Anton Jurgens Fonds | Kwakkenbergweg 62-1 | 6523 MN Nijmegen | tel: 024 - 360 99 10 | NL: info@antonjurgensfonds.nl | UK: grants@ajct.org.uk | route
The Anton Jurgens Fonds (AJF) is devoted to giving vulnerable people a chance to develop themselves both socially and economically, in an enterprising fashion. Toward this end, AJF supports innovative initiatives that offer people the opportunity to participate (again) in society through a work environment. Taking part in the job market helps people to take a step in the right direction on the road to independent living. And not only in financial terms – participation in the job market also encourages a person to be motivated, involved and to adopt a positive attitude to life.
On the road to work
Our focus also lies on people who have promising potential, but live in an environment lacking opportunities. People who have abilities to make a meaningful contribution to a job, but who possess insufficient skills, work experience and training to autonomously find a job. Initiatives within our scope can be aimed at enabling these people to participate in practical forms of work with supervision and support. But sometimes what they really need is preparation for a specific work situation – for example through a practical training and improvement of social skills – which regular education does not provide.
An eye toward the future
AJF aspires to be a partner in project initiatives that are aimed at achieving long term social impact. Within that scope, we have a distinct preference for business models that – apart from producing social benefits – have the potential to cover at least 50% of the operating costs from commercial revenues. In this way we stimulate entrepreneurs to be independent from sponsors.
Financial and non-financial support
AJF supports social entrepreneurs in their growth toward achieving the next business stage, in which they can attract regular financing in order to finance further growth. Linked to financial support, AJF also offers non-financial support to social entrepreneurs. With the deployment of our knowledge, expertise and advice we help entrepreneurs to organise their operation in such a way, that the intended impact can be achieved both efficiently and sustainably.
In West Africa and Indonesia, the Anton Jurgens Fonds (AJF) focuses on the creation of income for families in rural areas, within the context of Agricultural Development.
Community Building and Value Increase
AJF believes in the value of community building (women’s groups, associations, cooperatives, unions) and in chain integration, in which the farmer participates as much as possible in the creation of value, accrued in all stages of the agricultural chain, from production to consumption.
Partner Organisations
AJF wants to cooperate with organisations in Europe, which have a partner organisation in the country where the initiative takes place (focus country). Communication between both organisations must be optimal, they must both add value to the project to be supported and they must be willing to discuss their approach with AJF and – if required – implement adjustments. In the assessment of applications, a great deal of attention is devoted to governance, skills, experience, knowledge of the work area, ethnic embedding, relations with administrative and traditional authorities, capacities for narrative and numerical reporting, safeguarding of continuity, etc.
Entrepreneurship and Bottom-up Approach
AJF greatly values the presence of a healthy dose of entrepreneurship and care for self-reliance and sustainability with its partners. AJF is also convinced of the urgency of a bottom-up approach: applications must be supported by the beneficiaries and must be feasible in a sustainable manner.
Geographical focus
Every area has its own specific issues (climate, cultural, economic). In order to achieve synergy and sustainability, an in-depth understanding of the work field is vital. It takes time and energy to build up know-how and cooperative relationships. But once you really know the context, you can achieve better results by strengthening what is already there. Within the work field of Agricultural Development, AJF has made a choice to confine its efforts to initiatives in West Africa and Indonesia. In these countries, AJF works in regions where know-how can be shared between several partners.
The Anton Jurgens Fonds defines ‘social impact’ as follows:
Sustainable, positive social development that in the (semi-)long term contributes measurably to capacity, food security, personal development and autonomy.
Together with its partners, AJF is continually seeking to strike a healthy balance between (impact) objectives, output and reality. We view the business of monitoring results, achieving impact and making clear reports on these endeavours as a shared challenge and responsibility.
Many social challenges require a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach and commitment for the (medium) long term. In order to make the road to sustainable impact clear and apparent in the meantime, AJF uses predefined output and outcome indicators. They are identified for all portfolio-initiatives and form the ‘milestones’, as it were, of long-term impact: