Regenerative Futures Fund - Moving into Capacity Building Phase

We are pleased to share that Regenerative Futures Fund has reached a major milestone in its long-term effort to shift power and resources into the hands of communities tackling poverty, racism and the climate crisis.

From 97 proposals, our Residents Panel (a group of 15 Edinburgh residents with direct experience of poverty and racism ) selected 34 transformative projects to advance to the next stage of funding, with 50% of projects led by Black and People of Colour. This decision reflects the city’s commitment to tackling the climate transition, ending poverty, dismantling racism, and addressing the interconnected challenges shaping a just and thriving future.

The Panel has spent months listening, learning and working through each application with care, mapping projects across the City by geography, theme, and approach. Projects selected enter the capacity-building phase (from August until December), giving groups the time, space and funding to develop full proposals for long-term, unrestricted funding— proposals submitted in start of 2026 will be up to £100,000 a year, for ten years.

When the capacity-building phase ends, the Panel will select between 10-15 organisations for long-term funding, but the work does not end there. All 34 groups, and dozens more from the initial 97 projects, have registered interest in joining the Regenerative Futures Fund systems change network, a wider network for peer learning, collaboration and collective action—a shared movement for the future of Edinburgh.

The Fund is backed by some of the UK’s biggest charitable funders, including the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The National Lottery Community Fund, The Robertson Trust, Turn2us Edinburgh Trust, Foundation Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council. Crucially, these funders have stepped back from decision-making, placing control firmly with local people.

In September, the wider network of applicants and community groups will come together for the first time to begin a city-wide journey of learning, connection and shared action.

The list of the 34 projects working through the capacity-building phase are here.