Our partners

We are proud to be working with other visionary organisations and institutional investors who share our passion for positive change. They are helping us explore the wider benefits of this powerful way of investing.

Unity Trust Bank

We started working with Unity Trust Bank in May 2025. Unity has committed an initial £15 million for our municipal investments, investing directly alongside citizens (on the same terms) to help increase the scale of borrowing available to councils.

Unity is known for its social and environmental mission. It sees municipal investing as a natural fit for its values and an opportunity to support scalable, localised solutions to the climate crisis. It aims to show that investors can achieve positive impact while maintaining attractive risk-return profiles.

“Municipal investing provides the ideal platform for communities and organisations like Unity to work together and support local solutions to climate change.”

Joshua Meek, Chief Impact Officer, Unity Bank

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, one of the UK’s largest independent impact investors, is providing £1 million in match funding to boost local investment through our platform. Esmée Fairbairn will match investments made by residents in their local council, creating a powerful incentive for residents and local businesses to get involved.

“We are excited to be partnering on this initiative to help deliver the climate outcomes we care about. When it comes to the places we live in, we are proud to back people and organisations who are making their local communities more vibrant, confident and economically resilient.”

Gillian Dickson, Social Investment Manager, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds has been involved with municipal investments from the very start. It was its Financing for Society project - supported by number of pilot councils and other public bodies - that set out in 2019 to explore whether councils could once again borrow directly from citizens using a regulated digital platform.

And in 2026 they announced new research - “The Pound to the Ground” - which will evaluate the green and social impact of the municipal investment model in its first 5 years of operation.

“Our research demonstrated that these investments can be a cost effective way for councils to engage with the communities they serve. Subsequent research, funded by the Place-based Climate Action Network, now provides real confidence that they can also deliver higher social value, by enhancing place-based pride, and through better community understanding and engagement with council activities.”

Professor Mark Davis, University of Leeds

Green Finance Institute

The Green Finance Institute have been working with us on establishing municipal investments with councils since the beginning.

The organisation works across both public and private sectors, acting as advisers to governments and financial institutions. It is an independent, non-profit organisation supported by philanthropic funders who share its mission: to identify ways that finance can be used to create a better future for us all.

“The Green Finance Institute is proud to have championed this approach to investing in councils, which offers a real practical solution that meet the urgent funding needs of local authorities while engaging communities directly in the transition to net-zero.

The success of Abundance’s platform in mobilising citizen investment demonstrates the strength and scalability of the model, and it’s incredibly exciting to be in a position now where we are not only supporting local authorities but originating deals with institutional investors and foundations to accelerate the growth of this market.”

Miles Ashton, Green Finance Institute