The Dutch Cancer Society (DCS; in Dutch: '' 'KWF Kankerbestrijding' '') is a Dutch

Society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

committed to fight

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

scientific research The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and medieval world. The ...

, education,

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, op ...

support and fundraising in cooperation with volunteers, donors, patients, doctors and researchers. By this commitment, DCS targets less cancer, more cures and a higher quality of life for cancer patients. Its motto is, '' 'Everyone Deserves a Tomorrow' ''.

Establishment

The Dutch Cancer Society was established in 1949. Her Majesty Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands at that time, celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 1948 and received a 'National Gift', an amount of almost two million

Dutch guilders The guilder (, ) or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from 1434 until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. The Dutch name was a Middle Dutch adjective meaning 'golden', and reflects the fact that, when first introduced in 1434, its ...

(currently this would be worth over eight million

euros The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

), which she decided to dedicate to the fight against cancer. The ''Queen Wilhelmina Fund Foundation'' ('' 'Stichting Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds' '') was established in March 1949 to manage this money. A group of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

dignitaries established the ''Society for Support of the Queen Wilhelmina Fund'' ('' 'Vereniging tot Steun aan het Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds' '') in that same month, to raise funds so the Foundation would be able to continue its work after having spent the National Gift. The Society and Foundation merged to one organization led by a

Board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ...

on 1 June 2007.

Funding

The Dutch Cancer Society does not receive any financial support from the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

. While its annual door-to-door fundraising is an important source of revenues, the Society also receives

donations A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...

from over 800,000 regular donors and

lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

participants (almost 5% of the total Dutch population, being around 17 million) and from approx. 20,000 companies. DCS shares in the revenues of several national lotteries, organizes its own season lotteries, and it obtains over 40% of its revenues from

inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

s. The Society has over 1,600 local divisions throughout the country. Hundreds of individuals each year organize fundraising actions for DCS, for example '' Alpe d'HuZes'', ''Ride for the Roses'' and local events derived from the US

Relay for Life Relay For Life is a community-based walkathon and the largest fundraising event of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Teams of people, varying in size, alternate between walking laps and interacting with other aspects of the fundraiser. Each year ...

concept. Just over 64,000 guilders (currently worth approx. 250,000 euros) were gathered in 1949; in 2008 nearly a 100 million euros were fundraised.

Use of revenues

80% of the budget after deduction of costs (16% of the revenues) is spent on scientific research. The Dutch Cancer Society does not conduct any research itself, but it funds scientific research at

universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and other

research institutes A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural sc ...

. While DCS facilitates approximately half of cancer research conducted in the Netherlands, the Government does so for the other half. DCS has invested in about 350 ongoing research projects. It spent 54 million euros at research and researcher education in 2008. The Dutch Cancer Society bases its education of patients and the general public on knowledge obtained by research on the occurrence and treatment of cancer. The Society spent 17 million euros (20% of its budget) to education and patient support in 2008.

Sources

* * ''Goede Doelen Gids / 2010'' (2009) , Lenthe Publishers & Consultants - Amstelveen ( Charity Guide)

External links

English pages - KWF Kankerbestrijding
* :nl: KWF Kankerbestrijding {{Authority control Cancer fundraisers Non-profit organisations based in the Netherlands