Developing a Regenerative Futures Fund #18 — ‘The Beginning Of The Beginning’
This was originally published on Medium on 26 May 2026 - here
Five years ago on 26 May 2021, we were coming out of lockdown, I was CEO at WHALE Arts, I had not long lost my lovely dad, I was being coached and learning to be a coach and I wrote this blog after some cycling musings (of which there are still MANY!).
Today, five years on, to the day, 26 May 2026, Regenerative Futures Fund is moving into its next phase we are making a huge and exciting announcement — our ten-year cohort begins!
Another blog for another day I will reflect a little more on reaching this stage and all the many many people who have joined and shaped this over the past five years. For now here is the link to some beautiful writing by my colleague Aala Ross, Co-Head of Regenerative Futures Fund reflecting on what’s to come and the connections between the organisations, their approach to system change in the city, and here is a page of beautiful photos of our cohort and descriptions of their initiatives.
Unbelievably proud of us! And excited to see how this it collectively led by many in new directions over the next five years and beyond. Where will we have reached in another five years and what will be growing from seeds planted now when we reach 26 May 2031…
My favourite phrase of the moment is one that Lisa from our Residents Panel said at our photo day which is this is ‘the beginning of the beginning’
Proud of our team:
Andy, Leah (me!), Aala and Joe
Our cohort, residents panel, colleagues:
happy faces of our residents panel, team and organisations
And keeping with (my) tradition, here is me on my latest cold water dook, at Dores Beach, swimming in Loch Ness at the end of April…
Tiny me in Loch Ness
To close off my brief 5-year anniversary musings, here is a canter through my twenty (!) ramblings since 26 May 2021, over five years… even if nobody reads these I’ve enjoyed reading back through my writing archive. Maybe this is my motivation to write another twenty by 2031 ✍🏼
On 26 May 2021 after one of my regular canal cycles to work I braved it and wrote thisabout why not a 5 year fund. Buoyed by blog #1 that landed well on twitter in its happier days I wrote this pushing it further into a 10–15 year fund (why not?!). Fast forward over a year and I was taking part in Third Sector Lab’s ‘Open Working and Reuse’ programme thanks to Nick Addington from William Grant Foundation and wrote this. Thisone is an intro to me starting the secondment, hereis me writing and publishing under pressure in 30-mins (stressful!). This one is my reflections on a session led by wonderful Shasta Ali from Corra on participatory grantmaking and racial equity. Once the development phase was underway we had done a call out to orgs in Edinburgh so this one is a gathering of emerging questions and thoughts from the sector on a 10-year fund. That concluded the writing of 2022. Into 2023 this writing is a bit about the messy middle and a lot about our learning groups and our first cross-group gathering in early 2023. A short and sweet blogabout the ‘ingredients’ and ablogwith feedback from our first gathering. This one was a little more personal with some sad news about the passing of Hugo Birge, the start of my ’42 swims’ endeavour and moving into a new phase of the fund design. Oneabout Imagination Is Not A Luxury (!), anotherabout refining the fund design, and yet another oneall about all the work and ideas that this builds upon. First writing of 2024was about inching towards launch (exciting moment!) and almost completing my ’42 swims’ (proud and chilly moment!). By Sept 2024 I was saying a fond farewell to WHALE Arts and was hello to my new employer Foundation Scotland and wrote this in 30 mins (pressure!) about hosting, floating and anchoring. Last writing of 2024 was about the beautiful work of Shasta Ali and Jennifer Williams and all our poets on All That Is Needed Is A Dream — ahh lovely. Into 2025 I wrote this mega-update on all things Regenerative Futures Fund, new colleagues Aala Ross and Andy Hyde, Foundation Scotland lovely people and much more. I then pondered in a very concise way that this takes a long time. This onewas a LinkedIn post about pace, travelling and learning that got way too long and includes our family garden mural. And that takes me to this blog, the 20th in five years! And the award goes to… anyone who got to the end of this indulgent canter through my rambling 5-year musings on developing a ten-year fund 🏆