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Stichting DOEN
Boudewijn Poelmann founded the Dutch Postcode Lottery in 1989 and established Stichting DOEN two years later to redirect lottery profits into social and...
Stichting DOEN
Boudewijn Poelmann founded the Dutch Postcode Lottery in 1989 and established Stichting DOEN two years later to redirect lottery profits into social and environmental causes. Since 1991, the Amsterdam-based foundation has received its funding from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, BankGiro Loterij, and VriendenLoterij. Carol Gribnau leads the foundation as Managing Director, while Idriss Nor oversees impact investing through the foundation's investment arm, DOEN Participaties. DOEN's mandate spans grants, concessional loans, and equity investments targeting enterprises that accelerate the transition to a circular and socially inclusive economy. The portfolio cuts across early-stage to growth equity, with sector concentrations in sustainable energy, circular materials, and creative industries. Geographic focus remains concentrated in the Netherlands, though the impact investment portfolio includes global positions. The foundation is an active member of Impact Europe and Philea, signaling a networked approach to sourcing and co-funding. DOEN also holds an advisory board seat with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Food Initiative, reinforcing its climate-aligned posture. DOEN houses its operations within the Goede Doelen Loterijen building in Amsterdam Zuid, a physical hub it shares with the lotteries that fund it. The foundation operates through a two-tier structure: the main foundation disburses grants focused on cultural and social innovation, while DOEN Participaties executes the venture-investing program. This hybrid model is uncommon among lottery-funded endowments, which typically stick to pure grantmaking. In 2024, the foundation deepened its local ecosystem ties through a strategic partnership with ImpactCity The Hague, designed to strengthen the pipeline for impact-driven startups. Most lottery-funded philanthropies operate as pass-through grantmakers with limited balance-sheet staying power. DOEN is structurally distinct: it functions as both an endowed foundation and an active impact investor with a dedicated participations arm. This dual identity lets it deploy patient, flexible capital — grants alongside equity — within a single decision-making framework, a structure that closely resembles a family office with a perpetual mandate rather than a typical charitable trust.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1991
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Netherlands
City
Amsterdam
Corporate office
Beethovenstraat 200, 1077 JZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Principals
Carol Gribnau
Managing Director / CEO
Idriss Nor
Director of Impact Investing, DOEN Participaties
Boudewijn Poelmann
Founder of Novamedia and the Dutch Postcode Lottery
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How is Stichting DOEN funded?
DOEN receives annual contributions from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, BankGiro Lottery, and FriendsLottery. This lottery-backed funding model has been in place since the foundation's inception in 1991, providing a stable, non-dilutive capital base that allows for flexible deployment across grants, loans, and equity investments.
What is the structure of DOEN's investment activities?
DOEN operates through two main vehicles. The foundation itself provides grants and concessional loans to cultural and social initiatives. DOEN Participaties, a dedicated investment arm led by Director of Impact Investing Idriss Nor, makes equity investments in early-stage to growth-stage companies advancing the circular economy.
Does DOEN invest only in the Netherlands?
While the foundation's cultural and social grantmaking is concentrated in the Netherlands, its impact investment portfolio includes global positions. The majority of the team and portfolio activity, however, remains anchored in the Dutch entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a recent partnership deepening ties to startups in The Hague.
What stages and sectors does DOEN target for equity investments?
DOEN invests from seed through growth stages. Sector concentrations include sustainable energy, circular materials, and creative industries. The foundation explicitly seeks to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, and its investment posture avoids sectors without a clear environmental or social return thesis.
Who runs investment decisions at Stichting DOEN?
Idriss Nor, as Director of Impact Investing at DOEN Participaties, oversees the equity portfolio. Carol Gribnau, the foundation's Managing Director, holds ultimate executive authority over the combined grant and investment strategy.
Is Stichting DOEN related to any other family office or investment vehicle?
DOEN is not a single-family office. It is an independent foundation whose capital originates from the Dutch charity lotteries founded by Boudewijn Poelmann's company, Novamedia. There is no disclosed connection to a private family office structure outside of this lottery ecosystem.
How does DOEN's hybrid grant-and-equity model differ from a typical foundation?
Most endowed foundations deploy exclusively through grants or program-related investments. DOEN is unusual in operating a dedicated equity arm that makes early-to-growth-stage venture investments alongside its grantmaking. This hybrid structure lets DOEN use grants for pure social innovation while taking equity positions in scalable enterprises, creating a portfolio that blends impact with potential financial returns.
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