All Things Urban

Do you have an idea to change your city? Do you want to work together with partners from different sectors? Would you like to learn from, exchange with and be inspired by changemakers from other European cities? If so, apply now to become an Actor of Urban Change!

We offer financial support to kickstart your local project, a safe space to try out new ideas, as well as international training as part of our network of 100 urban changemakers across Europe.

Selected teams receive up to 13,000 Euros in grants, including:

• Activity grants to implement your project of up to 6,000 EUR
• Capacity grants for expert support and consultancy of up to 4,000 EUR
• Travel grants to learn from other cities in our network of up to 3,000 EUR

In addition, we will reimburse all travel expenses for four international network meetings as well as selected workshops and study visits.

How does it work?

It all starts with a team of three people — one each from the nonprofit, the public and the private sectors. Together, they apply as a cross-sectoral team to tackle a challenge in their city. An international jury then selects 10 teams from different European cities to work on their projects for a period of 18 months. At the heart of our program are four international meetings, each taking place in a different European city in our network.

During the four-day summits, the Actors community comes together, and participants exchange intensively on topics such as project management, processes for citizen participation and co-creation, advocacy and more. Field visits, workshops, open spaces and one-on-one coaching offer opportunities for learning, and expert facilitators create space to reflect on and speak freely about the challenges of cross-sector collaboration and urban change work. Throughout the process, the program team gives participants practical support to run their projects.

Our program is open to residents of all 47 Council of Europe member states, Kosovo and Belarus who:

• Work in the nonprofit, private or public sector
• Apply as a local cross-sector team* with a joint project proposal for their city
• Want to develop their skills in cross-sectoral collaboration and participatory urban development
• Are able to attend four international network meetings (lasting 3-4 days each) over a period of 18 months
• Have good command of English

The project you apply with should address a current challenge or need related to sustainable urban development in your city, such as affordable housing, energy and climate change, mobility, social inclusion, circular and sharing economies, or access to public spaces. We’re specifically interested in projects that focus on one of these questions:

• How can nature-based solutions make our cities better places?
• How can communities be activated to co-shape their urban environments?
• How can neglected spaces be re-imagined as vital and conscious hubs for cities under pressure?

Your project should be relevant to the local area/neighborhood it is based in, be innovative compared to other initiatives in your city, and involve the local community.

*by cross-sector team, we mean a team of three people, one each from the public, the private, and the nonprofit sector. For more information, see our FAQs.

We connect people working on new forms of sustainable urban development in Europe, and promote a culture of co-creation as a driving force for positive change.