The Friends of Saqqara Foundation (Stichting Friends of Saqqara, FoS) is a Public Benefit Organisation (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling, ANBI) established by notarial deed on April 29, 2003 and statutorily located in Leiden, the Netherlands.
Identification Numbers
The Foundation is listed in the Trade Register (Handelsregister) of the Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel, KvK) under number 28097667.
The Foundation’s Legal Entities and Partnerships Identification Number (Rechtspersonen en Samenwerkingsverbanden Informatienummer, RSIN) is 8126.59.296.
Address
Stichting Friends of Saqqara
Witte Singel 25
2311 BG Leiden
The Netherlands
E-mail: friends@saqqara.nl
Board Members
Executive Board
Vincent Oeters – Chairman
Liliane Mann – Secretary
Roderick Geerts – Treasurer
General Board
Marieke van der Kuijl
Mathijs Smith
Vincent Verschoor
Previous Board Members
Arnold Jan Stuart
Carolien van Zoest
Cocky Demarée
Peter-Jan Bomhof
Hans van den Berg
Joost Golverdingen
Graciella Roosien
Fania Kruijf
Marije Vugts
Joris van Weteringen
Objectives
The objectives of the Foundation, as laid down in its Articles of Association, are:
a. to stimulate and subsidize Dutch archaeological research in Egypt, such as – but not exclusively – the research undertaken by the National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) in Leiden, the department of Egyptology of Leiden University (UL) and/or any other Dutch or Flemish scientific institute.
b. to bring the above mentioned research to the attention of interested people and to disseminate knowledge and/or facilitate such dissemination of said research and of ancient Egypt in general;
c. to support Dutch and/or Flemish Egyptological research in general; and everything else that is directly or indirectly related or may be conducive thereto, all in the broadest possible sense.
Policy
In order to achieve its objectives, the Friends of Saqqara Foundation is dependent on (i) the efforts of volunteers, and (ii) the annual (financial) support of donors, the Friends of Saqqara.
The volunteers are generally (former) students who are (or have been) connected to the departments of Egyptology and/or Archaeology at Leiden University. The members of the Executive Board and of the General Board are all volunteers. In addition, further volunteers are deployed to help organize the specific activities of the Foundation.
The Friends, currently totaling about 200 in number, each donate at least € 35 per year per person to the Foundation, although there is a reduced rate for students. Still, in recent years, the number of Friends that donate (substantially) more has grown markedly.
With the help of volunteers and donors, the Foundation has developed three sets of activities, which can be considered to represent the pillars of the efforts of the Foundation. These three pillars are: (i) the organization of an annual Saqqara-day at which presentations are given on topics related to Saqqara, (ii) the development and maintenance of the website, and (iii) the publication of the annual Saqqara Newsletter. Specialized committees have been set up within the organization of the Foundation for each of these three pillars, all composed of Board Members and of volunteers. Each in its own way contributes to the objectives of the Foundation and simultaneously keeps the (Board Members of the) Foundation and Friends in touch. Naturally, all of the above mentioned activities are intended to increase the number of donors and donations year on year.
In addition to the donations from the Friends of Saqqara, the Foundation also receives gifts, both incidental and structural in nature. In certain cases, these gifts are even tax-deductible for the contributor. The annual Saqqara-day is a further source of income, as the day is also open to (paying) guests and as various additional fundraising activities are organized throughout the course of the day, such as a raffle and a book sale. Finally, a minor yield is generated each year by placing the income of the Foundation on a savings account.
The Foundation’s equity – all income after deduction of expenses, including the costs incurred for the organization of the Saqqara-day, the hosting of the website and the production of the Saqqara Newsletter – is in principle to stimulate and subsidize Dutch archaeological research in Egypt. If a Dutch mission at any moment wishes to make use of the financial resources of the Foundation, it shall submit to the Foundation a request thereto, in which the practical application of the requested funds is indicated. Although there are no statutory restrictions in this respect, the Foundation generally only provides funding for one-off investments, such as the restoration of a specific grave, the acquisition of specialist equipment or the realization of specific research. Annually recurring budget items of the mission, such as airline tickets for the expedition members or rent for the excavation house, will in principle not be eligible for a contribution from the Friends of Saqqara Foundation.
Remuneration
The Foundation does not uphold a remuneration policy, since none of the Members of the Board receive recompense and because the Foundation does not employ any personnel.
Report
The latest annual report (2021) is downloadable here Financieel Jaarverslag 2021. The audit committee report of financial year 2021 is only available in Dutch.
Financial Statement
At the beginning of each new year, the Foundation’s Treasurer prepares a financial statement, providing an account of the finances of the Foundation over the past year, through a statement of income and expenses, balance sheets and further overviews.
For questions or further clarification, please feel free to contact the Treasurer via email at friends@saqqara.nl.
Credits
Web Master
Vincent Oeters
Banner design
Chris Couvée†