DOEN Foundation

DOEN Foundation is the fund of the Dutch charity lotteries: National Postcode Lottery, BankGiro Lottery and Sponsor Lottery. DOEN promotes a liveable world in which everyone has a place. It finances initiatives that are both enterprising and sustainable through subsidies, loans, guarantees or participations in the areas of Sustainable Development, Culture and Welfare.

DOEN Foundation considers a properly functioning financial sector essential for the development of society. It is for this reason that DOEN invests in organisations which mainly offer opportunities for lending, savings, insurance and transfers primarily to small businesses in developing countries. Microfinance is an important contribution to poverty alleviation and building civil society. With access to financial services micro- and small entrepreneurs are able to develop economic activities and to improve their income and living conditions. With access to a (formal) financial institution people have a safe place to save money.

In a lot of countries the access to financial services is limited. DOEN Foundation’s goal is to improve this access. Because DOEN Foundation cannot work with the target group directly, DOEN Foundation supports existing microfinance institutions (MFI’s) and is involved in the process of starting new MFI’s and new initiatives. DOEN Foundation tries to reach her goals in the most effective and efficient way: by looking for, and finding strategic partners in the field of financial sector development. At the end of 2005 DOEN’s investments in the financial sector amounted to more than EUR 70 million.

More information:

• website: www.doen.nl 
•   Company profile