Carel Nengerman Fund transferred to the Cultuurfonds

The Carel Nengerman Fund was established in 1981 as a retirement gift for Carel Nengerman, then Chair of the Executive Board of AMEV, one of the legal predecessors of insurance company a.s.r. The fund’s purpose is to support culture and nature in the province of Utrecht.

Today, the board of the Carel Nengerman Fund Foundation and the Cultuurfonds signed the agreement in the presence of Hans Oosters, the King’s Commissioner in the province of Utrecht. Each year, €125,000 will be available for choirs, theatre groups, musical ensembles, landscape projects and nature initiatives in the province of Utrecht.

From 1 January 2027, Cultuurfonds Utrecht will process applications to the Carel Nengerman Fund. Associations, foundations and initiatives in the province will then be able to apply for funding through cultuurfonds.nl. In 2026, the foundation will continue to operate in the usual way. The Cultuurfonds will build on what the fund has always done: support local amateur arts and nature projects.

A fund, not a statue

For many years, Carel Nengerman was the driving force behind major developments at AMEV, including nine years as Chair of the Executive Board. Under his leadership, AMEV transformed from a family business into a publicly listed company. When he stepped down as Chair of the Executive Board in May 1981, AMEV was a wide-ranging international group of companies active in insurance, financial services, property development and trade. To mark his departure, Carel Nengerman received not a statue but a fund, whose purpose was to promote culture and nature in the province of Utrecht. For almost 45 years, the foundation did exactly that. In recent years, hundreds of associations and initiatives in the province have received financial support from the fund.

Hans Bartelds, Chair of the Carel Nengerman Fund since 1988: “Carel wanted to leave something behind for the place where he had worked and lived throughout his life. For all these years, we have managed the fund with great pleasure under the auspices of AMEV/a.s.r., but at some point you have to look ahead. To safeguard the fund’s activities and continuity of governance, we are continuing the Carel Nengerman Fund as a named fund within the Cultuurfonds.”

Cathelijne Broers, Director of the Cultuurfonds: “The Carel Nengerman Fund has existed for 45 years and is now making a very deliberate choice for the future. By becoming part of the Cultuurfonds as a CultuurFonds op Naam, its continuity is secured. We are very pleased about that. The Cultuurfonds will manage the assets and process applications together with our Utrecht office. In this way, the fund will continue contributing to culture and nature in the province for decades to come.”

About a CultuurFonds op Naam

A CultuurFonds op Naam is a fund within the Cultuurfonds with its own name and purpose. Individuals, foundations and public authorities establish such funds for causes they consider important. A personal fund can be created through a donation made during one’s lifetime and/or through a will. The Cultuurfonds assesses applications and takes care of the administration, while keeping the founders involved in their fund. The Carel Nengerman Fund will become one of the larger CultuurFondsen op Naam for the province of Utrecht. The Carel Nengerman Fund Foundation is expected to be dissolved in mid-2027; its remaining assets will then also be transferred to the named fund.