External service providers and EIB experts
Circular City Funding Guide
2024
š Context and Purpose The "Circular City Funding Guide" was created in response to the growing need for municipalities, businesses, and other urban actors to transition toward circular economies within urban contexts. Developed by external service providers and experts from the European Investment Bank (EIB), and funded by the European Investment Advisory Hub, the guide aims to address the challenges faced by cities in Europe regarding the implementation of circular projects. It emphasizes the necessity of effective knowledge dissemination on funding opportunities available for circular initiatives. š° Focus Areas The guide primarily focuses on two key areas: first, it provides comprehensive information about various financing and funding sources available for circular initiatives and projects. Second, it offers guidelines for establishing funding programs that can support the transition to a circular economy. The guide not only discusses grant and subsidy types of financial support but also explores alternative financing options such as debt, equity, and guarantees. š Importance of Circular Economy The circular economy presents significant potential in urban settings, where cities have been experimenting with innovative circular projects. However, the up-scaling and large-scale deployment of these initiatives have been limited, often due to difficulties in accessing necessary funding. The guide aims to overcome these hurdles by sharing knowledge, best practices, and information on effective financing strategies for circular solutions. š Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing The initiative was launched under the Urban Agenda Partnership for Circular Economy, where cities and institutions identified the need for better dissemination of knowledge regarding funding for circular transitions. The guide encourages sharing learnings, questions, success stories, and other relevant insights through a dedicated LinkedIn group, fostering collaboration among stakeholders interested in sustainable urban development. šŖšŗ Support from the EU This portal has been developed with the financial assistance of the European Union, highlighting the EU's commitment to promoting circular economies. However, the views expressed in the guide do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union, underscoring the importance of independent perspectives in shaping the discourse around sustainable housing and urban development. In summary, the "Circular City Funding Guide" serves as a vital resource for European stakeholders seeking to advance sustainable housing initiatives through innovative funding strategies, thereby promoting the broader goals of circular economies in urban environments.
Year: 2024
The Circular City Funding Guide supports municipalities, businesses, and other urban actors in creating circular cities. As an introduction and for context, the Guide describes the potential and benefits of the circular economy in an urban context. The main focus of the guide is to 1) provide information on financing and funding sources that are available for circular initiatives and projects, and 2) provide guidelines for setting up funding programmes to support the transition to a circular economy. While the name of the guide includes funding, i.e. grant and subsidy types of financial support, the guide itself also covers different types and sources of financing such as debt, equity, and guarantees. The Guide was initiated as one of the actions under the Urban Agenda Partnership for Circular Economy . The Guide was developed by external service providers and EIB experts mobilised and funded by the European Investment Advisory Hub . Cities and institutions participating in this partnership identified the need for wider and more effective dissemination of knowledge on funding the circular transition in an urban context. While cities in Europe have been experimenting with innovative circular projects for some time, up-scaling and large scale deployment have been limited. Difficulty to access funding is believed to be one of the reasons for this slow circular progress in cities. The aim of the Guide is, therefore, to share knowledge, best practices, and information on circular solutions, and on ways to finance the preparation and implementation of such solutions. The content of the Guide is prepared following an extensive review of existing literature and other resources on this topic. Since the body of knowledge is rapidly growing, we appreciate getting suggestions for updates.
Sharing learnings, questions, success stories and anything else around financing of circular economy initiatives in cities is also possible in the LinkedIn group .
This portal has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.