Trust Matters

The Trust Matters project was established to capacitate community trusts in REIPPPP and has grown to a programme to model, document, and scale the initiative. Rooted in the trust maturity framework, the Trust Matters project supports community trusts in renewable energy enhance their community development knowledge, establish networks between trusts, enable active participation, and ultimately improve the effectiveness of community trusts in meeting community needs.  

Since its inception in 2023 and 2024, INSPIRE has made significant progress through learning events, trust connect workshops and sector engagements that strengthened collaboration, leadership, governance and community ownership across the renewable energy and community trust ecosystem. These engagements also created platforms for shared learning on financial sustainability, institutional development and community impact. 

In 2025, the project worked to socialise the Trust Maturity Self-Assessment tool through online and in-person engagements, enabling participating trusts to assess their levels of maturity. The results have been consolidated into a baseline report, which provides an overview of where trusts are and future support needs. Furthermore, the project has prioritised the refinement and finalisation of practical resources, including tools, templates, and learning materials to support trusts in strengthening governance, strategy, capacity, and impact. 

In 2026, INSPIRE is supporting participating trusts through a tailored trust maturity journey, a structured programme for Community Trusts to assess and analyse their institutional readiness, identify key development gaps, and access practical tools and frameworks for growth. Through targeted stabilisation and support, trusts receive governance, operational, and compliance assistance to strengthen organisational resilience and effectiveness. The programme also focuses on building long-term capacity through mentorship, peer learning, and access to resources that enable sustainable impact and institutional maturity. 

Additional Trust Matters resources are still being developed to support community trusts across the four pillars of the Trust Maturity Framework: governance, vision and strategy, impactful delivery and capacity. These resources are designed to equip and capacitate trusts with practical tools and guidance to strengthen their institutional effectiveness and long-term sustainability. We look forward to sharing these resources soon to further support trusts on their maturity and development journey.