Regenerative Futures Fund - How Community Organisations Can Get Involved

Detailed Guidelines & Timelines

The detailed information can be read and downloaded HERE(this will open in a new window)

What will be funded?

This programme is for movements, collectives and grassroots organisations who are committed to the deep and long-term work needed to address the root causes of and the intersection between poverty, racism and climate change and to create spaces for people to collectively imagine and build towards a regenerative and just future for Edinburgh.

The fund will be delivered in two phases – capacity building (funding for approx. 25 organisations) followed by the 10-year fund (funding for 10-15 organisations).

The fund specifically seeks to fund movements, collectives and grassroots organisations that might otherwise be excluded from funding, while prioritising potential for impact and centring equity in decision-making. To that end, we are open to funding organisations across the spectrum of development (from new, unconstituted groups, to older, established organisations).

What level of funding will be awarded?

Regenerative Futures Fund will fund 10-15 organisations over ten years and start making grants in 2025.

In Spring 2025 around 25 organisations and collectives will be invited to take part in Phase One, a capacity-building programme with development grants of up to £10,000. This phase is designed to ensure that organisations can take their time (and be funded during this phase) to work out what they need to have in place to be ready for a 10-year programme. This will differ for each organisation and will respond to individual organisational needs.

Following the capacity-building phase, 10-15 organisations will go on to Phase Two and will be offered funding at a level of up to £100,000 a year for 10 years (2025 – 2035).

Regenerative Futures Fund is designed to be delivered in two phases to ensure that organisations - that will include movements and grassroots organisations who have many barriers to accessing funding processes - are ready to take on long-term funding.

The funding process is planned as follows:

Applying for Funding – Step by Step

Step 1: Check if your organisation is eligible via the self-recommendation form (Feb–22 April 2025).

Step 2: Organisations that meet all eligibility requirements will be invited to, with support as required, to submit written expressions of interest (May 2025).

Step 3: 20-25 organisations will be selected for and funded to participate in a capacity-building phase* (approx. June to September 2025) [decisions made by lived experience panel]

Step 4: 10-15 organisations will be awarded 10-year funding by end of 2025 [decisions made by lived experience panel]

*Note: capacity-building phase will include group training sessions as well tailored support for individual organisations to get them to the point of being able to submit a full application for funding, while helping each organisation meet Foundation Scotland eligibility requirements

How can organisations get involved?

During the Fund’s co-design stages, participants spoke about the challenges that small, grassroots and diverse-led organisations face when trying to access funding to sustain their organisations.

The fund will have a process where organisations complete a simple eligibility checker, that they can access below or may be referred by partners within the Regenerative Futures Fund network. This form will be open from February until 22 April 2025. Eligible organisations and collectives will then be invited, with support if required, to submit a written expression of interest in May 2025.

Here is the link to the self-recommendation form for organisations and collectives: Regenerative Futures Fund - Self-Recommendation (for community organisations)(this will open in a new window)

We will run some online info sessions (dates to be arranged).

To receive updates on info sessions and more, join the mailing list - Foundation Scotland and/ or send questions to erff@foundationscotland.org.uk. Based on emails and questions asked at the info sessions the team will publish and update a live Frequently Asked Questions(this will open in a new window) page on the Regenerative Futures Fund website.