The European funding, bundled under the name FLIGHT (“Funding Leuven's Implementation of the Green, High-Impact Transition”), will enable the further development of the fund. This fund offers loans of up to 250,000 euros to entrepreneurs contributing to a climate-neutral and climate-resilient Leuven.
Thomas Van Oppens, alderman for climate and sustainability, emphasized the fund's importance: “With the Leuven Climate Fund, we want to ensure that strong climate projects do not stall due to a lack of financing. Thanks to the European support for FLIGHT, we can further expand the fund and technically and financially prepare concrete projects in renovation, sustainable heating, and circular economy so that investors are more willing to come on board.”
Katrien Rycken, director of Leuven 2030, added: “Leuven possesses a great deal of knowledge, commitment, and capital. The challenge is to connect these forces ever better. That is precisely what we are doing with FLIGHT: advancing concrete climate projects and simultaneously developing a financial instrument that will enable investments in the future as well.”
Within FLIGHT, the city, Leuven 2030, and their partners will further develop various projects, including renovations for social organizations, testing low-temperature heating in eight buildings, and projects focused on the circular economy, such as improving the sorting and recycling of plastics and textile fibers.
On December 16, Leuven 2030 will organize the Art for Climate art auction at M Leuven, with proceeds going to the Leuven Climate Fund. The project also aims to generate knowledge on how cities can develop new solutions and combine public and private investments.
