The Lab

In 2024, the DPF launched its second program, The Lab, focusing exclusively on Belgium. Through this initiative, we proactively identify key employment-related challenges in Belgium and work towards developing innovative solutions through research, experimentation, collaboration, and funding of civil society actors.

A Proactive Approach

The Lab is designed to tackle complex societal issues that demand innovative and practical solutions. Instead of waiting for problems to surface, we take initiative by:

Identifying a pressing employment-related challenge

Acting as an initiator and facilitator of a test-and-trial approach, using a step-by-step process

Supporting Belgium-focused solutions that have the potential to sustain themselves beyond DPF’s involvement

Why This Matters

The first challenge selected by The Lab is reconciling parenthood and employment in Belgium. The lack of effective solutions for balancing work and family life has far-reaching societal consequences, affecting not only parents and employers but also the well-being of children.

According to an international study across 42 countries, Belgium ranks third in parental burnout, with severe consequences for parents’ health and children’s development.

Women in Belgium are three times more likely to face job insecurity, with 40% working part-time, compared to only 12% of men.

In both the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Flemish Region, 6 out of 10 families struggle to find a place in a childcare facility.

How We Make a Difference

Given the complexity of this issue, fragmented solutions are no longer sufficient. Instead, The Lab is taking a collaborative approach, engaging civil society and key stakeholders in Belgium’s first-ever five-stage collaborative philanthropy program aimed at fostering concrete solutions:

Building a broad coalition of stakeholders committed to driving change.

Engaging Belgian citizens at scale through an AI-powered consultation platform.

Harnessing collective intelligence via collaborative workshops to identify key levers for cooperation and transform ideas into action.

Selecting high-impact projects supported by an extensive ecosystem of funders, experts, and operational partners.

Financing and accelerating the most promising projects, ensuring they align with public needs and long-term sustainability.

By bringing together diverse voices and expertise, The Lab is paving the way for innovative, scalable solutions that will help parents thrive in their careers while raising their families, ultimately strengthening both the workforce and society.

Winners of The Lab 2025

Le Petit Vélo Jaune

Le Petit Vélo Jaune assists parents who are socially isolated, facing challenges, or living in poverty. This support begins as soon as their journey as new parents starts, sometimes even from the beginning of pregnancy. How? Through weekly meetings between the family and a volunteer, forming a supportive team. The volunteer, known as a team member, visits the family every week for a full year to help with administrative tasks, share experiences, alleviate loneliness, or simply offer a listening ear, much like a good neighbor would.

BB Welcome

Today, thousands of families struggle to find nursery places, forcing one parent—usually the mother—to reduce work hours or pause their career. Many childcare facilities have closed, worsening the situation, and 10,000 non-subsidized places are at risk due to financial instability. Impactoo advocates for an innovative, financially viable funding solution with the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and local municipalities. This aims to halt the loss of childcare places and create a framework for new facilities, combining private sector efficiency with public sector quality guarantees. BB Welcome aims to ensure that the largest possible number of parents can access quality childcare for their children aged 0-3.

Label

With 50% of parents finding full-time work challenging and 82% willing to change jobs for better parental support, concrete solutions are needed. Be Family and la Ligue des Familles propose a labelling process to diagnose and evaluate companies' family policies and measure their impact. Expertise in CSR, D&I, and understanding family needs is offered. Together, efforts are made to evolve laws and facilitate work-life balance for parents in Belgium.

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