Announcing our funded cohort!
Download the PDF of this press release - here
The RFF is thrilled to announce £15 million worth of long-term awards tackling poverty, racism and climate change across the city, marking a major milestone in the fund’s ten-year commitment to community-led change.
Residents and members of the RFF cohort celebrating the launch of the programme in May 2026.
Following an open city-wide application process, eleven organisations and collaborative partnerships have been selected to receive sustained support.
Each award will provide up to a million pounds over ten years, offering rare long-term, unrestricted funding designed to enable deep and lasting change in communities across Edinburgh. Funding decisions were made by a Residents’ Panel made up of local people with lived experience of poverty and racism.
Projects supported include those building financial security and tackling stigma around poverty within Edinburgh’s Sikh community, supporting paid opportunities for Black creatives to address structural barriers in the arts sector, and co-designing local food and medicine production and distribution.
Other awards span a range of organisations and partnerships across the city, delivering initiatives such as advocating for improved local housing conditions, supporting community-led climate focussed activities initially within the Sudanese community, and engaging local communities around the development of heat network implementation.
Trishna Singh OBE and Hilary Jones, members of Sikh Sanjog, speaking with other members of the RFF cohort.
Leah Black, Co-Head of the Fund, said: “Reaching this stage is hugely significant, allowing organisations and partnerships to turn long-held ambitions into long-term action. The Regenerative Futures Fund represents a real shift in how funding can be transformational when communities are placed at the centre.
We are deeply grateful to all involved, and to the Residents’ Panel whose time and insight shaped every stage of this journey. In the wealthiest city in Scotland, where 17% of people – including 21% of all children – live in relative poverty, we are operating in a complex environment. Poverty, racism and climate change are interconnected, real and present challenges for us all, and tackling them requires long-term commitment, trust and collective action.”
Aala Ross, Co-Head of the Fund, said: “This is a landmark moment for Edinburgh. These organisations will receive long-term, unrestricted funding to support the work they are already leading in their communities. This has been a long, collaborative process shaped by months of dialogue and reflection across the city. This Fund is about trust, and about recognising that communities already hold the knowledge needed to create change. We will continue working alongside them and learning from them over the years ahead.”
Representatives from Migrant Justice Edinburgh (one of the funded projects) said: “The Regenerative Futures Fund represents a funding approach that feels both timely and important within the current landscape. It offers something that remains relatively rare: long-term, 10-year support that enables organisations to think and act beyond short-term cycles. This creates the conditions for work that is strategic, adaptive, and focused on long-term change. Just as importantly, the Fund places strong emphasis on centring residents — particularly those most affected by poverty — and encourages an intersectional approach that recognises how poverty is shaped by racism, the climate crisis, and wider structural inequalities.”
The Residents’ Panel said: “This wasn’t just about selecting projects, it was about responsibility to the city and the future. We wanted to create a better Edinburgh and that has driven this work from the very beginning. We’ve seen the strength, creativity and ambition that already exists across the city, and this process was about giving groups the capacity and trust to deliver the real change we all need to see. It has been a real privilege to be part of something that is so grounded yet so innovative.”
Funders
Leaders from Be United and the Scottish BPOC Writers Network collaborating.
The Fund is supported by a coalition of national and local funders, including charitable foundations, local authority and philanthropic partners, who pooled resources but stepped back from decision-making to place control within communities.
Those who have already committed funding towards the pooled Fund include the City of Edinburgh Council, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland, The Robertson Trust, Turn2us Edinburgh Trust, and Foundation Scotland, who also host the Fund. Recent local philanthropic support from Tom Ward and other local philanthropists reflects growing confidence in the Fund’s approach. The Fund continues to welcome new funding partners supporting long-term, community-led change.
Giles Ruck, Chief Executive of Foundation Scotland, said: “The Regenerative Futures Fund represents something quite rare in the funding world. It offers long-term, collaborative funding, where those who already hold the expertise and lived experience of the issues this fund is designed to challenge, are leading. We need to see more of this. It puts trust in communities and gives organisations the time and flexibility they need to address complex challenges. This Fund offers a powerful alternative to short-term thinking and could influence place-based funding far beyond Edinburgh.”
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “We’ve been clear in setting ambitious targets to address poverty, reach net zero by 2030 and to tackle racist rhetoric in Edinburgh. This significant support will help us to move closer to our goals while backing grassroots projects and organisations which are already make a real difference across the city, selected by the people who live here.
“The challenges we face are real – that 17% of our residents still live in relative poverty is simply unacceptable, while people continue to face racism and exclusion, all while the climate crisis looms large. This funding will provide a welcome boost to a range of organisations addressing these challenges, and I look forward to seeing more from the projects it will help to deliver.”
Members of the Cables Wynd House Residents’ Group and Making Rights Real, who are partnerting with one another as part of the RFF programme.
Over the coming months, the funded cohort will begin long-term delivery work across Edinburgh, focused on tackling the root causes of poverty, racism and climate inequality through community-led approaches.
The Regenerative Futures Fund will continue as a learning and collaboration network across the city, supporting knowledge-sharing and connection beyond the funded cohort.
A list of descriptions of the organisations and partnerships can be found here.
The organisations and partnerships are: Be United; Cables Wynd House Residents Group with Making Rights Real; Sudanese Community Edinburgh with Edinburgh Science Foundation; Lauriston Farm Collective; Living Rent Edinburgh; Migrant Justice Edinburgh (Empowering Multicultural Communities Alliance, Citizens’ Rights Project, Workers’ Observatory); Networking Key Services Ltd; Porty Community Energy; Scottish BPOC Writers Network; Sikh Sanjog; Transition Edinburgh South with Edinburgh Community Food.
Some further writing about the collaboration and the connections between the organisations can be found here.
The Regenerative Futures Fund is a pioneering initiative aimed at tackling the root causes of the interconnected challenges of poverty, racism, and the climate emergency in Edinburgh. It is a ten-year community fund for Edinburgh that puts decision-making power into the hands of those who are most often excluded. It supports approaches to improve the lives of people living in poverty and experiencing racism, and contribute towards a just green transition, by enabling equity, power-sharing and long-term change. It is designed to empower local communities and organisations across the city to drive lasting change.
Foundation Scotland helps communities create positive change and deliver lasting impact. We support philanthropists to help their personal giving make the most difference. We work with donors to invest in community action that enables people and places to flourish. We work in partnership with communities to maximise opportunities from place-based funds. And we offer social investment opportunities to enable social enterprises, community organisations and charities to grow and deliver positive social impact. We have distributed more than £220 million to grassroots organisations across the country since the Foundation launched in 1996. To learn more, visit www.foundationscotland.org.uk