After the first fruitful learning cycle where nine mentors from across Europe shared how they have implemented innovative financing schemes in their municipalities or regions, on 21 June, the Prospect+ Capacity-Building Programme has opened the application for a new round of mentors.

In the new PROSPECT+ mentor’s team you can share your experience of your city on implementing sustainable energy and climate actions by using innovative financing schemes, support the energy transition in Europe, and achieve visibility for your municipality or region.

Submit your application by 15 July here, to showcase your achievements & build connections across Europe

Do you have expertise in innovative financing schemes?

By innovative financing schemes, PROSPECT+ refers to non-traditional ways of raising funds and facilitating sustainable energy and climate investments by mixing different sources (own funds, public and private funds) or engaging different partners (e.g. citizens, private sector). These innovative financing schemes include:

• Citizens Finance (crowdfunding and cooperatives);
• Internal Contracting (interacting);
• Green Bonds (local governments or their agencies can issue green bonds to fund their sustainable energy and climate actions);
• Guarantee Funds (loan guarantees provided to lenders which serve as buffers against first losses of non-payment by the borrowers);
• Soft Loans (loans below market rates and with longer payback periods derived from public funding to facilitate investments);
• Revolving Funds (established to finance a continuing cycle of investments through initial amounts received from its shareholders);
• Third Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) Party Financing (debt financing where project financing comes from a third party, e.g. ESCO which is not the user or customer).

Thematic areas

If you work for a local/regional authority or an energy agency from one of the 44 eligible countries (EU-27 and the United Kingdom + H2020 associated countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine), you can apply as a mentor to the second cycle of the Capacity-Building Programme in one of these thematic areas:

• public buildings
• private buildings
• public lighting
• transport
• cross-sectoral