Charities Receive Euro 302 million from Postcode Lottery

The Dutch Postcode Lottery donated a record €302 million to 101 charities at its Good Money Gala on 4 February, including €14.4 million from its Dream Fund to efforts to save rhinos in Africa from extinction. The Dream Fund’s contribution went to Peace Parks Foundation and WWF to roll out a programme to treat rhino horns with a mixture of chemicals and paint, making them worthless to poachers.

Below left to right: Peter Fearnhead, CEO African Parks, Marieke van Schaik, Dutch Postcode Lottery marketing manager, Robert-Jan van Ogtrop, chairman African Parks, and Sophie Vossenaar, European philanthropy director African Parks, with the €900,000 Postcode Lottery cheque.

In addition, the WWF will establish an independent Wildlife Justice Commission in The Hague to prepare legal cases and coordinate political lobbying and public pressure to stop wildlife crime.

African Parks received €900 000 to help protect the seven protected areas it manages in six countries around Africa. This contribution forms part of a five-year funding commitment to African Parks by the Dutch Postcode Lottery.

Each year, millions of euros in charitable donations are made possible by the 2.5 million people who play the Postcode Lottery. Half the price of every ticket goes to charity. Increased revenues this year enabled the lottery to give away almost €12 million more than it did in 2013. Since the Postcode Lottery was founded, it has donated more than €4 billion to organisations working on behalf of humanity and the natural environment. www.postcodeloterij.nl