£15 Million Unrestricted Fund for Edinburgh Groups Addressing Poverty, Racism and Climate Change Launches

The Regenerative Futures Fund is a new pooled fund hosted by Foundation Scotland. With nearly £6 million pledged to date by a range of major funders including City of Edinburgh Council, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Robertson Trust, Turn2us Edinburgh Trust, Foundation Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.

The coalition of funders is committed to a just and sustainable Edinburgh and is inviting others to help realise the planned £15 million 10-year programme which aims to allow organisations in Edinburgh to think and plan in the long term to tackle the root causes of poverty, racism and the environmental crisis.

The programme has been designed to put decision-making power into the hands of those who are most often excluded through decision making by a lived experience panel.

The Fund will be delivered in two phases:

• Phase One: 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 available.
• Phase Two: 10-15 organisations will be invited to the second phase. Unrestricted funding of between £50,000 to £100,000 a year for 10 years (2025 – 2035) will be available.

Collectives, movements and grassroots organisations can apply. The Fund is open to organisations across the spectrum of development (from new, unconstituted groups, to older, established organisations).

To be eligible, groups must be:

• Located in the City of Edinburgh, with strong links to local community.
• Working locally to address poverty, racism and/or climate change (and the intersection of these issues).
• Committed to collaborating with others through a programme of shared learning and imagination activities.

A minimum threshold of 50% of the full cohort of funded organisations will have diverse leadership with a focus on anti-racism in the context of ending poverty.

There is a multi-stage application process.