It accepts male and female members and has chapters in Ghent, Leuven, Antwerp, Brussels, Aalst and Sint-Katelijne-Waver.
The majority of the people in Flanders, the northern part of the country, spoke Dutch.
In the second half of the 19th century a movement started that sought to elevate the status of Dutch in society and emancipate the Flemish people.
At the same time the dominant Flemish society in Ghent, Rodenbach's Vrienden, also changed its name to KVHV.
The KVHV also has an official newspaper Tegenstroom whose former editors include Bart De Wever and Gerolf Annemans.