The Role of Philanthropy in Southern Italy’s Community Energy Transition
Campania, Sicilia, Puglia y Basilicata
Brigitte Duplat (UPM), December 2025
In Italy’s Mezzogiorno, where the shadows of social insecurity intertwine with climate challenges, the Fondazione CON IL SUD is charting a bold course.
Here, philanthropy does more than simply provide funding: it forges links between citizens, local authorities and technical experts to foster the emergence of energy communities based on solidarity.
Across Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata, renewable energy is becoming a driver of social justice, transforming vulnerable regions into testing grounds for self-sufficiency and social cohesion. It is a story in which the ecological transition goes hand in hand with inclusion, and where every kilowatt-hour generated is also a step towards dignity.
What role can philanthropy play in enabling climate-neutral transitions in territories facing persistent social and economic vulnerabilities ?
This case study examines how Fondazione CON IL SUD, a philanthropic organisation and Philea member, supports the development of Renewable and Social Energy Communities (Comunità Energetiche e Sociali) in Southern Italy. Through grant-based funding and technical accompaniment, the foundation enables community-led renewable energy initiatives in regions facing persistent socio-economic vulnerability, including Campania, Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata. By combining community energy1, social inclusion and capacity-building, it reflects key ambitions of philanthropy in strengthening local knowledge ecosystems and early-stage project structuring .
Philanthropy refers to the use of private resources, channelled through independent organisations, to create public good and social value. In the context of cities’ pathways toward climate neutrality, philanthropy acts as a connector between vision, capacity, finance and participation — far beyond funding, helping to unlock processes, spaces and collaborations. By providing flexible and risk-tolerant support, it accelerates progress toward climate neutrality and a just transition.
Foundations are increasingly supporting cities and local actors in the development and implementation of climate solutions aligned with Europe’s just transition ambitions. In Southern Italy, Fondazione CON IL SUD2 plays a catalytic role by funding and accompanying Renewable and Social Energy Communities, helping territories in the Mezzogiorno translate community-led energy initiatives into structured, locally anchored projects that address energy poverty while strengthening social cohesion.
In this context, the foundation has positioned community energy as a lever to address energy poverty while enabling bottom-up transition pathways.
Throughout the project cycle, Fondazione CON IL SUD provides seed capital for early-stage project design and organisational development typically not covered by public schemes, while also supporting capacity-building and acting as a convener to enable collaboration among municipalities, third sector organisations, citizen groups and technical actors.
Description of the Project
The initiative supports municipalities, third sector organisations and citizen groups in establishing community-led renewable energy cooperatives. Fondazione CON IL SUD provides grant funding and technical support that allow local actors to design energy projects, organise cooperative governance structures and prepare initiatives capable of accessing additional public co-financing at regional, national or European level.
Renewable energy is framed not only as a technical objective, but as a tool to address energy poverty, foster participation and reinforce social cohesion, particularly in disadvantaged urban and peri-urban contexts of the Mezzogiorno.
Project Objectives and Timeframe
-
Promote local energy autonomy and social cohesion in Southern Italian territories facing structural challenges.
-
Strengthen the technical and organisational capacity of municipalities and local organisations.
-
Foster citizen participation in climate-related decision-making.
-
Create enabling conditions for future renewable energy investments.
The approach has been implemented through successive calls for proposals, including the dedicated “Comunità energetiche e sociali al Sud” call launched in 2022, allowing the foundation to progressively test and refine the model across different territories.
Actors Involved and Roles
The initiative is led by Fondazione CON IL SUD, established in 2006 through an agreement between ACRI3 and Forum Terzo Settore, with a mandate to promote social, civil and economic development in Southern Italy.
At local level, projects involve: municipal administrations, third sector organisations and cooperatives, parishes and community centres, citizen groups, particularly households experiencing socio-economic vulnerability, technical partners specialised in renewable energy systems.
Results and Expected Impact
As of 2023, the initiative has supported the launch of nine renewable and social energy communities across Southern Italy, with a total investment of over €1.3 million from Fondazione CON IL SUD and additional co-financing from partners such as Banco dell’Energia. The projects are expected to involve more than 500 families and around 50 local entities.
Supported communities have begun installing shared photovoltaic systems, testing participatory governance arrangements and combining energy production with social services and educational activities. In parallel, municipalities and local organisations have strengthened their practical experience in energy planning, cooperative governance and project management.
Beyond tangible outputs, the initiative has contributed to stronger local networks, increased awareness of energy poverty and social justice, and emerging practices of collective responsibility for the energy transition, conditions widely recognised as enabling factors for systemic climate action
Role of the Philanthropic entity and Context of Collaboration
The Renewable and Social Energy Communities initiative has been implemented through a call for proposals, through which projects were selected for funding across Southern regions.
The programme also involves complementary partners, including Banco dell’Energia, which contributes financial support and technical know-how, and includes provisions for an impact evaluation assessing economic, environmental and social effects.
Across the project cycle, Fondazione CON IL SUD has played multiple roles. It provides seed capital for early-stage design and organisational development typically not covered by public schemes, supports capacity-building through technical training and mentoring for municipalities and local organisations, and acts as a neutral convener, enabling collaboration among municipalities, third sector organisations, citizen groups and technical actors while helping align expectations and responsibilities.
In doing so, the foundation assumes financial and reputational risks that local administrations would often struggle to take on alone. This risk-taking function is central: without it, many community energy initiatives would remain at the level of intention rather than becoming structured projects capable of attracting larger-scale investment.
1 Community energy refers to a model in which citizens, businesses and local authorities join forces to collectively produce, consume and manage their own renewable energy.
2 Fondazione CON IL SUD is a philanthropic organisation established in 2006 whose mission is to promote social cohesion as well as civil and economic development in southern Italy. Its approach is based on strengthening and networking existing local capacities, particularly within the service sector.
3 Acri is a municipality in the province of Cosenza, in the region of Calabria, Italy.
Sources
To go further
Net Zero Cities: netzerocities.eu/