Organisation

Mission

The Stichting GKB has defined its mission as follows: By preserving this cultural religious heritage for posterity and for its perception by the current generation, the Stichting GKB gives substance to the sustainability of our society. The key words here are maintenance for preservation, conscientious stewardship and creative use.

The Grote Kerk Breda makes the development of our society tangible, before our time and in the present period in which we are helping to lay the foundations for developments still to come. This makes the Grote Kerk Breda a place of connection in the heart of the city.

Policy 2020 – 2030

The management and board of the Stichting Grote Kerk Breda focus on three main spearheads within the new policy vision:

Realising the restoration of this important national monument – cultural heritage of the Nassaus
The professionalisation of the organisation
High-quality cultural programming that is rooted locally and has national and international appeal

Ambition

The ambition is to present a high-quality programme that takes the history and context of the church as a benchmark while at the same time connecting to contemporary current developments. Impact, quality, interpretation, inclusion and openness are crucial considerations. The Grote Kerk Breda is a place where different generations can come together and be inspired.

The 'Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda' foundation actively contributes to social, economic and cultural developments in Breda and in the region. The foundation also has a steadily expanding national and international network within the three areas mentioned above.

The Grote Kerk Breda is Breda's most important national monument and also one of the four Top Monuments of Brabant, together with the Sint-Jan cathedral in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Markiezenhof in Bergen op Zoom and Kasteel Heeswijk in Heeswijk. The policy of the Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda is in line with the current policy of the city of Breda, the Province of North Brabant and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OC&W), all of which want to give heritage a contemporary quality stimulus.

Cradle of the Orange-Nassau family

The Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda bases the position of the Grote Kerk Breda as the Nassau Church on the legacy and ideas of the Nassau family. By building the Grote Kerk Breda (and Breda Castle), the Nassaus emphasised their dynastic self-confidence. Grandeur, decorum and royal quality are concepts that underline the unique position of the Grote Kerk Breda. The foundation aims to emphasise that quality even today and translate it into current themes.

In the heyday of the Nassaus (1402–1570), they promoted art and science (patronage) and supported innovative ideas including religious freedom, freedom of speech and tolerance. The Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda uses this fact as a starting point for giving meaning to the Grote Kerk Breda and positioning the monument in contemporary society. This involves core values such as human dignity and freedom, active citizenship, free dialogue, critical thinking, unimpeded development, tolerance and respect.

Public Benefit Organisation (ANBI) status

The foundation has a cultural ANBI status and discloses its financial data and provides an annual report. 

Financing 

The foundation has a long-term budget and annual budgets. These are drawn up and approved in October each year. There are 4 (four) separate cash flows:

• Restoration
• Maintenance
• Replacement investment
• Operation

Each cash flow must break even if possible. The auditor audits the annual accounts every year. A five-year cash flow and balance sheet forecast is available for the long-term forecast, which is regularly updated depending on developments and policy intentions.

Management and organisation

The Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda was statutorily established in 1979 and consists of a board and three committees. The board consists of seven members. In the management statute, the executive tasks of the board have been delegated to the director. The director is supported in her tasks by salaried staff, a team of freelancers and a team of 25 volunteers.

Code Cultural Governance

The organisation has been assessed against the Code Cultural Governance. This is observed and endorsed by the board of the Stichting Grote of Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda. Accordingly, we also subscribe to the Fair Practice Code and the Diversity and Inclusion Code.

BOARD AND DIRECTOR

• drs. Marieke Wiegel (Director)
• drs. Kees Sol (Chairman)
• Dimitri Kruik (Treasurer)
• Ellen van Hooijdonk – Van der Stelt (Secretary)
• drs. Pieter Verhulst
• Peter van der Schans
• dr. ir. Wijnand Freling
• drs. Verily Klaassen

The foundation's board subscribes to the Code Cultural Governance and continuously evaluates its actions against this code. The members of the board perform their work unpaid. The board is assisted by an advisory body, the Board of the Chapter House. The board is also advised on legal issues by Mr Hans de Crom of Rijppaert & Peeters Advocaten.

RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE

An ambitious restoration programme was embarked on in 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the national government made a restoration grant available, allowing a 10-year restoration programme to be initiated. In addition, there is an ongoing maintenance programme for those parts of the Grote Kerk Breda that have already been restored.

Restoration and maintenance committee:

• drs. Marieke Wiegel (Director)
• dr. ir. Wijnand Freling (board member and Chairman of the restoration and maintenance committee)
• Dimitri Kruik (Treasurer)
• ing. Ben Massop – BBM Restauratie Architectuur
• ir. Antoinette Le Coultre – Policy officer of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
• Ronald Erkelens – Breda Fire Department
• drs. Nanette Vugts – Policy officer for the Province of North Brabant
• Erik Jan Brans – Freelance coordinator of restoration and maintenance of Grote Kerk Breda
• mr. Jan Verlegh – Minutes secretary

The restoration and maintenance committee consists of the director, a chairman and five members – professionals in the field of architecture, construction, fire protection, (construction) legal affairs and financial affairs (treasurer).

The committee meets eight times a year. The committee is responsible for (drawing up) an annual maintenance and restoration and conservation plan, with the associated procurement and assessment. The committee works according to a procurement and tendering policy adopted by the board*.

Since 1995, the foundation has been maintaining the monument with the support of the national government, the province of North Brabant and the municipality of Breda.

*) Procurement and tendering policy: Tenders are invited and assessed in accordance with an administratively adopted procurement and tendering policy dated 14 June 2014. This policy sets out the frameworks and ground rules for the procurement of supplies, services and works. The board of the foundation aims to be an honest and reliable commissioning party that provides fair and equal opportunities to suppliers, service providers and contractors. The policy helps in the pursuit of lawful and efficient procurement practices. It also ensures proper embedding within legal frameworks alongside sustainability and social commitment.

SOCIETY COMMITTEE AND FRIENDS & GUILD COMMITTEE

Additional funds need to be raised for conservation – restoration and maintenance – and for activities related to operations. Subsidies from the national government and the province of North Brabant come with a standard own contribution of 30% or 40%. Two committees of dedicated volunteers are responsible for raising the church's own contribution for conservation: the Society Committee and the Friends and Guild Members Committee.

Society Committee of the Grote Kerk Breda

• Peter van der Schans (Chairman)
• mr. Eric van Waesberge
• Hans de Jongh
• Willem de Keyzer

Friends and Guild Members Committee of the Grote Kerk Breda

• Lucien Verhoef (Chairman)
• Toine Akkermans
• Ton Kleemans
• Vivian Pols
• Bouke Tuit
• Steven Niamut

ADVISORY BOARD

The director and board are traditionally advised by the Board of the Chapter House. The members of the Board of the Chapter House see the potential of the Grote Kerk Breda, of high-quality cultural church heritage, the opportunities for crossovers between disciplines and are innovative, experimental, unconventional and socially engaged. The Board of Chapter House supports and reinforces the new policy vision and meets once a year in May.

Board of the Chapter House

• Paul Depla (Mayor of Breda)
• Hendrik Driessen (Curator, former Director of Museum De Pont)
• Wim van de Donk (Rector Magnificus, Chairman of the Executive Board of Tilburg University)
• Klaas Dijkhoff (Consultant, former VVD party leader)
• Cees Langeveld (former Director of Chassé, Member of the Council for Culture)
• Janneke Niessen (Entrepreneur, Investor, CapitalT)
• Lisette Spee (Director of Electron)
• Jacomine Ravensbergen (Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of Avans University of Applied Sciences)
• Rik Torfs (Professor of Canon Law, Honorary Rector of KU Leuven)
• Peer Swinkels (CEO Swinkels Family Brewers)
• Arie Roobol (Co-owner of Westpoort Vastgoed real estate)

STAFF

Staff of the Stichting Grote Kerk Breda foundation

• drs. Marieke Wiegel (Director)
• Laureen Lokerse (Office Manager)
• Barbara Canters (Coordinator of Hiring and Events)
• Jeffrey Steinfort (Technical Staff)
• Roger de Waal (Technical Staff)
• Werner van Geloof (Administrative Officer of Friends)
• Sacha van den Oever (Financial Administration)
• Charlotte Fijen (Junior Curator)
• Marjolein van de Putte (Marketing and Communication)
• Ruud Visschedijk (Fundraiser)
• Fleur Knops (Coordinator of Education)
• Naomi Swinkels (Coordinator of Volunteers)
• Erik Jan Brans (Coordinator of Restoration and Maintenance)

VOLUNTEERS

Operations Volunteers

• Bert Luijten
• Rini Hurks
• Kees Kort
• Rob Vissers
• Nadine de Kanter
• René de Vet
• Jeffrey Verschuren
• Kees Snepvangers

Volunteers on reception desk

• Jeannette van Giezen
• Cof Janssen
• Ad Verschuren
• Lilian Janzing
• Domenique van Tilburg
• Wim van ‘t Hart
• Gerry Tijmensen
• Laetitia Bakkers
• Jac van den Boom
• An van Dongen
• Wil Mathijssen
• Michel Panis
• Caroline Bindels
• Kees Brocks
• An van den Heijkant
• Els van ’t Klooster
• Marlies Boelema
• Anneke Timmer
• Loes van der Stelt