Money for Mental Health
With Money for Mental Health I support mental health initiatives with their fundraising.
About Your Initiative
You have a project related to mental health. You’d like to secure funding, but you’re not sure where to begin — or perhaps you simply don’t have the time.
Here are some examples of the kinds of projects I support:
- A youth programme to build resilience
- A festival focused on emotions and wellbeing
- A programme promoting healthy habits and connection with nature
- A project that integrates personal development into regular education
- A neighbourhood initiative to reduce loneliness
- A programme on sexual health and resilience for boys and girls
- An initiative that fosters body awareness among vulnerable groups
- Participation in MDT (maatschappelijke diensttijd)
Projects can take place in the Netherlands or abroad.
How I Work
We start with a conversation about your initiative — what’s already in place, and what your wishes are for the future. If possible, I like to join one of your activities so I can truly experience and feel the impact of your work. This helps me convey a strong, authentic story to potential funders.
Sometimes there are already leads; other times we start from scratch. Ideally, your organisation develops a project budget and a team member can design documents in your own housestyle if required, while I map out the funding landscape and identify the most promising opportunities. I’ll estimate the hours I expect to need, and we’ll discuss and agree on this together.
I work as a freelancer and do not operate on a “no cure, no pay” basis. I charge an hourly rate, and we can agree on a predefined bonus structure that will be paid once the funding is confirmed.
I especially enjoy long-term collaborations over one-off assignments — once we get to know each other, my work becomes more aligned with your organisation’s mission and needs.
About Me
My name is Aukje te Kaat – therapist, sociologist, and fundraiser. I live in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Throughout my career, mental health has been the central theme.
As a young person, I felt a deep urge to save the world. Studying sociology felt like the right step in that direction. For nearly ten years, I worked in international development — supporting youth organisations in the slums of Tanzania and Kenya, and working with refugees in Malawi for UNHCR.
Over time, I learned that I don’t need to save the whole world — no one can. But I can make a meaningful contribution to mental health and personal development. My background as a researcher, sociologist, and therapist — combined with being bilingual (Dutch/English) — allows me to connect with people and organisations on many levels.
Relevant Experience
- 2020-2025: Fundraising Stichting Breekjaar (Fonds21, VBSFonds, GreenatHeart, MDT)
- 2019-2023 School of Life: education to become a therapist
- 2015-2020: Aflatoun International (several fundsraising projects)
- 2012-2014 Advanced master conflict & development, Ghent University
- 2011-2012 Research about life skills for young professionals, Ghent University
- 2005-2009 Bachelor & Master sociologie, Radboud University Nijmegen
Results
Since 2015, I’ve been working in fundraising for NGOs. I enjoy building long-term relationships with foundations, showcasing the impact of our work, and developing proposals for future projects. Between 2015 and now, I’ve raised over €3.4 million for various organisations.
I look forward to meeting you — and exploring how we can make a difference together.