Do you have a low income? The municipality of Nijmegen has special budgets to support you financially. There is a budget to support you if you want to follow a course, do an activity or if you want to play sports (meedoenregeling). The municipality can also help you to pay for costs for school or other activities for your child (Stichting Leergeld). When you have a low budget for longer than 3 years, you might even receive some extra budget from the municipality (individuele inkomenstoeslag).
Meedoen-regeling (participation budget) | Doing Sports or a training
Painting, soccer, volleyball, dance, car driving lessons … When you have a low income and you want to play sports or follow a course the municipality of Nijmegen can support you by paying (part of) the costs (maximum of €150,-). This is called the Meedoen-regeling. This budget is available for people of 18 years and older. You can apply for the Meedoen-regeling yourself.
How? Look under the heading “Applying for the Meedoen-regeling”. If your request is approved, you will not get the money yourself. The municipality will pay for you directly to the club or organisation.
Younger than 18? Look at the “Stichting Leergeld” budget later on this page.
Applying for Meedoen-regeling
How can you request to use this budget? See here if you meet the conditions for the Meedoen-regeling. Look under ‘Voorwaarden’.
Do you meet the conditions? Then you can apply here for the Meedoen-regeling. Click on ‘aanvragen’. Then you can log in with your DigiD. You will get a letter of the municipality within 8 weeks telling you if your request has been approved. If you got approval, your letter will contain an activiationcode. With this code you can apply to an organisation or club for a course, activity or sport. Be aware, this is thus different from last year!
You can see from which organisations you can choose on Nijmegen.forus.io. Scroll down for this. There are a lot more options than last year.
Signing up with a sportsclub or training
In the letter from the municipality with the approval of your request you will find an activation code and a few steps to follow for you to sign up. To sign up for a club or organisation go to the website Nijmegen.forus.io. There you can look at the optional clubs and courses and fill in the activation code.
Do you need help with choosing a club and arranging the budget?
Ask someone to help you. For example at a STIP in your neighbourhood.
Be aware:
⇒ Does the sport or club cost less than €150? Then the municipality will only pay up till the price. The rest of the budget is not available for another club.
⇒ Does it cost more than €150? Then you will have to pay the extra money yourself to the club or organization.
⇒ When you do not finish the training or do not use all of the budget, you will NOT get money back.
Stichting leergeld Nijmegen | Financial help for children
Do you live in Nijmegen and have a low income? Do you have a child between the age of 4 and 17? Than you can maybe receive some money from Stichting Leergeld to pay for the costs of the school, sport, training or swimming lessons of your children. You may also get a budget for some of the things you need for these activities.
Can Stichting Leergeld help you?
Look at the website of Stichting Leergeld for the conditions.
⇒ When you have debt, you can sometimes also get money from the foundation to pay for the school or clubs of your children.
⇒ Stichting Leergeld pays the bills directly to the school, sports club or organization. You do not get the money on your own bank account.
⇒ Stichting Leergeld pays a maximum of €225,- per child. When the money you have to pay for the club or school is higher, you will have to pay the extra yourself.
⇒ When the contribution is less than €200,-, you may sometimes use the extra money for clothes and shoes that the children use for the sports club. You will get a cheque that you can use at certain shops. You can also ask for support for the costs for the primary school or highschool education of your children. The contribution money you have to pay for these schools is called the ‘ouderbijdrage’. Stichting Leergeld pays a maximum of €50,- per year for this ouderbijdrage for primary school. They pay maximum €100,- per year for the ouderbijdrage for highschool.
Swimming lessons
If you want to use the Leergeld-budget for swimming lessons, there are different rules. In the Netherlands there is a lot of water. That is why it is good if your children learn how to swim. With a special fund of Stichting Leergeld you can pay less for your children’s swimming lessons. This fund is called ‘zwemfonds’ (swimming fund). You can apply for the swimming fund with Stichting Leergeld. This swimming fund is available for children between 7 and 13 years old who do not yet have a level A swimming certificate.
This level A certificate is the first certificate you get when you learn how to swim. In order to follow lessons to get this certificate Stichting Leergeld can pay 2 times €225,-.
The swimming fund is an extra fund. When your children get money from the fund for sports lessons or a training (see above), they can still use this fund for swimming lessons.
Applying for the swimming fund
1. If you want to use the swimming fund you have to contact Stichting Leergeld [https://www.leergeldnijmegen.nl/contact]
2. 2 to 4 weeks after you contacted Leergeld you will be called to meet one of the employees.
3. Take with you all the papers and information about your income.
4. Before you go you should know what you want the fund for, for example sports or a summer camp.
5. Someone from Stichting Leergeld will visit you. During the meeting you will talk about what they can do for you. When the foundation accepts your request, you can apply for the fund.
Individuele inkomenstoeslag (extra financial help for people who have a low income for a long time)
Do you have a low income for more than 3 years? Then you can get extra financial help from the municipality of Nijmegen. The height of the budget depends on your income, the size of your family, your family situation and the amount of saving money you have.
Note:
You can get the financial help only when you do not study or have been studying during the past 3 years. You can get the extra help only when you really can not get a higher income through work.
Applying for individuele inkomenstoeslag
When you think that you might have right to the individuele inkomenstoeslag, you can try to apply for it with the municipality.
Need help? Or do you have questions?
Visit a local STIP. The people who work at STIP will help you to apply for the different budgets.