Once selected, you will join an online welcome meeting with all programme beneficiaries and the REScoop.eu team. This session is your first structured touchpoint with the wider cohort of community energy groups from across Europe. Come prepared to introduce your initiative, share your current priorities, and describe the specific challenges you are facing. REScoop.eu will use this session to carry out a needs assessment, mapping where you are now and what you most need over the coming year. The information you share here will directly shape the support and resources you are directed towards.

With your membership active and your needs assessed, begin drawing on your full support package. This includes participation in REScoop.eu's thematic working groups — covering financing, flexibility, district heating and cooling, citizen-led renovation, and gender and inclusion — as well as access to the Energy Community Platform's e-learning environment and practical resources. Your community will also benefit from promotion through REScoop.eu's communications channels, reaching 4,200 newsletter subscribers and more than 10,000 LinkedIn followers. Engage actively: peer learning and cross-border collaboration are among the most valuable things membership unlocks.

Use your grant of up to €14,000 to address the development priorities identified in your needs assessment. This might mean investing in technical capacity, community engagement, legal or governance structures, communications, or project development. There is no single right answer — the grant is designed to be flexible enough to meet communities where they are. Keep clear records of how the funding is used, as you will be asked to report on progress and outcomes. Strong documentation also strengthens the case for future funding rounds and programme replication across Europe.

At the halfway point, attend a follow-up online meeting with REScoop.eu and your fellow beneficiaries. This is a structured opportunity to share what has gone well, what has been harder than expected, and what additional support or resources would help you in the second half of the year. REScoop.eu's team will assess whether you need redirecting towards different working groups or materials. This session also helps build cohort solidarity — hearing how peer communities are navigating similar challenges is one of the most practical forms of capacity building available.

As the programme year draws to a close, take stock of what your community has achieved and where it wants to go next. Document your progress clearly — both for your own governance and to contribute to REScoop.eu's evidence base for securing future funding. REScoop.eu is actively seeking co-funding to extend and replicate the programme, and strong participant outcomes directly support that case. Consider how continued membership, working group involvement, or future grant opportunities might sustain the momentum you have built. Your growth strengthens not just your own community, but the wider European movement.