Join The Coalition of Funders

Regenerative Futures Fund is a pooled fund contributed to by a range of funders. A pooled fund is also sometimes called a ‘funder intermediary’ or a ‘funder collaboration’.

The funders involved in the co-design of the fund and in progressing proposals towards the pooled fund, to date, include a mix of philanthropic foundations, a community foundation, a lottery distributor and local government.

The overall fund target for Regenerative Futures Fund in Edinburgh is £15 million to be reached in 2025 in order to launch the 10-year programme.

To date, we have reached the initial £5 - £6 million target to launch Phase One and currently have £5,765,000 million committed, demonstrating remarkable success in securing significant financial commitments from prominent funders, including:

  • £1 million from Turn2us Edinburgh Trust (£100,000 a year for 10 years)

  • £250,000 from Foundation Scotland

  • £2 million from The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland (£200,000 a year for 10 years)

  • £500,000 from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (£100,000 a year for 5 years)

  • £1 million from The Robertson Trust (£100,000 a year for 10 years)

  • £1 million from City of Edinburgh Council (£100,000 approved, in-principle commitment for £100,000 a year for 10 years)

  • £15,000 from William Grant Foundation (£15,000 focused on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning in 2024/2025)

How do I get involved?

We are looking for other resource and fund holders from across sectors - including individual philanthropists - to contribute and pool their resources - in the form of funding, knowledge and networks - to support communities in Edinburgh to lead long-term change.

Here is our current INVITATION FOR PARTNERS TO MOVE MONEY TOWARDS A POOLED FUND FOR A JUST EDINBURGH

If you would like to get involved or speak to one of the other funders already committed to contributing to the pooled fund about how and why they made their decision, contact Leah Black, Co-Head leah@foundationscotland.org.uk

During the ten-year programme (2025 - 2035)

Funders contributing towards the pooled fund will be part of an evaluation and learning group where they will work together with organisations and the decision-making panel to refine how we will know this programme is making a difference, as well as taking learning from this back into their organisations.

We know from the work we have done with funders since 2022 that there is a desire to continue to learn and design together and an acknowledgment that in order to make change that will last over the long-term, everyone involved will need to commit to change.

We will share more about the funders learning group soon.

How we collaborate with funders

What do we mean by funders?

By ‘funders’ we mean anyone who financially resources the community sector - e.g. philanthropic foundations, lottery distributers, individual philanthropists, local authorities, national government or private sector foundations.

During the development phase (2022 - 2024)

A group of funders and local and national government came together in 2022 to form the Funders Community of Practice. Some contributed to the cost of the development phase and all took part to learn. The group met regularly looking at areas such a fund design, theory of change, outcomes, progressing proposals, and more.

The Funders Community of Practice is now focused on funders who are progressing proposals towards the pooled fund, coming together to share experiences and to talk about and plan for collaboration.

Read more about the Funders Community of Practice here and in the Learning Report on the co-design of the fund.