Annual report 2018
The Anne Frank House was established on 3 May 1957 with the close involvement of Anne’s father, Otto Frank, with the aim of preserving and opening to the public the place where Anne Frank went into hiding, and bringing the life story of Anne Frank to the attention of as many people as possible.
The Anne Frank House is an independent organisation dedicated to the preservation of the place where Anne Frank went into hiding during the Second World War, and to bringing the life story of Anne Frank to the attention of as many people as possible worldwide with the aim of raising awareness of the dangers of antisemitism, racism and discrimination and the importance of freedom, equal rights and democracy.
‘We can no longer change what has happened. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past, and realise what discrimination and persecution mean for innocent people.’
2018 was characterised by the renewal of the Anne Frank House: the construction of a renewed entrance area, educational areas, diary room and route through the museum. It also had a focus on a fully renewed digital landscape, with a new website at its core.
We can see that knowledge of the Second World War and the Holocaust is generally declining among young people. We therefore have a greater emphasis on the historical background of the life story of Anne Frank in the museum and on our website. Knowledge of this background is also necessary in order to explain the significance of Anne Frank’s life story for the world today. There has also been a greater focus on our educational products on antisemitism.
Our primary target group are ‘multipliers’: teachers, trainee teachers, football coaches, peer educators and police officers.
Our directors are responsible for the management of the Anne Frank House. They are appointed by the Supervisory Board.
The Supervisory Board monitors the policy of the directors and supports them with advice. The Advisory Board advises the Supervisory Board on issues that are decisive for the identity of the Anne Frank House.
The Anne Frank House works together with partner organisations in Argentina, Austria, Germany, the UK and the USA. They organise international Anne Frank exhibitions and associated educational activities in their countries.
The Anne Frank House operates its own employment conditions package, and in principle adheres to the salary structure of the collective labour agreement for the museums sector. The directors are remunerated within the framework of the Cultural Governance Code. The positions on the Supervisory Board and the Advisory Board are unpaid.
The Employee Council represents the interests of the organisation and the employees of the Anne Frank House, and takes part in discussions on proposed organisational developments. A number of points were covered in 2018, from major (the renewal of the museum) to more minor (meal allowances). The Employee Council consists of five people.
The Anne Frank House does not receive any government subsidies for the museum, and is mainly dependent on museum visits for its income.
For the financing of major initiatives concerning the museum and for educational projects in the Netherlands and abroad the Anne Frank House depends on the support of charitable funds, individual donors and grant-giving bodies such as the European Union and the Dutch government.
The Anne Frank House has been a beneficiary of the BankGiro Lottery, which funds cultural projects in the Netherlands, since 2007. We receive an annual donation of €200,000. In 2018 we received an additional €61,233 thanks to the BankGiro Lottery participants who stated that they wished to play for the benefit of the Anne Frank House.
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander opened the renewed Anne Frank House on 22 November 2018. The renewal of the museum was made possible partly thanks to the additional contribution of €910,000 that the Anne Frank House received from the BankGiro Lottery in 2015.