The newly published annual report of the Dutch Postcode Loterij once again confirms why the organization remains one of the most influential philanthropic actors in Europe.

In 2025, the lottery distributed €378 million to 174 charitable organizations. Together with the wider Postcode Lottery Group — active in the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany and Norway — annual contributions to charities worldwide are now approaching €1 billion annually. Since its founding, the group has distributed more than €15 billion to good causes globally.

What continues to set the Dutch Postcode Loterij apart is not only the size of the funding, but the philosophy behind it. The Lottery remains one of the strongest advocates of long-term, trust-based and largely unrestricted funding. In a philanthropic landscape where many donors are becoming increasingly compliance-heavy and project-driven, this approach stands out.

For NGOs, this matters.

Flexible funding allows organizations to invest in leadership, systems, staff, innovation, advocacy and long-term organizational development — areas that are often difficult to fund through traditional project grants. The annual report repeatedly emphasizes the importance of supporting organizations themselves, not only isolated projects.

The report also reflects broader shifts within philanthropy. The organizations supported by the Lottery span climate, biodiversity, human rights, health, equality, social cohesion and community resilience. Increasingly, the focus is on interconnected societal challenges rather than narrow thematic silos.

Another notable takeaway is the continued strength of the Dutch charity lottery model itself. Millions of participants continue to contribute annually, allowing the Lottery to maintain and expand its support despite broader economic uncertainty and increasing pressure on the nonprofit sector.

For fundraisers, the report reinforces several important realities about securing support from the Postcode Loterij:

• Strong projects alone are not enough.
• Organizational credibility and public legitimacy matter heavily.
• Positioning within broader societal debates is important.
• Long-term relevance and visibility play a major role.
• Trust-based philanthropy still requires strong governance and impact.

One of the most underestimated aspects of Postcode Loterij fundraising is that it requires organizations to position themselves institutionally. Applicants are not only assessed on what they want to do, but also on whether the Lottery wants to stand behind the organization itself over a longer period of time.

That requires a different type of fundraising strategy than traditional proposal writing alone.

At HVFC we see growing interest from NGOs worldwide in understanding how the Dutch Postcode Loterij works in practice — especially because of the combination of large-scale funding and trust-based philanthropy.

That is why we are currently running the face-to-face edition of our training: Make Your Proposal Win at the Dutch Postcode Loterij. Due to strong interest, a new online edition will start in June.

The training focuses not only on proposal writing itself, but also on:

• how the Lottery assesses organizations,
• what trust-based philanthropy means in practice,
• common mistakes organizations make,
• organizational positioning,
• strategic fit,
• and how to increase the likelihood of becoming relevant to the Lottery over time.

The Dutch Postcode Loterij is often described as one of the most desired donors globally because of its funding size, openness and flexible funding model. At the same time, competition remains strong and only a limited number of organizations are ultimately selected.

For organizations interested in understanding the donor behind the proposal process, the new annual report offers valuable insights.