No. This is an initiative of five parents from the school. We work closely with the school's leadership, but the foundation is legally independent of the school and of the OOadA umbrella organisation. We have our own board, our own bank account and our own administration.
You're right. We also find it uncomfortable that this foundation is needed at all. Honestly, we don't really want this foundation to exist. We see it as an interim solution, not a new normal. Our ambition is that one day we can dissolve the foundation, because the government invests properly in primary education in Amsterdam again. Until then, we don't have time to wait: without additional funding, programmes in visual arts and movement will come under further pressure. That's why we work in parallel on the political side, together with other Amsterdam schools.
That's a legitimate concern. It's true that schools with more affluent parents may raise more. That's exactly why we're also active in a network of Amsterdam schools, and why we're seeking contact with the city authorities to put this on the political agenda. The foundation sees itself as a temporary way to keep cultural, physical and enrichment education accessible for as long as these activities are under pressure.
Yes. We're in touch with the Boekmanschool, the 15th Montessori school and the Nicolaas Maesschool (same cuts, comparable parent community), and with De Burght (which already has a working parent fund). We share knowledge about legal structures, payment models and political lobbying.
You don't have to give anything. It's entirely voluntary. The target amount is €100 or €200 per child per year, but any contribution is welcome. More or less is fine, an amount of your own choosing is fine too. Contributions are separate from pupils' participation in activities — all pupils benefit equally.
No problem. Your child benefits from the programmes just as much as children whose parents do pay. There's no ranking, no honour roll, no difference in treatment.
Not if you tick the "Donate anonymously" box in step 2 when you donate. If you don't, we as the foundation can see your name, only via the back end of our payment platform (WhyDonate). To be clear: the school never sees who does or doesn't contribute.
WhyDonate, the platform that processes the donations, suggests a voluntary tip for itself by default when you donate — sometimes fairly high. That tip goes to the platform, not to the foundation and not to the children. WhyDonate itself charges the foundation no platform fee and runs on these tips.
You're free to set the tip to €0 while donating; your full contribution then goes to the foundation. Note: on a phone the tip is easy to miss, so check the amount at checkout.
Yes. Stichting De Gelukkige Klas has been recognised as an ANBI by the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax authority). For a one-off donation, your gift is deductible if your total giving in the year exceeds the threshold (1% of your threshold income, with a minimum of €60). For a periodic donation over 5 years, the full amount is deductible, with no threshold or ceiling. A periodic donation of €200 a year then costs you around €115 net (in the 37% tax bracket). If you have your own BV (Dutch limited company), you can deduct gifts from corporate income tax. You can read more about both routes on the donate page.
You sign a simple agreement (with us or with a notary, both are fine) in which you commit to giving a fixed amount for five years. As the foundation has ANBI status, your donation is fully tax-deductible. We send you a form, you sign it, done. We're happy to help with filling it in. The donate page explains exactly how to arrange it.
Just email us at info@gelukkigeklas.nl and we'll look at the options together with you. We're happy to help.
Yes, entirely. The parent association contribution (OR-bijdrage) you pay via the school (through Schoolkassa, the school's payment app) covers activities like Sinterklaas, school trips and Koek en Boek. Lunch supervision (TSO) and after-school care (BSO) are also arranged separately. The foundation covers what's under pressure from the cuts: visual arts, gym for kindergartners by a specialist teacher, and the cultural programme. That's a separate donation, into a separate bank account.
A one-off donation is by definition one-off. A periodic donation runs for five years, then stops by itself.
In the first phase we focus on programmes in visual arts, movement and culture, including lessons currently delivered by specialist teachers. The school commissions the work, the teacher or organisation invoices us, we pay. You can read more about exactly what we fund on the what we do page.
Not for now, because the amounts are small and earmarked donations create a lot of administration. We also think it's important that the school itself decides which programmes are important for all children, so this focus is set as neutrally as possible. We are considering working with themed campaigns in later years (such as a specific cultural project), as a number of parents also suggested in the survey.
Every year we publish an activity report and a financial overview on the ANBI page. It shows exactly what came in, what went out, and what donations were spent on. The site is also updated at least twice a year.
Three board members (chair, secretary, treasurer), all parents, all unpaid. Two operational team members. We meet formally a few times a year, and otherwise stay in touch via email and WhatsApp. Articles of association and policy plan are on the ANBI page.
Yes. The Belastingdienst has recognised the foundation as an ANBI, retroactively to the date of incorporation (29 April 2026). Donations you have made since incorporation are therefore deductible for income tax.
Five parents at the TTSA. See the About us page for who we are and how to reach us.
Yes please. Email info@gelukkigeklas.nl. We need active help with communications, design, class-parent outreach, and a few specific skills. We'll match you with someone on the team.
Email info@gelukkigeklas.nl. We reply within a few days, and we add the question (anonymised) to the FAQ if it's relevant for others.
