Field Building
Sharing with and learning from the fields of: philanthropy, collaboration, regenerative approaches, collaborative leadership, systems change, participation, co-design
Ongoing Learning
Many to Many Systems
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
Over the past few years we have taken part in a learning group exploring the concept and practicality of many-to-many governance. This is designed for people working in complex collaborations and struggling to find or create suitable governance and organising structures for their complex work and/or who want to disrupt norms around value, ownership, risk and power. We have contributed towards this, and it has informed our thinking around our governance ecosystem. Thanks to Annette Dhami, Michelle Zucker, and Angela Tang for including us in this. Here is a case study about Regenerative Futures Fund on the Many-to-Many System website.
Edinburgh Futures Institute
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
As a team we are based within Edinburgh Futures Institute as a partner in the Public Service Innovation Ward with Kristy Docherty, Director of Public Services at Edinburgh Futures Institute. It’s already proving to be brilliant for cross sectoral collaboration and we continue to learning alongside the Prevention Hub with Kristy Docherty and Clair Thomson and the Compassion in Financial Service Hub with Tobi Schneider, as well as learning about systems and futures with Steve Earl.
Clackmannanshire Transformation Space
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
We are learning from colleagues who developing a new approach to public sector funding for transformation and systems change in Clackmannanshire. Andy (our Participation Lead) is also working part of his week with the team in Clackmannanshire on their residents' decision making processes.
Research into pooled funds
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
Leah and Lynn Hendry (from The Hunter Foundation as the Clacks Transformation Space) were inspired by this research commissioned by Joseph Rowntree Foundation and following conversations with Alice Sachrajda and Lena Baumgartner who co-led the research, we now actively building Scotland-wide conversations on pooled funding for systemic change.
Building on this, in 2025 we started work on a research project looking into pooled funds for systemic change which is being generously led by Ben Cairns and Chris Mills from IVAR – the research project includes three Scotland-based pooled funds: Clackmannanshire Transformation Space, the Scottish Human Rights Fund (led by Corra Foundation) and Regenerative Futures Fund in Edinburgh. The report and findings will be shared in early 2026.
Book Groups
Date: Throughout 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Engaging in book groups on systems thinking - Multisolving, convened by Liz Gadd and Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems convened by Keira Oliver. We have been dipping in and out of two work book groups reading Multisolving, convened by Liz Gadd and Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems convened by Keira Oliver.
Compassion in Financial Services Hub
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
In 2025 we joined the launch of the Compassion in Financial Service Hub. This is a project based from Edinburgh Futures Institute, led by Tobi Schneider, Katherine Trebeck and Liz Grant. The Compassion in Financial Services Hub aims to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and compassionate financial system by integrating compassion into the financial services sector. We look forward to continued learning from our colleagues.
Place-based Community Led Regeneration
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
We we invited by Really Regenerative CIC and Joseph Rowntree Foundation to attend a webinar in 2025 called ‘Creating The Enabling Conditions for Place-based Community Regeneration’ alongside a group of ‘wonderfully diverse group of regenerative practitioners, funders, place-base anchor institutions (councils, community organisations), landscape guardians, transition design specialists, and regenerative and social enterprises gathered to consider the findings’.
Here is the full report and the webinar recordings. We found this research and being part of this conversation very inspiring and aligned with our thinking and work.
Payment for participation policy for FS
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
We believe that when we ask people to share their experience and expertise, their work is as important and valuable as our team’s - everyone's input is needed to succeed. This means that, like our team, they are paid fairly for their work. By 'fairly' we mean:
Paid at a fair rate and not being out of pocket
Being paid quickly
Paying in ways that work best for people
As part of this, working alongside our colleagues in Foundation Scotland we have developed a policy for Paying People for Co-Production.
Here is our plain English version of the policy.
Experts by Experience at Edinburgh Futures Institute
Date: Ongoing
What are we contributing and learning
We have continuing conversations ongoing with our colleagues within Edinburgh Futures Institute – including Urska Ozimek and Kristy Docherty about how we have deep and genuine ways of putting experts by experience at the heart of our work.
Events, Conferences, Presentations
Community Foundation Ireland
Date: October 2025
What are we contributing and learning
We met with Community Foundation Ireland in 2025 to share learning about the early development stages of creating a long-term pooled fund with a focus on systemic change. We them again in person in Glasgow in 2025 to share more about Regenerative Futures Fund as part of their visit to Scotland to find out about funding, grantmaking and philanthropy practice in Scotland.
Scottish Grantmakers Conference
Date: September 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Leah and Margaret attended the Scottish Grantmakers Conference (reflections, learning and links to follow)
London Funders Festival of Learning 2025
Date: May 2025
What are we contributing and learning
We attended the London Funders Festival of Learning Closing event in London after the session we delivered on collaborative pooled funds (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Bridging Communities: The Melting Pot
Date: 2025
What are we contributing and learning
What presented at The Melting Pot Bridging Communities event about system change and collaborative leadership. Leah and Kristy Docherty from Edinburgh Futures Institute presented at The Melting Pot Bridging Communities event about system change and collaborative leadership.
Relational Policymaking Roundtable
Date: April 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Leah and Aala were invited to attend this fascinating event, by Toby Lowe and Kristy Docherty, about Relational Policymaking, at Edinburgh Futures Institute – these events were building up towards this conference about relational policymaking.
Climate Ready Leaders
Date: May and July 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Aala and Leah attended the climate ready leaders dinner, which is led, organised and supported byJo Kerr from Verture, Nick Addington from William Grant Foundation, Julie Christie from Environmental Funders Network in Glasgow, and Liz Gadd. Thanks to Catriona Patterson for the selfie!
STEPS Collective
Date: 17 June 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Andy presented online about Regenerative Participation at STEPS (Show The Easy Place to Start) which is a collection of people in different sectors who are curious about regenerative practice and how we can show the easy place to start (The STEPS Collective - 2025 Programme Intro). (reflections, learning and links to follow)
First Ministers Event
Date: June 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Leah spoke on a panel at the Scottish Government First Ministers Event on Whole Family Wellbeing in Edinburgh along with Paul Lawrence, Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council, about Regenerative Futures Fund and City of Edinburgh Council, and collaborative leadership and system change. Our other panellists were from The Prevention Hub and North Lanarkshire Council (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Together for Good: Crafting Scotland's philanthropic journey
Date: March and May 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Learning with Tobias Jung and others at The Library of Mistakes at a workshop called Together for Good: Crafting Scotland's philanthropic journey and conversations about a national conversation on philanthropy in Scotland – the workshop was fascinating with insights from Eilis Murray from Philanthropy Ireland about their national policy.
Learning with Tobias Jung and others in St Andrews at the third of three workshops called Together for Good: Crafting Scotland's philanthropic journey and conversations about a national conversation on philanthropy in Scotland..
Springboard Climate Assembly
Date: March 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Leah spoke on a panel at the brilliant Springboard: Climate Assembly by Culture for Climate Scotland with Creative Scotland, Creative Ireland talking about how they can fund and support transformation over the longer term (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Footwork
Date:
What are we contributing and learning
We met with Naomi @ Footwork, exploring many opportunities for shared learning (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Migrant Policy Scotland
Date:
What are we contributing and learning
Aala attended the Migrant Policy Scotland Conference (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Foundation Scotland Staff Conference 2025
Date: June 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Alongwith our Foundation Scotland colleagues, we gathered in Stirlingto learn together and also to learn from Citizens Advice Scotland, DTAS and others (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Safe Horizons
Date:
What are we contributing and learning
We were invited to attend the Safe Horizons workshop by colleagues in The Prevention Hub, to come together around solutions to violence affecting young people in Edinburgh (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Collaborative Action Summit on Child Poverty in Birmingham
Date: June 2025
What are we contributing and learning
Leah was invited to attend the Collaborative Action Summit on Child Poverty in Birmingham (reflections, learning and links to follow)
Foundations for Social Justice
Date: June 2025