How a Global Community Fund Helped Us Bring Solar Education to 7 Countries

When we founded Solarbildung, we had a clear mission: to make solar energy education accessible not just in Germany, but wherever communities are ready to learn and act. What we didn't have was a clear path to getting there.

Expanding internationally as a non-profit is hard. It's not just about having the right content or the right contacts. It's about finding partners who understand that real change doesn't come from top-down programs: it comes from communities who are empowered to lead it themselves.

That's what made our partnership with ChangeX different.

ChangeX is a global platform that connects proven social initiatives with community funding. Since 2019, they have launched more than 400 community funds across more than 30 countries — and their approach is built on a simple but powerful idea: trust communities to know what they need, and give them the tools to make it happen.

When we joined the ChangeX platform, we weren't just getting access to funding. We were joining an ecosystem designed to scale grassroots impact — one where the gatekeeping is minimal and the agency is in the hands of the people closest to the change. For a small organisation like ours, that mattered enormously. As our Managing Director Mike Marqués explained:

"It's been a catalyst for us. We are a small organisation, and the vetting from ChangeX, and the door that it opened, was a real catalyst."

Seven Countries, One Mission

Through the ChangeX model, Solarbildung has been able to expand our solar education programs to communities across seven countries. Each expansion was driven not by us pushing outward, but by local champions — educators, community organizers, and sustainability advocates — who wanted to bring the program to their region and had the support to do it.

This is what community-led growth actually looks like. It's messier than a top-down rollout, but it's also more durable. When a local teacher in a new country runs a Solarbildung lesson or uses our materials in class, it doesn't feel imported — it feels like theirs.

Lessons From the Journey

We recently joined a conversation hosted by ChangeX, alongside partners from Microsoft and ServiceNow, on what it really takes to fund communities effectively across multiple regions. The discussion reinforced something we've experienced firsthand: the five principles that make community investment work aren't abstract — they're practical.

Giving communities genuine agency. Using technology to open doors, not just streamline processes. Building trust before building programs. Making funding accessible to those who have historically been overlooked. And measuring impact in ways that tell a real story — not just numbers, but momentum.

These aren't just values we agree with on paper. They are the operating logic of everything we've built with ChangeX.

🎥 Want to go deeper? Watch the full webinar on scaling community investment:

What Comes Next

Seven countries is not the end of the story. Solar energy education has a role to play in every community navigating the energy transition and there are many more communities ready for it.

If you believe, as we do, that education is one of the most powerful levers we have for a sustainable future, we'd love to have you with us on this journey. Whether as a donor, a partner, or simply someone spreading the word. Every connection helps us reach the next community.

👉 Read the full ChangeX article: changex.org/blog/insights-on-funding-community-led-change-at-scale/