Deadline: 22-Jun-2026
The Regenerative Communities Fund is accepting applications for its fourth Call for Proposals to select 50 Pathfinder Communities in Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain. Selected initiatives will receive up to €4,000 in sub-grant funding, capacity-building support, peer learning, visibility opportunities, and access to a European network of community-led climate action initiatives. The call supports grassroots, small-scale, and inclusive community-led projects focused on climate action, local regeneration, eco-social just transition, and community empowerment.
Overview
The Regenerative Communities Fund, known as RCF, is an initiative by ECOLISE launched in 2024 to support regenerative communities across Europe.
The fourth Call for Proposals will select 50 Pathfinder Communities across Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain.
The fund supports small-scale community-led initiatives working on climate action, regeneration, and just transition at village and neighbourhood levels.
Key Funding Details
- Fund Name: Regenerative Communities Fund
- Implementing Initiative: ECOLISE
- Call: Fourth Call for Proposals
- Target: 50 Pathfinder Communities
- Countries: Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain
- Grant Amount: Up to €4,000 per selected initiative
- Project Duration: 13 months
- Implementation Period: October 2026 to October 2027
- Main Focus: Climate action, regeneration, eco-social just transition, inclusion, and community empowerment
- Funding Linkage: Part of the Funding Fairer Futures project
- Co-funding: European Commission under the Development Education and Awareness Raising Programme
Purpose of the Fund
The Regenerative Communities Fund is designed to strengthen community-led climate and regeneration initiatives in Europe.
The fund helps local communities overcome barriers such as limited access to funding, outreach, information, and technical support.
It supports community-led action that is inclusive, place-based, and focused on eco-social transformation.
The fund aims to build an inclusive movement for regeneration by connecting local communities with national hubs, demonstrator communities, and wider European networks.
What are Pathfinder Communities?
Pathfinder Communities are small-scale, innovative, and inclusive community-led initiatives working on climate action and local regeneration.
They operate at village, neighbourhood, or local community level and test practical citizen-led solutions to climate, ecological, and social challenges.
Selected Pathfinder Communities will receive funding, training, coaching, peer learning, visibility, and networking support.
Focus Areas
The fourth call supports community-led initiatives that address climate, ecological, social, and justice-based priorities.
Key focus areas include:
- Climate action
- Local regeneration
- Eco-social just transition
- Community empowerment
- Diversity and inclusion
- Citizen-led local action
- Small-scale experimental initiatives
- Place-based community development
- Grassroots climate solutions
- Capacity building
- Peer learning
- Storytelling and campaigns
- Local policy dialogue
- Community-led advocacy
- Inclusive regeneration
Priority Communities
The call particularly encourages applications from communities experiencing deprivation and systemic exclusion.
Priority groups may include:
- Women
- Youth
- People with disabilities
- LGBTQIA+ communities
- Indigenous people
- Ethnic minorities
- Religious minorities
- Cultural minorities
- Linguistic minorities
- Communities facing social, economic, or structural challenges
The call is especially relevant for initiatives that are led by, working with, or serving marginalised communities.
What the Fund Supports
The Regenerative Communities Fund supports local citizen-led action through small-scale experimental initiatives.
Supported activities may include:
- Local climate action projects
- Community regeneration activities
- Eco-social transition initiatives
- Community empowerment activities
- Inclusive public engagement
- Local stakeholder collaboration
- Community storytelling
- Advocacy and campaigning
- Training and coaching
- Peer learning activities
- Fundraising support
- Learning visits
- Policy dialogue events
- Participation in European campaigns
Support Available to Selected Communities
Selected Pathfinder Communities will receive financial and non-financial support.
Support may include:
- Up to €4,000 in sub-grant funding
- Capacity-building support
- Training sessions
- Coaching and technical support
- Peer learning opportunities
- Access to a cross-European network of practice
- Learning visits to Demonstrator Communities
- Community of Practice activities
- Fundraising support
- Advocacy and campaigning assistance
- Visibility opportunities
- Storytelling support
- Connections with other community-led initiatives in Europe
Programme Activities for Pathfinder Communities
Selected Pathfinder Communities are expected to take part in practical, learning, communication, and advocacy activities.
They will:
- Implement local community-led projects
- Participate in training sessions
- Join networking activities
- Share stories of community-led climate action
- Contribute to ECOLISE communication campaigns
- Participate in shared campaigns and storytelling
- Build relationships with local stakeholders and policymakers
- Organise a local policy dialogue
- Contribute to the European Day of Sustainable Communities in September 2027
- Support the wider goals of the Funding Fairer Futures project
Role of National Hubs, Demonstrators, and Pathfinder Communities
The fund works through an ecosystem of National Hubs, Demonstrators, and Pathfinder Communities.
National Hubs help strengthen local and national support systems for community-led action.
Demonstrator Communities provide learning examples and practical inspiration for other communities.
Pathfinder Communities test small-scale, inclusive, and innovative solutions that can contribute to wider eco-social regeneration.
Together, these actors help build a stronger European movement for community-led climate action and just transition.
Who is Eligible?
The call is open to eligible organisations and informal community groups working in specific European countries.
Eligible applicants include:
- Legally registered non-profit organisations
- Civil society organisations
- Associations of civil society organisations
- Informal community groups with at least three members
Applicants must be established and working in one of the following countries:
- Croatia
- Finland
- France
- Portugal
- Spain
Applicants must also work with local place-based communities.
Who is Strongly Encouraged to Apply?
The call strongly encourages applications from grassroots, emerging, and small-scale initiatives.
Priority is given to initiatives that are:
- Led by marginalised groups
- Working with marginalised groups
- Serving communities facing exclusion
- Rooted in local community needs
- Focused on climate action and regeneration
- Committed to diversity and inclusion
- Working in deprived or structurally excluded areas
Project Duration
The project duration for Pathfinder Communities is 13 months.
The implementation period will run from October 2026 to October 2027.
During this period, selected communities are expected to implement local projects, join capacity-building activities, participate in network activities, and contribute to storytelling, policy dialogue, and campaign work.
Why the Fund Matters
The Regenerative Communities Fund matters because many community-led initiatives face barriers to funding, visibility, technical support, and wider collaboration.
The fund helps small and grassroots communities access resources needed to act on climate change, social exclusion, and local regeneration.
It also supports a just transition by ensuring that diverse community voices are included in climate action and transformation processes.
By supporting Pathfinder Communities, the fund strengthens local resilience, community power, and inclusive climate action across Europe.
How to Apply or Prepare
Applicants should prepare a clear proposal that explains their community-led initiative, local context, target community, planned activities, and expected impact.
Step 1: Confirm Country Eligibility
Applicants must be established and working in one of the eligible countries.
Eligible countries are:
- Croatia
- Finland
- France
- Portugal
- Spain
Step 2: Confirm Applicant Type
Applicants should check whether they are eligible to apply.
Eligible applicant types include:
- Registered non-profit organisations
- Civil society organisations
- Associations of civil society organisations
- Informal community groups with at least three members
Step 3: Define the Local Community
Applicants should clearly identify the place-based community they work with.
This may include a village, neighbourhood, local area, or specific community group experiencing social, economic, ecological, or structural challenges.
Step 4: Explain the Community-Led Initiative
The proposal should describe the small-scale initiative and how it will be led by or shaped by the community.
Applicants should explain how the project supports:
- Climate action
- Local regeneration
- Eco-social just transition
- Community empowerment
- Diversity and inclusion
- Collective local action
Step 5: Describe Inclusion and Participation
Applicants should explain how the initiative will engage communities experiencing deprivation or systemic exclusion.
The proposal should clearly show how marginalised groups will be included, represented, or supported.
Step 6: Plan Project Activities
Applicants should describe the activities they will implement during the 13-month project period.
Activities may include:
- Local climate action
- Regeneration activities
- Community workshops
- Public engagement
- Storytelling
- Stakeholder meetings
- Campaign participation
- Policy dialogue
- Peer learning
- Training and coaching participation
Step 7: Show Readiness for Capacity Building
Selected Pathfinder Communities are expected to participate in training, coaching, technical support, networking, and Community of Practice activities.
Applicants should show that they are willing and able to take part in these programme activities.
Step 8: Include Storytelling and Campaign Contributions
Applicants should be prepared to share stories of community-led climate action and contribute to ECOLISE communication campaigns.
They should also be ready to support shared campaign activities such as the European Days of Sustainable Communities and the Funding Fairer Futures Just Transition campaign.
Step 9: Plan Local Policy Dialogue
Selected communities are expected to organise a local policy dialogue as part of the European Day of Sustainable Communities in September 2027.
Applicants should think about how they can involve local stakeholders, policymakers, and community members in dialogue around climate action, regeneration, and just transition.
Expected Results
Selected Pathfinder Communities are expected to contribute to local and European-level change.
Expected results may include:
- Stronger community-led climate action
- Increased local regeneration
- Improved inclusion of marginalised communities
- Greater community empowerment
- Stronger local stakeholder alliances
- Better access to training and technical support
- More visible community climate stories
- Stronger links with European community-led initiatives
- Increased participation in shared campaigns
- Improved capacity for fundraising and advocacy
- Greater contribution to eco-social just transition
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid submitting proposals that are not clearly community-led.
Projects should not focus only on awareness without showing practical local action.
Applicants should avoid vague descriptions of the target community. The proposal should clearly explain who the community is, where it is located, and what challenges it faces.
Applicants should not ignore diversity and inclusion. The call strongly encourages initiatives working with marginalised and excluded groups.
Informal groups should ensure they have at least three members before applying.
Applicants should avoid treating training, storytelling, policy dialogue, or campaign participation as optional, because these are important parts of the Pathfinder Communities programme.
Tips for a Strong Application
A strong application should clearly show local leadership, inclusion, climate relevance, and community impact.
Applicants should:
- Explain the local community context clearly
- Show how the initiative is community-led
- Connect the project to climate action and regeneration
- Include marginalised groups meaningfully
- Describe practical local activities
- Show readiness for training and coaching
- Demonstrate willingness to participate in peer learning
- Include storytelling and campaign participation
- Build alliances with local stakeholders and policymakers
- Explain how the project contributes to just transition
- Keep the proposal focused, realistic, and place-based
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Regenerative Communities Fund?
The Regenerative Communities Fund is an ECOLISE initiative launched in 2024 to support regenerative communities in Europe through funding, capacity building, peer learning, and collaboration opportunities.
What is the fourth Call for Proposals supporting?
The fourth call will select 50 Pathfinder Communities in Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain to implement small-scale community-led initiatives focused on climate action, regeneration, and just transition.
How much funding is available for selected communities?
Selected Pathfinder Communities can receive up to €4,000 in sub-grant funding.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include legally registered non-profit organisations, civil society organisations, associations of civil society organisations, and informal community groups with at least three members.
Which countries are eligible?
Applicants must be established and working in Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, or Spain.
What are Pathfinder Communities?
Pathfinder Communities are small-scale, innovative, and inclusive community-led initiatives working at local level on climate action, regeneration, and eco-social just transition.
What support is provided beyond funding?
Selected communities may receive training, coaching, technical support, peer learning, networking, learning visits, fundraising support, advocacy support, visibility opportunities, and access to a cross-European network of practice.
Conclusion
The Regenerative Communities Fund fourth Call for Proposals provides funding and capacity-building support for 50 Pathfinder Communities across Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain.
The call supports grassroots and community-led initiatives working on climate action, local regeneration, inclusion, and just transition.
With up to €4,000 in funding, peer learning, technical support, storytelling opportunities, and access to a European network, the fund is especially valuable for small-scale initiatives working with marginalised communities and place-based local action.
For more information, visit ECOLISE.