an expertisecentrum (expertise center) for basic skills for field partners, combining their knowledge and expertise to support organizations in the social domain.
• VoedingscentrumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVoedingscentrum (Nutrition Centre) co-developed the Voel je goed! intervention, contributing nutritional expertise to the combined health and language skills program.
• Kenniscentrum Sport & BewegencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKenniscentrum Sport & Bewegen (Knowledge Centre for Sport and Movement) co-developed Voel je goed! with expertise in physical activity and healthy lifestyle.
• Nederlandse Vereniging van DiëtistencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dutch Association of Dietitians co-developed the Voel je goed! program, providing dietary expertise and ensuring dietitians can deliver personalized dietary advice in simple language.
• Stichting ABC (Taalambassadeurs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStichting ABC provides experiential experts (language ambassadors) who contribute lived experience of low literacy to the development and delivery of Voel je goed! and other programs.
• Rijksuniversiteit GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Syncasso Gerechtsdeurwaarders and Kredietbank Nederland on the 'Lezen ≠ Begrijpen' research project investigating the link between reading skills and financial problems.
• Syncasso GerechtsdeurwaardersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Lezen ≠ Begrijpen' research investigating the influence of reading skills on financial problems among debt collection clients.
• Kredietbank NederlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Lezen ≠ Begrijpen' research investigating low literacy among people with financial difficulties.
• Kohnstamm InstituutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted the evaluation of the Taal voor het Leven program 2018-2020 for Stichting Lezen en Schrijven.
• Maastricht UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted the Eindevaluatie EVA (final evaluation of the EVA program for women with ambitions) and provided research on empowerment outcomes.
• EVA Program Consortium PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EVA (Educatie voor Vrouwen met Ambitie) pilot program was realized in various regions across the Netherlands in partnership with local organizations, funded by OCW Directie Emancipatie.
• Lost Lemon and MuzusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarket research agencies commissioned to investigate how to better recognize, reach, and activate harder-to-reach groups with insufficient basic skills, in collaboration with 18 organizations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): US nonprofit focused on literacy, providing books, resources, and advocacy for children and families. While more child-focused, it operates as a national literacy foundation with similar awareness-campaign-driven model.
• National Literacy Trust: UK charity dedicated to improving literacy across all ages, with national campaigns, school programs, and family/early-years interventions. Operates a national hub-and-spoke model comparable to Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's municipality support structure.
• ProLiteracy: US-based nonprofit focused on adult literacy, providing advocacy, professional development, and program support to adult literacy providers. Closest international analog to Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's national adult literacy mandate.
• LitWorld: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and social-emotional learning, particularly for marginalized populations. Shares Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's empowerment-oriented approach to literacy as a means of social participation.
• The Reading Agency: UK charity that works with libraries and partners to address literacy and reading challenges across age groups. Comparable library-anchored distribution model to Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's Taalhuizen network.
• Campaign for Learning: UK charity focused on adult and family learning, including literacy and numeracy. Comparable mission and target population to Stichting Lezen en Schrijven's adult basic skills work.

Regional players

• Cedris: Dutch umbrella organization for social enterprises (sociale werkbedrijven). Co-partner with Stichting Lezen en Schrijven on the IMPULS program and represents social workplaces as a key employer segment in the Netherlands.

Others

• Movisie: Dutch knowledge institute for the social domain. Co-established an expertise center with Stichting Lezen en Schrijven on basic skills, making it a direct strategic counterpart in the Dutch social services ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Lezen En Schrijven