A year ago, Fonds 1818 decided to start receiving applications through FindNFund's Smart Application. No reorganisation, no new assessment framework, and no restructuring of the workflow — just a seemingly simple step: an additional entry point for applications. Yet this choice touches on a more fundamental question that is increasingly prominent in the funding world: how do you organise your application process in a way that fits the times and the people you serve?
Director Sanne ten Bokkel Huinink doesn't need long to reflect. ”What has it brought us? Happy applicants. And that's what we do it for.”
Not an internal necessity, but a principled choice
Fonds 1818 had its processes in order. Each year, the fund receives sufficient applications through its own system. There was no operational pressure to change. The move towards FindNFund came from a broader conviction about how the sector should develop.
“Fundraising is time-consuming and complicated for many social organisations,” says Sanne. “Different forms, different portals, submitting the same information over and over again. As a fund, you have to ask yourself: who are we actually doing this for?”
He has long advocated for reversing the perspective. “I believe funds should think more from the applicant's point of view. If you truly believe that, you also have to be willing to adapt. Otherwise, it's just words.” Joining FindNFund felt like a logical consequence of that vision.
“We already had a front door. Now we have a second one. Both front doors lead into the same house. And inside, we treat you exactly the way we always have.”
An extra front door, not a renovation
The transition turned out to be organisationally straightforward. Applications that come in through FindNFund are read directly into the fund's own system via a technical integration and then processed in exactly the same way as all other applications.
Sanne uses an image that says a lot about the nature of the change. “We already had a front door. Now we have a second one. Both front doors lead into the same house. And inside, we treat you exactly the way we always have.”
What it means on the other side of the door
While little changed internally, something significant happened externally. This is evident from the stories of applicants. For professional fundraiser Guido Deuzeman of Het Danspaleis, a whole new world opened up. He describes how he quickly found funds through the filters that had previously been off his radar. “With your FindNFund account, you can quickly submit your application to multiple funds because it reuses your information. That saves an enormous amount of time.” He adds with a laugh: “I talk about it so enthusiastically that it almost sounds like I'm advertising.”
Kees Quak of Stichting Droom Je Thuis, a parent initiative for young adults with disabilities, also emphasises the practical benefits. “It's truly a relief that you can use your project plan directly for multiple applications.” Thanks to contributions from various funds, the foundation was able to purchase a new wheelchair-accessible bus, among other things.
For Fonds 1818, these are not isolated success stories, but signals that the movement is working. “The time applicants save, they can spend on their social work,” says Sanne. “That's where the real impact lies. From the moment we opened up, it was a change for applicants. That beginning has been made.”
Regional dynamics and collaboration
In The Hague, where an estimated 3,000 social foundations and associations are active, a network of funds accessible through the same platform is slowly emerging. Several Hague-based funds now receive applications via FindNFund and share experiences. “I think our experiences are very similar,” says Sanne. “It shows that it's possible without losing your own identity or way of working.”
This shifts the significance of the platform from an individual tool to shared infrastructure. Applicants gain overview and efficiency; funds retain their own criteria and decision-making. Some funds use the platform exclusively for the intake of applications, while others choose to organise assessment and further processing through it as well.
“The interest of helping applicants is greater than our own interest. If we truly put that at the centre, the sector will be stronger for it.”
Disappointment and a call to action
Still, Sanne had expected the sector to join more quickly. “Honestly, I had thought more funds would participate sooner.” He hears the objections: concerns about costs, about autonomy, about commercial parties in a public sector.
For him, another argument carries more weight. “The interest of helping applicants is greater than our own interest. If we truly put that at the centre, the sector will be stronger for it.”
At the same time, he puts the risk in perspective. “If it doesn't work out, you simply close the front door again. But at least give it a chance.”
Future-proof fund management
The experience of Fonds 1818 shows that digitalisation doesn't have to mean reorganisation. It can also be a controlled, strategic step: becoming more accessible to applicants while keeping your own assessment framework and way of working fully intact.
After a year, his conclusion is clear. “Our applicants are incredibly enthusiastic and they show it. Those reactions tell me that we made the right move.”
For funds reflecting on their application process, the question may not be about efficiency alone, but about positioning. How do you want to be visible and accessible as a fund in a sector that is further digitalising and collaborating more? What infrastructure suits professional, future-oriented fund management? Sometimes that movement starts with a relatively small step.
Those who wish to explore what working with FindNFund's Smart Application or grant management could mean for their own fund can contact Nienke at nienke@findnfund.com.
