Description
Local sustainability initiatives are a powerful force for change, with communities launching projects ranging from neighbourhood composting hubs to energy co-operatives. However, these vital efforts often hit the wall due to persistent challenges. Funding is frequently short-term or grant-based, resulting in an uncertain future. Ownership and accountability are often unclear, and decision-making can be informal or centralised, disengaging the very people the projects are intended to serve. This structural fragility prevents small, impactful projects from scaling or enduring over time.
We need a new approach to enable communities to collectively fund, manage, and sustain these initiatives for the long term. How can we design a new framework for funding and managing local sustainability initiatives that is transparent, inclusive, and genuinely owned by the community? The goal is to create a product, business model, or governance mechanism that allows diverse stakeholders to co-own and co-finance grassroots projects – moving beyond short-term grants and top-down decision-making to build resilient, community-led solutions.
How might people collectively fund a project while maintaining a transparent record of contributions? How can voting on proposals or shared rules be made fair and engaging for all participants? What is a simple and effective way to manage shared assets and resources within a trust-based system?