The Netherlands

Introduction on Giving Research in the Netherlands

Barry Hoolwerf, Renske Sanders and Dave Verkaik[1]

In the Netherlands, the primary institution for research on philanthropy is the Center for Philanthropic Studies (CPS) at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam (VU). Furthermore, at the Erasmus University and the Rotterdam School of Management (also Erasmus University) there is a group of researchers that is working on philanthropy-related issues. Most of these researchers are affiliated with the Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (ECSP). Also, research on philanthropy is being conducted at Maastricht University and Utrecht University. Finally, University College Windesheim (Zwolle) has an interest in philanthropy research as well.

The Center for Philanthropic Studies at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam has been the leading center of expertise on philanthropy in the Netherlands since 1995. By initiating and developing the longitudinal survey on giving in the Netherlands, it has established itself as an important source of information on giving by households, corporations, foundations, and charity lotteries in the Netherlands. In 2008, it was one of the founders of the European Research Network On Philanthropy (ERNOP), and since then has become one of the leading research centres studying philanthropy in Europe.

The Center produces research and courses that contribute to the professionalization of philanthropy. As philanthropic studies are multidisciplinary by nature, both teaching and research at the Center are fed by multiple disciplines, including the social and behavioural sciences (economics, psychology, sociology, public administration, organisational sciences) and law.

Research at the Center for Philanthropic Studies quantifies the origin, destination, and effects of philanthropy at the micro, meso, and macro levels in the form of charitable giving, volunteering, and bequest giving. All sources of contributions are studied, including households, foundations, corporations and lotteries. In addition, the Center studies the behaviour of non-profit organisations, charities and foundations, as well as, policy and laws related to philanthropy. As new forms of financing and collaboration enter the stage, the Center is currently investigating crowdfunding, social enterprises, venture philanthropy, and social impact investments.

The Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy (ECSP) was established in 2009 by two schools at Erasmus University, the Erasmus School of Economics, the Rotterdam School of Management, and a leading Dutch family foundation. It is an independent center located on the Erasmus University campus in Rotterdam to facilitate access for academics in the disciplines of economics, management, social sciences, law, history, and philosophy. The ECSP aims to be a knowledge and learning center that contributes to the performance and effectiveness of the philanthropic sector. Its mission is to support, stimulate, and challenge non-grantseeking European foundations in realizing their full potential for societal benefit. It offers capacity building services to establish and set up foundations and their main stakeholders. The Center initiates boundary-crossing research projects, develops competence-oriented training and education programs, and provides complementary advisory services on request, as well as emphasizing its intermediary role between academics and practitioners, and supporting the learning dialogue between these groups.

At Maastricht University the Elisabeth Strouven Foundation has founded a chair of philanthropy and social innovation. The chair is part of the European Center for Corporate Engagement at Maastricht’s University School of Business and Economics. The chair has a specific focus on giving by the elderly, as they account for a large part of individual donors and are expected to be the major driver behind the ‘golden age of philanthropy’. The latter refers to the expected intergenerational transfer of wealth in the coming decades.

A number of foundations have also founded a fellowship for studying Maecenas and civil society, with a specific focus on the recession that took place between 2008-2013 in Western Europe. The fellowship is attached to the Interdisciplinary Center of Culture, Citizenship and Human Rights at Utrecht University. Finally, University College Windesheim (Zwolle) mainly focusses on teaching about fundraising, grant making, and sponsoring.

Overview of Giving in the Netherlands

For the Netherlands, representative and valid data on charitable donations by individuals, corporations, and charity lotteries are available due to the extensive bi-annual research carried out by the Center for Philanthropic Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Data on bequests and foundations are more challenging to obtain. Churches, museums, hospitals, and educational institutions do not report their incomes from bequests, and data on the financial support from a large number of endowed foundations are unavailable. The amounts presented for these sources should be interpreted as lower bound estimates.

Table 17.9 Sources of contributions in 2013

 Table 17.10 Uses of contributions in 2013

Footnotes

[1] Center for Philanthropic Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

[5] Giving derived from income from endowment only

Source

Hoolwerf, L.K., Sanders, R., & Verkaik, D. (2017) Research on Giving in the Netherlands. In: Hoolwerf, L.K. & Schuyt, Th.N.M. (eds) (2017) Giving in Europe. The state of research on giving in 20 European countries. Amsterdam: Lenthe Publishers.

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