Funding revolution is a written guide to establishing and running low-carbon community revolving funds. Forum for the Future wrote it in collaboration with Bates Wells & Braithwaite solicitors (BWB) to show communities how they can use smart finance to kick-start carbon saving projects like these in their area and make their investments go further.

The essence of a revolving fund is that the initial investment in a local energy project is repaid by returns, freeing up cash to invest in further carbon reduction schemes. Revenues from reduced energy bills, selling energy, and feed-in tariffs can fund a community’s activities for decades on a steady, predictable basis. By reinvesting returns, or spending them on other carbon saving projects, the community can multiply the impact of its investment and avoid the need for continual injections of grant funding.