Who we are & what we do

The VALUE Foundation (or stichting VALUE) is a Dutch non-profit organization that operates internationally. We bring out the untapped potential of knowledge at play through three types of activities:

1: We develop knowledge activation and dissemination projects that are accessible, interactive, and fun (e.g. our RomeinCraft project).

2: We connect individuals and organizations, as well as knowledge and skills from the gaming industry and knowledge institutions (e.g. through our Interactive Past Conferences)

3: We facilitate and conduct research on gaming and how play can be used in research and outreach (e.g. The Interactive Past-book, papers, or streams).

What VALUE believes in: Knowledge at Play

Like making and playing games, research and education are fueled by the imagination and a desire to create, discover, and share. While play and knowledge are powered by the same types of human drives, too often they are perceived as contradictory and inhibitive to each other. VALUE, a group of passionate researchers and educators as well as gamers, believes that knowledge and play enrich each other. This is why we created a foundation that bridges the gap between the digital playground and the ivory tower.

Where we come from

The VALUE Foundation was founded in March 2017 in an effort to consolidate and expand the work of the VALUE (Videogames and Archaeology at Leiden University) project. The latter is a volunteer initiative of six individuals with a passion for gaming and knowledge of heritage and archaeology. The VALUE Foundation will expand on the pioneering work of the VALUE project by investing more deeply in gaming and heritage, as well as creating playgrounds in other academic fields.

Board Members

As of August 2022:

Dr. Csilla Ariese – President
Corine Gerritsen – Treasurer
Dr. Angus Mol – Secretary
Omar Bugter – Member
Bram van den Hout – Member [temporarily inactive]
Dr. Aris Politopoulos – Member
Florence Smith-Nicholls – Member 

How are we funded (and other matters)

We fund our activities through a mix of short-term grants, crowd-funding, outreach projects, creativity and perseverance.
The VALUE foundation is run by volunteers. As a Dutch cultural non-profit (culturele ANBI), the statutes of the VALUE Foundation do not allow the board to receive salary for their work for the foundation, with the exception of a not inordinate compensation for board meetings (niet-bovenmatig vacatiegelden).

Our financial year runs from January 1 to December 31. Our 2022 financial report can be found here. Our RSIN is 857374850.