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Gaia AI and Regen Network recently teamed up to launch REGEN IRL, a grassroots grant competition to supercharge on-the-ground regenerative projects. The challenge: award $888 USD to the project promising the highest Planetary Return on Investment (PROI) – in other words, the maximum positive impact on people and the environment per dollar spent. In a unique twist, Gaia’s intelligent agent (augmented by human experts) helped evaluate the proposals, blending AI insight with community wisdom to identify the ideas with the greatest ecological and social upside. This post introduces the REGEN IRL process and our PROI lens, then walks through the standout finalists and how they ranked, culminating in the announcement of the selected winner.
Planetary Return on Investment (PROI) is Gaia AI’s guiding metric, focusing on tangible regeneration achieved per dollar of funding. Rather than financial gain, PROI measures planetary gain: How much climate, biodiversity, and community benefit can a modest grant seed? In reviewing dozens of submissions, the Gaia × Regen team looked for projects with high on-the-ground impact, clear measurable outcomes, and high leverage – i.e. an outsized outcome for a relatively small ask. Proposals were weighed on their ecological impact (e.g. land restored, carbon sequestered, pollution cleaned up) and social impact (e.g. jobs created, food security, community well-being), as well as cost-effectiveness and plans for tracking results. In short, we asked: Which idea will deliver the biggest regenerative “bang for the buck”?
It was an inspiring challenge – from urban food forests to blockchain-based climate solutions, applicants spanned every category. Notably, a few previous Gaia IRL grant winners even returned with new proposals. After careful evaluation, the following ten projects emerged as the top finalists, ranked by their PROI potential. Each embodies regenerative hope, critical thinking, and deep curiosity about healing our world.
Restoration and Rehabilitation of Kibera Slums (Kenya) – Grand Prize Winner. This bold idea aims to green one of Africa’s largest urban slums through community-led cleanups and micro-forestry. By turning waste into wealth (think compost or biochar) and planting trees in Kibera’s crowded neighborhoods, it promises huge social and ecological returns per dollar. A mere $888 can mobilize residents to remove heaps of trash, improve sanitation, and create pocket parks, directly benefiting thousands of people. The PROI is sky-high: each dollar catalyzes cleaner air, healthier lives, and a model for slum regeneration that could be replicated across Nairobi. Kibera’s transformation shows that even the most marginalized places can blossom with regenerative action.
Roots of Resilience – Eastern Uganda (Ayowecca Uganda’s project) – Previous Winner, Honorable Finalist. Ayowecca’s regenerative agriculture network is already a proven powerhouse of impact. Their ongoing work trains rural farmers and indigenous youth in sustainable farming, empowers women with new skills, and plants fruit tree orchards at schools and health centers. The result is a self-replicating cycle of soil restoration, carbon sequestration, and community nourishment. Every dollar here does triple-duty: improving livelihoods, capturing CO₂, and spreading knowledge that keeps on giving. It’s no surprise this team won the last Gaia IRL grant – their established infrastructure means even a small seed fund immediately bears fruit (literally and figuratively). While they don’t take the top prize again, Ayowecca remains a shining example of high PROI in action, continuing to “debug” the planet’s problems one village at a time.
Integrated Environmental Management (Uganda) – This initiative lives up to its name, tackling environmental challenges holistically. Already in motion on the ground, it integrates reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and community education to heal degraded landscapes. By combining tree planting, wildlife habitat restoration, and soil conservation with local stewardship, it achieves synergistic impact. Every dollar strengthens an entire ecosystem’s resilience – from biodiversity gains (more trees and pollinators) to better crop yields for villages. The project also has data and monitoring plans, ensuring transparent results. With strong grassroots buy-in and an existing team (“confidence” is high), a modest grant here can unlock big regenerative wins across Ugandan communities.
Nairobi River Rehabilitation and Restoration (Kenya) – This project targets a lifeline of Nairobi: the polluted Nairobi River. By funding community clean-ups and simple water purification measures, it delivers immediate, tangible benefits. Picture volunteers removing tons of garbage from the riverbanks and planting bamboo or wetlands to filter water – that’s measurable impact per dollar. Each $1 invested translates into kilograms of trash removed, cleaner water for downstream neighborhoods, and revived aquatic life. The social returns are equally high: cleaner river water means improved public health and dignity for thousands who live along its course. With a clear plan and local support, this project epitomizes high-leverage regeneration – turning a small grant into a healthier urban watershed.
Karura Forest Restoration (Kenya) – Karura, a beloved urban forest in Nairobi, gets a regenerative boost through this plan. The team will use the funds to grow and plant indigenous tree seedlings, restore damaged trails, and educate youth volunteers. Per dollar, the impact is concrete: expect hundreds of new trees sequestering carbon, expanded habitat for birds and monkeys, and greener lungs for the city. Karura Forest has long been a symbol of community conservation, and this project builds on that legacy with high PROI. It not only enhances biodiversity, but also provides Nairobi’s residents with cleaner air and recreation space – all for the cost of a modest grant. Small investment, big returns in urban resilience and wellbeing.
Green Planet Conservation Initiative – A grassroots conservation project now scaling up its efforts. Having piloted successful tree-planting and carbon sequestration activities, they’re ready to expand, making each dollar go further than ever. With $888, Green Planet can plant thousands of mangrove propagules or native tree seeds using their established volunteer network, locking away significant carbon at pennies per tree. They also engage local communities in restoration work, creating green jobs and stewardship pride. The leverage here is impressive: existing momentum + a little funding = a lot more forest cover and carbon drawdown. By focusing on cost-effective methods (like community nurseries and seedballs), this initiative offers a textbook PROI case – delivering large-scale ecological gains on a shoestring budget.
Treegejns DAO – An innovative decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) turning regenerative action into a community-driven movement. Treegejns (a playful portmanteau of “tree” and “generations”) pools crypto and grassroots resources to finance tree planting and forest protection. Why is its PROI high? Leverage through community matching. The $888 grant will not act alone – it’s likely to be matched or multiplied by DAO members’ contributions, funding thousands more trees than a traditional project might. Plus, the DAO structure means local planters and global donors coordinate transparently, ensuring funds directly translate to saplings in the ground. This project merges cutting-edge ReFi (regenerative finance) with on-the-ground forestry, showing how new models can maximize impact per dollar. For Treegejns, a small infusion can ignite a much larger wave of climate action via the blockchain.
7FarmScale: Real-Time IoT Data Hub (West Africa) – A tech-meets-soil solution, 7FarmScale deploys low-cost IoT sensors and an open data platform to help small farmers regenerate their land more efficiently. In a pilot stage, it’s already equipping farms with soil moisture and nutrient sensors that guide smarter irrigation and organic inputs. The PROI comes from preventing waste: for a few hundred dollars' worth of sensors, farmers can cut down on excess water, avoid synthetic fertilizers, and improve yields naturally. In ecological terms, each dollar reduces runoff and emissions while boosting soil carbon. What’s more, the data hub can scale to many farms once developed – meaning the $888 spent now could benefit dozens of villages’ farms in the near future. It’s a seed investment in knowledge that saves money and the planet’s resources, empowering farmers with actionable insight.
ReFi Horizons – Tulum (Mexico) – Regenerative tourism meets community action. ReFi Horizons is an ongoing gathering and initiative in Tulum that channels the energy of the regenerative finance (ReFi) movement into local sustainability projects. By hosting workshops and hackathons with tourists, locals, and global ReFi enthusiasts, they’ve sparked funding for things like beach clean-ups, coral reef restoration, and permaculture gardens in Tulum’s communities. Each dollar of the grant will support these on-the-ground mini-projects (for instance, providing tools for a mangrove planting drive during the event). The multiplier here is the network effect: the $888 seed inspires participants to donate or launch their own initiatives, extending the impact beyond the event itself. It’s a less traditional project – part education, part direct action – but its hopeful, participatory spirit means a small grant can galvanize many hands and minds. The return on investment is a cleaner, greener Tulum and a global cohort of inspired changemakers.
Finance.io – Regenerative Finance Platform – A visionary platform idea that seeks to funnel far more funds into regenerative projects around the world. Finance.io is still in the planning phase, but its concept has massive PROI potential: build a decentralized marketplace where everyday people can invest in or donate to vetted climate projects (like tree plantings, renewable energy for villages, etc.), ensuring that for each dollar input, multiple dollars flow to high-impact work. In essence, the team aims to amplify the impact of capital by making it easier to support grassroots regeneration. The $888 grant will help develop the prototype and strategy – a small investment that could unlock thousands more in climate funding if the platform succeeds. While its immediate on-the-ground effect is indirect, the long-term leverage is huge. Finance.io embodies critical thinking about systems change: fix the flow of money, and you can supercharge all other regenerative efforts. As the only primarily digital finalist, it reminds us that building better financial pipes can be as planet-positive as planting trees.
From restoring forests and rivers to innovating with AI and blockchain, these finalists showcase the regenaissance unfolding worldwide. Each project, in its own way, demonstrates regenerative optimism and ingenuity – proof that small grants can spark outsized change. While only one could take home the grand prize, Gaia AI and Regen ensured that every credible participant is a winner in a sense: all qualifying applicants receive a reward in $REGEN tokens, giving them a helpful nudge to keep going. This way, the regenerative community grows stronger together, with even the non-winning ideas gaining support and visibility.
Congratulations to the Kibera Slums project for achieving the highest PROI and winning the inaugural REGEN IRL grant. Their work will now kick off with funding and AI guidance – we can’t wait to see Kibera’s neighborhoods blossoming with new green life. To all the finalists and applicants: thank you for your courage to innovate and heal. Your passion and critical thinking shine through, and Gaia AI is deeply curious to follow your progress.
In the spirit of regeneration, this is just the beginning. We encourage future applicants to dream boldly and ground those dreams in action. Whether you’re planting a forest, cleaning a waterway, or coding a climate solution, remember that planetary impact per dollar is a mindset we can all embrace. By designing projects that maximize benefits for nature and community, we ensure resources,however modest, create ripples of restoration.
Gaia AI’s message to you: Keep growing, keep learning, and keep regenerating. The earth can heal through our collective efforts, one grant, one project, one community at a time. Here’s to an ever-widening circle of hope, and an abundant future where investment in our planet yields the greatest return of all.
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