A new bioregional initiative focused on strengthening the foundations of local economies through coordinated, place-based transition efforts has launched in North Carolina. The Resilient Futures Co-Lab supports long-term regional resilience by aligning community leadership, systems analysis, and different forms of capital around real needs on the ground.

The Resilient Futures Co-Lab works across interconnected systems rather than isolated projects, supporting related efforts across food systems, housing and infrastructure, health and wellbeing, and circular materials and manufacturing. The work centers on reducing barriers and building shared capacity through relationship building, coordination, shared infrastructure, financing, and collective learning.

Resilient Futures Co-Lab is a bioregional initiative focused on strengthening the foundations of local economies through coordinated, place-based transition. By aligning leadership, systems analysis, and multiple forms of capital, the Co-Lab supports the Mountain and Piedmont regions of North Carolina in building durable, community-rooted pathways toward resilience. The Resilient Futures Co-Lab is being developed in collaboration with Metabolic, Dark Matter Capital Systems, Blueprint for Impact, and Envision Charlotte, each bringing complementary expertise in systems design, community investment, and regional transformation.

“We’ve done months of deep data analysis on the broader region to understand where these different things are aligning.” said Eva Gladeck, CEO of Metabolic and collaborator with the Resilient Futures Co-Lab. “That’s the foundation for these transition pathways we are collectively shaping with the community here.”

Initial activities are focused within the 59 counties spanning the Mountain and Piedmont regions of North Carolina, where relationships, research, and early investment efforts are already underway. The initiative is intentionally rooted in the local context while informed by global best practices in systems change and transition design.

“Long-term change doesn’t come from isolated projects or solutions,” said Jennifer Germaine, Director of Finance at Blueprint for Impact and collaborator with the Resilient Futures Co-Lab. “It comes from coordination. When communities have the space, resources, and shared understanding to move together toward a resilient future, more impactful change happens.”

As part of its launch, the Co-Lab has opened its first Microgrants Program, offering small, flexible grants of $2,000 and $5,000. These grants are intended to support learning, experimentation, coordination, and momentum-building.

“Real change happens when communities have the flexibility, trust, and resources to experiment and learn together. These microgrants create the space for early ideas and unlikely collaborations to take shape, especially the ones that don’t fit neatly into traditional funding boxes but are often the most catalytic,” said Amy Aussieker, Executive Director of Envision Charlotte and collaborator with the Resilient Futures Co-Lab

Applications are open now and close February 20, 2026. More information and application details are available at: www.resilientfuturescolab.org/microgrants

Local organizations, community groups, small businesses, social entrepreneurs, and collaborative teams working toward long-term wellbeing, stewardship, and regional resilience are encouraged to apply and share the opportunity within their networks.

Source: Resilient Futures Co-Lab