Deadline: 30-Sep-2025
The Regenerative Communities Fund (RCF) is a long-term initiative launched by ECOLISE to support community-led initiatives (CLIs) focused on ecosocial just transition across Europe. It offers funding, capacity building, and collaboration opportunities to empower local citizen engagement, climate action, regeneration, inclusion, and community empowerment. These initiatives usually operate at the village or neighborhood level, encouraging collective community action on ecological challenges.
Demonstrators are local, place-based CLIs already active in climate action. They should have a history of innovation, the ability to host events and visitors, and support other communities. The fund aims to select three Demonstrators per participating country, with the final number based on the quality and relevance of applications. Demonstrators must inspire the emergence of new CLIs, especially in marginalised areas, and showcase real-life impact while strengthening outreach and communication capacities.
Each selected Demonstrator will receive a maximum grant of €13,333, and project budgets should range between €10,000 and €100,000, regardless of the funding source. Projects will run for 22.5 months from December 2025 to October 2027.
Subgrantees will benefit from capacity building through training in project management, finance, HR, fundraising, inclusivity, and gender. They will receive support in advocacy and campaigning, including participation in the FFF Just Transition Campaign and hosting Local Policy Dialogues during the European Day of Sustainable Communities. Peer-to-peer learning will take place through a Community of Practice involving regular exchanges and external expert input.
The program includes fundraising training to help Demonstrators secure future financial sustainability and opportunities to network with other initiatives in the ECOLISE network. Communication workshops will improve media engagement, and subgrantees will gain visibility through ECOLISE and consortium channels. Demonstrators will also support the promotion of future funding calls aimed at marginalised communities.
Eligible activities include communication, training, awareness, advocacy, youth engagement, environmental actions, and hosting inspirational visits. Expected outcomes involve hosting visitors, sharing best practices, supporting peer learning, coordinating inter-community networking, and organising annual showcase events and policy dialogues.
Applicants must be non-profit legal entities such as civil society organisations or associations of CSOs established in Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, or Spain. They must not already benefit from the European Commission’s DEAR programme and must not have the capacity to compete directly for EU funding. They must also have a physical demonstration space and be able to host and support other sustainable community-led initiatives.
For more information, visit ECOLISE.
