ECOLISE

Name

ECOLISE

Legal name

ECOLISE - European Network for Community-Led Initiatives

Website

https://ecolise.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Network Advocacy and Community Climate Action Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADALAO

Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

SECONDARYBPAGALAD

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPAIAMAD

Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration

SECONDARYBPADALAE

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

Keywords

• Community-led initiatives
• Climate change networks
• Sustainability advocacy
• EU policy engagement
• Regenerative communities

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels, Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Project Funding: ECOLISE generates revenue through European Commission funding programs including Horizon Europe grants. Examples include the FLIARA project (Grant Agreement No 101084234) and other EU-funded initiatives that support community-led climate action across Europe.
2. Membership: ECOLISE operates a membership program where organizations committed to a just and regenerative future can join the network. Membership involves application process through the website.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

ECOLISE is a European meta-network that strengthens community-led climate and sustainability initiatives through advocacy, knowledge exchange, EU policy engagement, and funded project implementation. Its deliverable portfolio includes the European Day of Sustainable Communities annual campaign, the Communities for Future programme, the Regenerative Communities Fund, Horizon Europe projects such as FLIARA, CURIOSOIL, and CHOICE, policy publications including 'Reclaiming the Future of Food', and a Communities of Practice framework. Services are directed at grassroots movements, member organizations, and EU institutions.

Product overview

ECOLISE is the European Network for Community-Led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability. Rather than a unified software product, ECOLISE operates as a network organization offering a portfolio of programmes, campaigns, and projects. Key offerings include the ECOLISE Website as the central information platform, the European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC) annual campaign, the Communities for Future action programme, the Regenerative Communities Fund (RCF) funding mechanism, and policy publications such as 'Reclaiming the Future of Food'. ECOLISE also coordinates multiple Horizon Europe research projects including CURIOSOIL (soil education), FLIARA (female-led rural innovation), and CHOICE (digital storytelling). The organization facilitates a Communities of Practice ecosystem that connects thematic networks working on eco-social transition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Communities for Future: Europe-wide action programme launched by ECOLISE in 2020 to inspire and empower local communities to respond to the climate and ecological emergency.
• European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC)
• Regenerative Communities Fund (RCF)

Products and services

• European Day of Sustainable Communities (EDSC) Annual pan-European campaign and celebration of community-led initiatives on climate change and sustainability, featuring events organized by communities across Europe to showcase grassroots sustainability work.
• Communities for Future Europe-wide action programme that inspires and empowers local communities to respond to the climate and ecological emergency, coordinated across ECOLISE's network of community-led initiatives.
• Regenerative Communities Fund (RCF) Financial and capacity-building mechanism that provides seed funding, learning opportunities, and peer exchanges to support community-led sustainability projects.
• FLIARA (Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas) Horizon Europe-funded project creating a European-wide ecosystem to support women-led innovative practices in farming and rural areas, delivered through a consortium of fifteen public and private organizations from ten EU countries.
• CURIOSOIL Horizon Europe project that advances soil literacy across Europe through a Community of Practice and educational materials developed with partner organizations.
• CHOICE (Community of Storytellers) Digital storytelling initiative providing communications training so communities can document their experiences and convert the resulting stories into advocacy tools.
• Reclaiming the Future of Food Policy publication developed with over 230 contributors across 24 countries that presents thirteen policy recommendations on resilient, regenerative, and just food systems.
• Communities of Practice (CoPs) Ecosystem Collaboration framework connecting thematic Communities of Practice working on eco-social just transition, enabling knowledge sharing and collective impact across ECOLISE's network.
• ECOLISE Membership Programme Application-based membership programme through which organizations committed to a just and regenerative future join ECOLISE's network of community-led initiatives across Europe.

Quantifiable outcome

• European Day of Sustainable Communities has engaged communities in 27+ countries since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• European Economic and Social CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Host venue for ECOLISE policy dialogue events on housing and food, providing space for community-government dialogue on fair sustainability transitions.
• ELARD Knowledge HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-organiser of FLIARA Romania events and activities. ELARD (European Leader Association for Rural Development) Knowledge Hub manages the FLIARA project at European level alongside ECOLISE.
• Center for Mediation and Community SecurityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Romanian organization co-organising FLIARA events, working on gender equality and women's empowerment in rural areas.
• GAL Dealurile TârnavelorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Local Action Group in Romania supporting FLIARA Romania activities and rural women innovators.
• University of GalwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023FLIARA project coordinator. The University of Galway leads this €project involving fifteen public and private organisations from ten EU countries, with ECOLISE leading Work Package 4 on establishing the FLIARA Community of Practice Network.
• FLIARA Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Fifteen public and private organisations from ten EU countries collaborating on the FLIARA (Female-Led Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Areas) project under Horizon Europe funding.
• Rural Pact Support Office (RPSO)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ECOLISE participated in the Rural Pact Conference organised by RPSO, co-facilitating networking corners and contributing to discussions on community-led transition in rural areas.
• REScoop.euminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023ECOLISE supports the European federation of energy communities (REScoop) in calling for an Energy Communities Action Plan. They share advocacy goals around citizen-led energy transition.
• Gaia EducationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ECOLISE supported the EDE (Ecovillage Design Education) program held at Schloss Tonndorf, Germany. Gaia Education creates learning opportunities for ecovillage design and sustainable community development.
• Transition NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022One of ECOLISE's founding member movements. Transition Network supports community-led transition initiatives and is part of the Communities for Future framework.
• Permaculture AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022One of ECOLISE's founding member movements. The Permaculture Association promotes permaculture design practices across Europe.
• Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022One of ECOLISE's founding member movements. GEN Europe represents ecovillages and sustainable communities across the continent.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022ECOLISE founding member from local government sector. ICLEI supports cities and communities in achieving sustainable development goals.
• Academic Partners (FCUL, DRIFT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL) and DRIFT (Rotterdam) provide academic support to ECOLISE initiatives including Communities for Future.
• EDSC National Contact PointsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 20219 national contact points across Europe coordinating European Day of Sustainable Communities activities in their respective countries.
• Let's Do It WorldminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021International environmental organization supporting the European Day of Sustainable Communities campaign.
• La Fetes des PossiblesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021French-Belgian network of community-led initiatives supporting the European Day of Sustainable Communities with 100+ events.
• RurenerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Rural energy network supporting the European Day of Sustainable Communities campaign.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• REScoop.eu: The European federation of energy cooperatives. Comparable as a Brussels-based advocacy network mobilizing citizen-led initiatives, with overlapping EU policy access and member-driven funding model.
• Gaia Education: Provider of sustainability and ecovillage design education programs (e.g., EDE). Comparable as a network of educators delivering community sustainability curricula across Europe with overlapping target audience.
• ELARD (European LEADER Association for Rural Development): European association representing LEADER Local Action Groups on rural development. Comparable as a Brussels-based EU policy advocate for community-led rural development, with direct FLIARA project collaboration with ECOLISE.
• Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Europe: A founding member of ECOLISE and the umbrella for European ecovillages. GEN Europe operates a similar network-based model focused on sustainable communities and is directly comparable in constituency, mission, and event programming.
• Transition Network: A founding member of ECOLISE supporting community-led transition initiatives across Europe and beyond. Comparable in operating model (network coordination, community-of-practice facilitation) and target constituency (grassroots sustainability groups).
• Permaculture Association Britain: A founding ECOLISE member promoting permaculture design and education. Comparable as a network organization advocating for regenerative land-use practices and training community practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• Friends of the Earth Europe: A European environmental NGO network with grassroots member groups across Europe. Comparable in grassroots-to-EU-policy advocacy model and federated network structure, though with a different thematic focus.
• Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe: A large Brussels-based coalition of civil society NGOs working on climate policy. Comparable in EU policy advocacy infrastructure and Brussels positioning, but broader in scope and larger in scale than ECOLISE.
• European Environmental Bureau (EEB): A federation of environmental citizens' organizations based in Brussels. Comparable as a Brussels-rooted network advocating environmental policy with EU institutions, though more established and broader in mandate.
• ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: A global network of local and regional governments working on sustainability. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder sustainability network engaging EU institutions, but with a much broader mandate and larger institutional footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CfF_Communities
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdGR1yw38zOqxKTccHozmOg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecolise.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecolise
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecolise.eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECOLISE