Meet us
Fred Foundation was founded in 1996 by Fred Matser. The foundation comprises an organization for the day-to-day work plus a board that is also closely involved.
Organization
Aartjan Bontje
Director
Aartjan chose to take a different path after having worked in the financial and professional services sector for 15 years. Immediately after his studies and later while working at KPMG and SNS REAAL, he worked as a volunteer for various social foundations and associations. Aartjan joined the Fred Foundation as director in 2017, and every day he enthusiastically puts his knowledge and expertise to work in support of a variety of issues close to his heart. ‘’It truly is a privilege to be able to contribute, with the team and through the assets provided by the Fred Foundation, towards realizing a better society for man and nature.’’
Manou Zonderland
Refugee Program Manager
Manou is driven by a strong sense of justice. Her sociology studies in International Migration and Public Policy at LSE (with honours) focused on inequality, human rights and refugees. She provided legal assistance to asylum seekers who had no documentation and worked at the United Nations in New York for two years when the Sustainable Development Goals were being negotiated. She has worked for the Fred Foundation since 2018. In the role of Refugee Programme Manager, she focuses on systemic change for people who have had to flee. She draws inspiration from all the beautiful, creative and innovative initiatives she sees in the field and the impassioned people she works with. She lives in Amsterdam with her partner Martin and their two children Lou and Matís. They enjoy exploring Europe’s mountains and coasts together in their camper van, Boris.
Jan Ebeltjes
Manager Ukraine Projects
Jan is the founder of the CHOE Foundation (1994), an organization which leads several projects to improve the lives of orphans, psychiatric patients and students in Ukraine. Before choosing to pursue a full-time career in charity, Jan functioned as an interim manager for several telecommunication companies, such as KPN Netherlands, gaining experience in IT and business process management. In 2001 Jan accepted a full-time position with the Fred Foundation with the mandate to build a Ukrainian practice. He is active as a composer and accompanies several choirs on organ and piano. His motto: music fondles the heart, organizes the soul and unites people.
Program Manager Animal Welfare & Manager Operations
Jasper Folmer
Program Manager
Nature & Climate
Jasper is grateful to have grown up amid the nature of Twente. He is convinced that this is where his love for nature was born Jasper is dedicated to helping nature and climate restoration through the Nature and Climate theme. He works enthusiastically and intuitively, and he has a no-nonsense mentality. In addition to his work for the Fred Foundation, Jasper facilitates nature restoration and climate expedition leadership programmes in Europe’s pristine wilderness areas. He also spends a lot of time in nature in his private life, living on an old farm in the Betuwe region with his family.
Anna Groenewegen
Program Manager
Public Interest
Anna has a wide-ranging background. Fifteen years ago, while studying philosophy, she started an organic lunch café with a local art gallery, followed by numerous other projects. There was always a common denominator to these projects: making the world a better place. Anna is grateful that she can put that into practice with her work at the Fred Foundation. For the last four years, she has been involved in the Food4Smiles project as a project leader. At the end of 2022, she started focusing on the Public Interests theme, which centres on investigative journalism. Anna lives in Delft with her partner Ben, daughter Josje and son Maas. . At the weekends, you are more likely to find them at the beach or in the woods with their family dog, Koos.
Martine d’Hooghe
After a marketing career and running her own advertising agency, Martine is Program Manager for Animal Welfare and Manager Operations. “When I look into my dog’s eyes, it’s as if the veils of the ego are lifted. For a brief moment I feel connected to consciousness, the essence. I do not know of a faster journey from the head to the heart.” How people treat animals is horrifying. Many animals are structurally exploited and treated as products. Animals have the right to live according to their nature. Eating less and better meat, keeping fewer animals in a more animal-friendly way. This is not only better for the animals, but also for humans and our environment.
Sandra Kloezen
Program Manager People in Challenging Circumstances
Sandra’s background includes general medical training and she has had the opportunity to work on many wonderful projects at home and abroad. She worked with Fred Matser in the 1990s on the theme of Inspiration in Healthcare and has been part of the Fred Foundation team since 2019. She explores initiatives both inside the Netherlands and beyond its borders that give people more security for their livelihoods, actively helping think things through and establishing interconnections where possible. In addition to her work for the Fred Foundation, Sandra volunteers one day a week at Kruispost, a medical station for uninsured people. That generates great intersectionality.
Board
Nina Matser
Chairman
Nina (1974) worked at a major auction house after studying art history. She later attended art school and is now working as a painter. She is married, has three children and lives and works in Amsterdam.
Through her father (founder of Fred Foundation), she has been involved in Fred Foundation’s work from an early age. She considers it a privilege to be chairman of the board. The initiatives that Fred Foundation initiates and supports are close to her heart.
Evert Greup
Secretary & treasurer
Evert Greup (1956) is married and has two children and three grand children. He studied econometrics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and obtained his MBA at the University of Rochester (USA). From 1982 until 2010, Evert worked in the financial sector, amongst which he functioned as CEO of Kempen & Co and afterwards at the VvAA group. By joining the board of War Child in 2004, a new world opened up to him. Ever since, his interests shifted to ‘charity’ (in the modern sense of the word) and social entrepreneurship.
Johan Bontje
Board member
Johan Bontje (1952) was partner and co-owner of Boer & Croon Strategy and Management Group in Amsterdam from 1980 until 2000 and amongst others lecturer at the Free University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Presently he works as an independent boardroom consultant and executive coach for individuals and teams. As former chairman of the Foundation for Natural Leadership Johan still undertakes journeys with leaders to Africa and Europe. With his focus on general management – with its human and business sides – he has a quick understanding of the work environment. He (co-)wrote 5 pragmatic books on strategy, flexibility, rational and emotional management and authentic leadership.
Lyke Matser
Board member
With a broad international background and work experience, academic degree (communications) and INSEAD MBA, Lyke Matser (1980) joined the board as of July 1, 2024. Through her father, Fred Matser (founder Fred Foundation), it was instilled in her at an early age what a privilege it is to get involved in charity.
The years living in Norway taught her the value of spending a lot of time with her Norwegian husband and children in nature. Lyke believes it is important to teach children to love nature and make them aware of their own impact on nature and their environment. Nature is good for developing senses, motor skills, concentration, thinking skills and creativity.
Honorary committee
Fred Matser
Honorary chairman
Fred Matser (1945) is a leading Dutch philanthropist, humanitarian and philosopher. He headed a successful commercial real estate company. A life-changing experience radically affected his vision on life, death and the human condition. Fred uses insights gained from his intuition, to restore the dynamic balance and harmony in ourselves, between people and in nature. He does this through the work of a large number of foundations he has founded and funded, such as Fred Foundation, Essentia Foundation, Flowfund and ForestPeace Foundation of which he was chairman for many years.
For Fred Foundation, he fulfilled the chair role with great compassion and verve from its creation in 1996 until July 2024. Because of the exceptional significance Fred is and has been to Fred Foundation, he has been appointed honorary chair.
The development of consciousness is central to his life. Please visit fredmaster.com.
Jane Goodall
Honorary board member
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE (1934), one of the world’s most famous scientists, is known for her landmark study of chimpanzees in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. In 1977, Dr. Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI. With offices in over a dozen countries around the world, the Institute is widely recognized for innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa and a global youth program, Roots & Shoots, which currently operates in 90 countries.
She served on the board of Fred Foundation for many years, for which we honor her.
Deepak Chopra
Honorary board member
Dr. Deepak Chopra (1946) is the author of more than seventy-five books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a member of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.
He served on the board of Fred Foundation for many years, for which we honor him.