Lisbon, July 14, 2026 (Lusa) - The creation of ten citizen-led communities organised to produce, share, consume and store solar energy will be funded by the Portuguese Gulbenkian Foundation, with up to €30,000 per project, prioritising disadvantaged families and less densely populated areas.

According to Luís Jerónimo, director of the Lisbon-based Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s Equity and Sustainability Programme, the call for proposals launched today by the Foundation will prioritise applications from low-density areas or those with greater energy vulnerability, benefiting families facing very high energy costs.

The initiative is aimed at local development associations, cooperatives and other civil society organisations involved with the local community, with the aim of demonstrating that the energy transition can be driven by communities themselves, encouraging greater citizen participation in their neighbourhoods, parishes and local councils.

Although this approach has enormous potential, it is not widely implemented in Portugal, which has fewer than ten such licensed communities; the main obstacle is the lack of financial capacity among local associations and citizens to invest.

In the absence of public funding mechanisms specifically aimed at developing citizen-led renewable energy communities, the Foundation has established a partnership with Coopérnico – Cooperative for Sustainable Development.

The 10 best applications for Renewable Energy Communities will receive financial support of up to €30,000 per project, as well as training and capacity-building.

VP/AYLS // AYLS

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