About us

Avalon is an international foundation based in the Netherlands, specialised in managing and implementing international organic farming projects. Since its establishment in 1991, Avalon has implemented more than 150 projects in 33 countries (23 European, 8 Asian and 2 African countries). Its major donors include the European Commission (DG Agriculture and DG Environment), the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environmental Facility Fund (GEF), Dutch Ministries (Agriculture, Nature Conservation, Environment, Economic Affairs), Ministries from other European countries (a.o. Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Croatia), Dutch Postcode Lottery and several private foundations.

Avalon has been serving the organic movement for more than three decades, facilitating transition to a greener agriculture. Avalon is a true organic pioneer and has passed through all stages of the development of organic sector. Avalon has an excellent overview of the international organic arena and knows “who is who” in the organic sector – and all key players know Avalon. Avalon stands for quality, integrity, and credibility.

Avalon in a nutshell

Name

Stichting Avalon Foundation

RSIN (tax number)

8004.70.813

Contact details

Avalon Foundation

van Burmaniawei 8

8733 EP Iens

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 6 23 31 62 78

E-mail: office@avalon.nl

Foundation’s objectives

The objectives of the Avalon Foundation are:

to manage, strengthen and give secretarial support to the "Avalon Network",
to promote organic agriculture, agri-environmental programmes; agrobiodiversity; multifunctional agriculture, sustainable rural development;
to increase knowledge about the relationship between agriculture, nutrition, health, nature, environment and other relevant sectors;
to stimulate education, information and research with respect to the aforementioned sectors;
to strengthen local organisations and joint ventures and co-operatives that are active in the aforementioned sectors, where necessary in an interregional context.

Past and on-going activities

An overview of Avalon's past and on-going activities can be found here.

Sources of revenue

Avalon’s main source of income is consultancy services sold through projects. These are nearly always funded by public money, but in a few cases also by private foundations or businesses. The list of funders of Avalon’s projects is provided in the tables above.

Avalon’s revenue is based on the fees charged for services provided for implementing projects, which are typically a percentage of the total project cost. The entire income is used to support the organisation's mission and to fund its operations.

Avalon's annual financial report for 2022 is available to the public and can be viewed on its website. It provides information about Avalon's financial performance, including its income and expenses. The financial report is prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles by an independent accountant company.

How is the revenue spent?

The revenue generated from implementing projects is used to cover various expenses related to the organisation's mission and activities. A significant portion of the revenue typically goes towards covering the costs of time spent on implementing the projects themselves. This includes paying honoraria to consultants, experts, researchers, and other experts who are directly involved in carrying out the projects. If the projects involve local or international travel for experts, the revenue would be used to cover travel expenses. This might include airfare, accommodation, meals, transportation, and any other related costs. When Avalon organises training sessions, workshops, seminars, and other events to share knowledge, build capacity, and raise awareness about its cause, the revenue would be used to cover the costs of organizing and hosting these events, including venue rental, materials, catering, and any fees for speakers or trainers. If the projects involve demonstrating or showcasing certain activities in the field, the revenue would be allocated to cover the costs associated with these demonstrations. This might include materials, seeds, farm equipment, transportation, and personnel needed for these activities. A portion of the revenue goes towards administrative costs, which include office rent, utilities, office supplies, communication tools, software, and other overhead expenses necessary for the organization's day-to-day operations. The revenue is also used to cover costs related to website maintenance, social media management, and other communication efforts.

Avalon strives to set aside a portion of its revenue (currently about € 30,000) as a contingency/reserve fund to cover unexpected expenses or fluctuations in funding. Avalon does not possess any assets.

Remuneration policy

Remuneration Executive Board: the Supervisory Board determines the remuneration and other contractual conditions of the Executive Board (Statutes, article 5.9). The Executive Director is hired as an external consultant and is remunerated (if financial situation permits it) according to the conditions and rules set out in his contract. The annual remuneration is limited to the DG standard.

Remuneration Supervisory Board: the Supervisory Board in principle does not receive a remuneration for its activities. However, a modest remuneration is allowed if justified by the activities and the financial situation of the organization (Statutes, article 9.6).

Remuneration Advisory Council: the Advisory Council does not receive any remuneration.

Remuneration employees: Employees are remunerated based on the internal arrangement remuneration policy of employees. Avalon currently does not have any employees on a pay roll.

Multi-year policy plan

Avalon's multi-year policy plan can be found here.

Financial annual statement 2022

Avalon's financial statement for 2022 can be found here.

ANBI status (non-profit organisation)

Avalon Foundation qualifies for a ‘Grote ANBI’, because it has generated more than € 100,000 total income in the reference year 2021. The income in 2022 was higher than € 50,000, but lower than € 100,000. However, Avalon does not consider itself a typical ‘fondsenwervende instelling’, as it does not systematically approach private persons, companies, or funds to donate money or goods in order to realize its objectives.