Bucharest residents who want to turn environmental issues in their micro-community into concrete solutions for a better city to live in can obtain funding during this period through the third edition of the “În ZONA TA” program. The project is run by the Bucharest Community Foundation through the Environmental Platform for Bucharest, with the support of ING Bank Romania. To access a grant, civic initiative groups and non-governmental organizations can submit their ideas and proposals for revitalizing their neighborhoods until April 1, 2026. The initiatives selected for funding will enter an incubator and will benefit from mentorship and support from a group of experts to turn their ideas into concrete plans for 2026-2027.
The state of the environment is a source of dissatisfaction for many residents of the capital. From air pollution and inadequate waste collection and management to insufficient or poorly maintained green spaces, the Bucharest Community Foundation’s data shows that, alongside city-level efforts, collective intervention and civic engagement at the community level are needed.
The “În ZONA TA” program, part of the Environmental Platform for Bucharest, supports civic involvement in solving the city’s problems, neighborhood by neighborhood. Now at its third edition, the program has so far supported 23 community projects with grants totaling more than €300,000, addressing issues related to urban nature and biodiversity, waste management and the circular economy, as well as urban mobility, climate change, and grey infrastructure.
“Each of us can contribute to solving an environmental problem and to transforming the neighborhood we live in. In recent years, neglected spaces have become community gardens, composting stations and coordinated separate waste collection initiatives have been set up, repair centers and tool libraries for circular economy have been created, photovoltaic panels have been installed at building level, and solutions have been identified to support alternative mobility. The city changes when communities choose to participate, and «În ZONA TA» is the framework through which civic ideas can become concrete actions for a better city to live in”, says Alina Kasprovschi, Executive Director, Bucharest Community Foundation.
Up to €15,000 available for new “În ZONA TA” projects
The third edition of the program offers grants of up to €15,000 for each selected project. Initiatives are eligible if they contribute to urban nature and the city’s biodiversity (arranging / transforming green spaces and urban gardens), support the circular economy and waste management (repair centers for household items, community tool libraries for shared use, composting stations), address climate change and grey infrastructure (transforming paved areas, photovoltaic panels), or improve urban mobility (parking facilities or repair stations for bicycles and scooters).
“Over the past five years, together with the Environmental Platform for Bucharest, we have built a neutral space for access to environmental data, collaboration and support for projects that contribute to a more livable city. We have learned that transforming the city requires supporting diverse projects, at all levels of maturity, that increase our collective capacity to bring them to life. The «În ZONA TA» program was created with the desire to encourage civic-minded citizens and from our vision to improve spaces in the community located near ING offices in Bucharest”, says Tomina Vodarici, Community Investment Specialist at ING Bank Romania.
Civic initiative groups made up of at least three people and politically unaffiliated associations or non-governmental organizations can apply for a grant until April 1, 2026, by completing the online project application form available on the Environmental Platform for Bucharest website.
Projects selected in the first stage will take part in a six-week incubator, between April 17 and May 31, 2026, during which they will receive mentorship and support to refine their ideas, plan and manage implementation effectively, manage their budget, and engage community members in activities and decision-making. In addition, the projects may also receive specific consultancy, depending on their needs, from experts in areas such as urban planning, recycling, composting, biodiversity or landscape design. The projects eligible to receive funding will be selected by June 10, 2026, and the initiative groups or coordinating organizations will be able to start the planned actions immediately.
“În ZONA TA” is part of the Environmental Platform for Bucharest, a strategic program developed by Bucharest Community Foundation and ING Bank Romania. Launched in 2021, the program brings together specialists from civil society, academia and the business sector, activists, policymakers and public administration to act in a coordinated way to address the complex environmental challenges facing Bucharest. Through key directions such as research, funding and collaboration, the Platform collects data and concrete examples to understand environmental challenges and the solutions proposed by civil society, mobilizes financial resources for their implementation and scaling, and creates a framework for collaboration between NGOs, private companies and public authorities. To date, 58 projects have been funded with a total of 15 million lei.
