Flora Fund launches the ZeroHeroSchools programme to guide Italian schools through decarbonisation pathways
As part of its commitment to supporting CO₂e emissions mitigation and climate change adaptation, Flora Fund is promoting “ZeroHeroSchools”, a new programme dedicated to Italian schools as strategic spaces for accelerating the ecological transition.
Schools represent a decisive environment for generating change: not only because they involve students, teachers, and school staff every day, but also because they provide a means of reaching families and local communities, helping to spread more conscious and sustainable behaviours.
With this aim, Flora Fund is launching an expression of interest open to registered third-sector organisations wishing to apply to guide schools through practical pathways to reduce their climate footprint.
The programme intends to bring together two complementary dimensions: on one hand, educational and awareness-raising activities aimed at the school community; on the other, operational support for schools in identifying the most effective levers for reducing their environmental impact, with particular focus on energy, mobility, food, waste management, and use of space.
The expression of interest is exploratory in nature and aims to identify organisations with the appropriate experience, expertise, and coordination capacity to proceed to a subsequent phase of technical and organisational development.
The process will lead to the selection of an operational partner for the implementation of an initial pilot phase, involving 20 independent/private schools distributed across Northern, Central, and Southern Italy, with a total maximum budget of €120,000. The decision to begin with non-state schools reflects the need to test the model in contexts where initiating energy-saving and climate impact reduction initiatives can be more direct and swift.
The project will be accompanied by a monitoring activity conducted by the Evaluation Lab of Fondazione Social Venture Giordano dell’Amore, with the aim of assessing the pilot’s results and the potential for a future expansion of the programme.
Expressions of interest must be submitted by 14 June 2026. By 25 June 2026, Flora Fund will identify a shortlist of organisations to be invited to the subsequent development phase, with the aim of selecting by July 2026 the operational partner to support the launch of the pilot.
Through ZeroHeroSchools, Flora Fund aims to contribute to building a widespread culture of sustainability and climate responsibility, starting from the places where future generations are educated.
To apply: complete the form at the link contained in the call for expressions of interest.
For information: nicolo@flora-fund.org