Regenerative Communities Fund: new Call for Pathfinder Communities now open
The Regenerative Communities Fund (RCF), an initiative by ECOLISE launched in 2024, is launching its Fourth Call for Proposals. This call will select 50 more Pathfinder Communities from across Croatia, Finland, France, Portugal, and Spain.If you are part of an existing, small-scale, local community-led initiative (CLI) working on climate action, regeneration, or just transition, this is your opportunity to connect, share, and amplify your impact across Europe. Read the Call for Proposals below and apply!
You can also read the Call for Proposals and some of its annexes in your own national language (Croatian, Finnish, French, Portuguese, Spanish). You can download the translated versions below, provided by National Hubs. Please note that the official Call for Proposals and Annexes are the English versions. Translations are provided only to support you in better understanding the text of the call.
What is the Regenerative Communities Fund?
The RCF is the first fund specifically focused on supporting regenerative communities in Europe.
The RCF helps community-led initiatives overcome barriers—like lack of funding, outreach, or technical support—especially in marginalised or underserved communities. Through an ecosystem of National Hubs, Demonstrators, and upcoming Pathfinder communities, RCF aims to build an inclusive movement for eco-social regeneration.
The fund is currently being piloted through Funding Fairer Futures (FFF), a project co-funded by the European Commission under the DEAR Programme.
What Are Pathfinder Communities?
Pathfinder Communities are small-scale, innovative and inclusive CLIs that:
- Work on climate action and local regeneration.
- Operate at a local scale, working closely with their communities.
- Empower communities who experience higher levels of deprivation and systemic exclusion.
- Are excited to learn, exchange, and build capacity together.
Selected Pathfinder Communities will:
- Receive sub-granting (up to €4,000) and capacity-building support.
- Join a vibrant, cross-European network of practice.
- Act as inspiring examples of grassroots, transformative CLIs and amplifiers of diverse local voices.
What Will Pathfinder Communities Do?
Pathfinder Communities will play a vital role in expanding the regenerative ecosystem, reaching local marginalised communities. As part of their funded activities, they will:
- Receive financial support to work on small-scale projects, activities, and practical implementation.
- Participate in training (e.g. webinars) and networking activities as part of the FFF project.
- Share stories of just community climate action for ECOLISE’s advocacy campaigns and the FFF online repository.
- Support the EDSC and FFF Just Transition campaign and amplify its outreach.
- Organise a local policy event as part of the European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC) in September 2027, alongside policy dialogues organised by RCF National Hubs and Demonstrators.
Dates & Application Info
Call Opening: Monday, 11 May 2026
Deadline to apply: Monday, 22 June 2026
Save the dates, take a look at the Call for Proposals and apply!
NOTE : Applicants can not edit directly the documents attached to the Call for Proposals. You can either download them as Word/Excel files or make copies of them to your Drive, and then fill them in.
If you face any issues, you can reach out to [rcf@ecolise.eu].
This is the fourth funding cycle of the RCF, the last one planned under the umbrella of the Funding Fairer Futures (FFF) initiative (2024 – 2028).
About Funding Fairer Futures
Funding Fairer Futures (FFF) is co-funded by the European Commission (DEAR Programme) and includes 5 funds, led by different partners. It aims to raise awareness, support citizen engagement, and promote climate justice and gender-transformative action across Europe.
Together, FFF-supported communities are building a more just, inclusive, and regenerative future—from the ground up.
Any questions?
Check out our Frequently Asked Questions!
This document contains useful information and will be updated on a rolling basis by the ECOLISE RCF team.
The ECOLISE team organised an orientation webinar about the RCF Pathfinder Communities Call on Tuesday 26 May 2026 at 10:30-12:00 CET, to further explain the application process and answer questions. You can access to the presentation slides here and watch the recording here.
ECOLISE will also host an open office hour on Tuesday 9 June 2026, 15:00-16:00 CET. Register here and join us to ask your questions directly to the ECOLISE RCF Team.
National Hubs will also organise info-sessions and open office hours in their respective national languages. Please find more details below and on their websites:
- CTC (France):
- Webinar – 20 May 2026, 11:00-12:00 CET – Register here
- Open Office Hours – 2 June and 16 June 2026, 12:00-13:00 CET – Register here
- ZMAG (Croatia):
- Re.RuRal (Portugal):
- Open Office Hour – 11 June 2026, at 16:00 WET (Portuguese time) – Zoom Link
- ECORREDES (Spain):
- Open Office Hour – 3 June 2026, at 17:00 CET – Zoom Link
- Jalotus (Finland):
- Info Webinar – 25 May 2026, 16.00-17:00 EET (Finnish time) – Google Meet Link
Further updates will be shared here, but do not hesitate to follow our social media channels and our newsletter to stay up to date!
Applicants are also able to send their questions to the following email address: [rcf@ecolise.eu]. Please note that in case we receive a high number of questions, it may take us a few days to reply. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
This project is co-funded by the European Union. These contents are the sole responsibility of ECOLISE and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
