{"id":48624,"date":"2026-07-30T12:57:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nlmtd.com\/?post_type=cases&p=48624"},"modified":"2026-07-30T12:57:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T10:57:58","slug":"equal-opportunities-enrichment-education-fund","status":"publish","type":"cases","link":"https:\/\/nlmtd.com\/en\/cases\/equal-opportunities-enrichment-education-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Equal Opportunities Together: SKB Is Designing a New Fund to Enrich Education in Collaboration with the Target Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Building Equal Opportunities Together: SKB Is Designing a New Fund to Enrich Education in Collaboration with the Target Group<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tPublic and Social domain<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tInnovation<\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Not every child has the same opportunities<\/strong> – In the Netherlands, a child\u2019s background still too often determines the opportunities available to them. For many children and young people, access to enriching educational experiences is far from guaranteed, even though these opportunities can make all the difference.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Result<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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From Insight to Action<\/strong> – Preliminary research confirmed what many stakeholders had already observed: structural funding is lacking, quality standards remain unclear, and schools often lack a strong foundation for implementation. These findings pointed to one clear solution: a demand driven fund.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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SKB (Partnership for Equal Opportunities & Citizenship Education) Netherlands is a coalition of civil society organizations dedicated to promoting equal opportunities for children and young people through supplemental and enrichment education, citizenship education, and talent development.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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In brief<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In collaboration with SKB Nederland, nlmtd developed a new Talent and Engagement Fund (TOF) for enriching education. By actively involving young people and other stakeholders from the very beginning, a demand-driven solution was created that contributes to equal opportunities for children and young people.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\tTogether with young people, schools, foundations, funders, municipalities, and libraries, we co-created the core elements of the fund. Through a series of co-creation sessions, we continuously tested and refined the design based on the needs, ideas, and experiences of all stakeholders. This approach fosters shared ownership and helps create a fund that truly works for the people it is intended to serve. And just as importantly, it is incredibly rewarding to collaborate directly with stakeholders, hear their ideas, and build solutions together.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t- Jeroen Paul Nijmeijer (Directeur van SKB Nederland)<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Challenge<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Not every child has the same opportunities <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In the Netherlands, a child\u2019s background still too often determines the opportunities available to them. For many children and young people, access to enriching education is far from guaranteed, even though these opportunities can make all the difference.<\/p>

\u201cThis approach offers students additional learning opportunities alongside their regular education,\u201d explains Jeroen Paul Nijmeijer, Director of SKB Nederland. \u201cIt focuses on areas such as talent development, career orientation, social skills, and citizenship education. The goal is simple: to create equal opportunities for all children and young people, regardless of their background.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Where It Gets Stuck <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Organizations within the Partnership for Equal Opportunities & Citizenship Education (SKB) work toward this mission every day. \u201cBut it\u2019s not easy,\u201d says Jeroen Paul. \u201cThere are significant challenges when it comes to quality, funding, and youth participation.\u201d<\/p>

  • Quality<\/strong>
    There is a wide range of programs and initiatives available, but no clear overview. Schools often struggle to determine what works, particularly when they do not yet have a well defined vision of what enriching education entails.<\/li>
  • Funding<\/strong>
    Funding is fragmented and uncertain. \u201cAs a result, foundations spend up to 30% of their time fundraising,\u201d explains Jeroen Paul. \u201cThat is a significant amount of time that could be spent delivering impact. In addition, only 11% of schools receive government funding for supplemental and enrichment education based on a low socioeconomic status (SES) score. This means many children who could benefit from enriching education are left behind.\u201d<\/li>
  • Youth Participation<\/strong>
    Perhaps most importantly, young people themselves are still not sufficiently involved. Yet it is their perspectives and experiences that ultimately determine what works.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Why nlmtd?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \u201cnlmtd is known for its ability to create lasting impact within organizations and across sectors. Last year, they launched the nlmtd Fund, through which they make their expertise and services available to high impact organizations like ours.\u201d<\/p>

    \u2013 Jeroen Paul Nijmeijer, Director of SKB Nederland<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    From Design to Launch<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Designing Solutions Together<\/strong>
    At the heart of the approach was a simple principle: do not design for young people, but with them. Together with stakeholders across the sector, SKB is developing a new fund, a quality framework, and an online marketplace.

    \u201cBecause if we want these solutions to truly work for the sector, we have to create them together with the people they are intended to serve,\u201d emphasizes Jeroen Paul. \u201cWithout their insights, we risk designing something that does not reflect the realities of everyday practice.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    From Insight to Solution<\/strong>
    Research confirmed what many stakeholders had already sensed: structural funding is lacking, quality guidelines remain unclear, and schools need more support and guidance. These findings pointed to one clear direction: a demand driven fund. A solution with the potential to drive meaningful change, but one that is also complex to implement effectively.

    Building Together<\/strong>
    SKB decided to take on that challenge in partnership with nlmtd. Through the nlmtd Fund, Roos Spekman joined the project.
    \u201cI had wanted to contribute through the nlmtd Fund for quite some time, and this felt like the perfect opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cJust as the Fund makes external expertise accessible to nonprofit organizations with limited resources, SKB helps ensure that children and young people have access to opportunities they might not otherwise receive. I\u2019m incredibly proud and grateful to be able to contribute to that mission.\u201d<\/p>


    From the very beginning, co creation was at the heart of the process. Read on to discover how Roos put this approach into practice:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    \n\t\t\t\tTogether with young people, schools, foundations, funds, municipalities, and libraries, we shaped the core elements of the fund. In co-creation sessions, we continually tested the design against everyone\u2019s wishes and needs. This fosters shared ownership and creates a fund that truly works for the target group. And, not unimportantly: it\u2019s, of course, incredibly fun to work creatively with the stakeholders themselves and hear their ideas. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t- Roos Spekman (nlmtd) <\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Building on What Already Exists<\/strong>
    To give the fund the best possible chance of success, SKB consciously chose to build on existing initiatives rather than start from scratch.
    \u201cThink of municipal programs in Amsterdam and Utrecht, as well as innovative solutions such as the Rijke Schooldag App, which makes it easier to organize and coordinate after school activities,\u201d Roos explains.

    On the Road to Launch<\/strong>
    The first steps toward a regional launch have already been taken.
    \u201cThe goal is to launch the fund initially in one or more regions, in collaboration with a group of committed organizations, including school boards and local program providers, with support from the municipality,\u201d says Jeroen Paul.
    What This Changes
    The Talent and Community Fund (TOF) creates value for everyone involved:<\/p>