The Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands has renewed its long-standing partnership with Rewilding Europe for another five years, providing one million euros of flexible funding every year from 2027. This renewed commitment follows a comprehensive evaluation and reflects continued trust in our ability to deliver measurable results for nature and communities across Europe.
A partnership built on trust
Rewilding Europe is delighted to announce that the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands (Postcode Loterij) has renewed its support for another five years, beginning in January 2027, with one million euros of unrestricted funding every year. This new commitment follows an in-depth formal evaluation by the lottery’s Executive Board and Grants Council. It reflects confidence in our long-term vision, track record and ability to deliver lasting benefits for both nature and people.
The flexibility of this support makes it particularly valuable. Because the funding is not tied to predetermined actions or initiatives, it can be directed where it can achieve the greatest impact, helping Rewilding Europe respond to emerging needs and opportunities for nature recovery. This may mean strengthening coexistence between people and wildlife, restoring food webs, or enabling successful approaches to be applied across more landscapes. Since the lottery first began supporting Rewilding Europe, its long-term funding has been instrumental in helping rewilding expand across Europe and enabling nature recovery at scale.
“This renewal of our partnership is a tremendous vote of confidence in Rewilding Europe and everything we are working to achieve,” says Rewilding Europe Executive Director Frans Schepers. “Realising nature recovery at scale is a long-term endeavour, so having partners who share our ambition and trust us to use their support where it can have the greatest impact is hugely important. We are very grateful to the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands and all its participants, and look forward to continuing our journey together.”
“HAVING PARTNERS WHO SHARE OUR AMBITION AND TRUST US TO USE THEIR SUPPORT WHERE IT CAN HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT IS HUGELY IMPORTANT.”
Frans Schepers
Seeing rewilding in action
The value of this kind of support can be seen in rewilding landscapes such as the Greater Côa Valley in Portugal. In May, representatives of the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands had the opportunity to witness rewilding efforts first-hand during a five-day visit here. Stretching from the Malcata Mountains in the south to the Douro Valley in the north, this area of oak forests, open woodlands, rivers and rocky canyons is home to a wide range of wildlife — from vultures and eagles to Iberian wolves, semi-wild horses and Tauros.
Working with landowners, communities, businesses and other partners, the Rewilding Portugal team are restoring natural processes and creating the conditions for wildlife to recover. Natural grazing by free-roaming herbivores is creating more diverse habitats and helping to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire outbreaks, while measures such as livestock guardian dogs and wolf-proof fencing are helping livestock breeders share space with Iberian wolves. Efforts to restore natural food webs are supporting vulture comeback, while the recovery of wild nature is generating new opportunities for nature-based tourism and enterprise.
The changes taking place show how recovering nature can strengthen wildlife populations while creating new opportunities for local livelihoods. In 2025, members of the Wild Côa Network — a business network of nature-positive enterprises — helped more than 83,000 people visit and experience the Greater Côa Valley. By attracting visitors and encouraging them to spend locally, the recovery of wild nature is helping to generate much-needed income and employment across the region.
From footprint to changeprint
The changes taking place in the Greater Côa Valley reflect a much wider ambition. Across Europe, Rewilding Europe and its partners are working to help wildlife populations recover, restore functional ecosystems, and demonstrate that wilder nature can support a more resilient and prosperous society.
People depend on healthy, functioning ecosystems in myriad ways. By restoring natural processes, rewilding helps nature recover its capacity to deliver cleaner air and water, store carbon, reduce flooding and wildfire risk, retain water, maintain fertile soils, support pollinators, and help landscapes adapt to our changing climate. At the same time, recovering nature can support physical and mental wellbeing and create new opportunities for jobs, income, tourism and nature-based enterprise. Previous support from the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands has helped Rewilding Europe scale up this kind of impact across our rewilding landscape portfolio.
Long-term support delivers long-term impact
The relationship between Rewilding Europe and the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands stretches back to our earliest days. In 2011, ARK Nature — now ARK Rewilding Nederland — received 3.1 million euros for “The Green Treasures of Europe”, an initiative submitted on behalf of Rewilding Europe, together with WWF-Netherlands and Wild Wonders of Europe. Rewilding Europe has since received regular unrestricted support from the lottery, helping long-term rewilding grow and develop across our continent. Today, the lottery lists Rewilding Europe as one of its long-term nature partners.
Such partnerships are increasingly important as Rewilding Europe works to accelerate and scale up nature recovery. Flexible funding enables local rewilding teams and their partners to restore natural processes, support wildlife comeback, strengthen coexistence and develop nature-based economies where opportunities emerge, delivering results for nature and local communities.
The renewed commitment of the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands will help Rewilding Europe continue this work from 2027 onwards. We are deeply grateful to the lottery and, above all, to its participants, whose support makes its charitable giving possible. Their continued belief in our mission will help us take another significant step towards a wilder, more resilient Europe — where both nature and people can thrive together.
Record-breaking donations
Every year, millions of euros in charitable donations are made possible by the more than three million people who participate in the Postcode Lottery in the Netherlands, with at least 40% of every ticket going to good causes. Founded in 1989 to support organisations working towards a fairer, healthier and greener world, the lottery has since donated more than 8.7 billion euros to charitable organisations and initiatives.
Postcode lotteries now operate in the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, Germany and Norway. The Postcode Lottery Group is the world’s largest fundraising donor, providing around 1 billion euros annually to charities and cultural partners.
