Funding Opportunities about Wasted Food
Wasted food is a growing problem in our modern society and an untapped opportunity. In 2019 alone, EPA estimates that about 66 million tons of wasted food were generated in the food retail, food service, and residential sectors, and most of this waste (60 percent) was sent to landfills. EPA estimates that more food reaches landfills and combustion facilities than any other single material in our everyday trash, constituting 24 percent of the amount landfilled and 22 percent of the amount combusted with energy recovery in 2018.
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EPA Grants
Every year, EPA awards more than $4 billion in funding for grants and other assistance agreements. From small nonprofit organizations to large state governments, EPA works to help many visionary organizations achieve their environmental goals. With countless success stories over the years, EPA grants remain a chief tool to protect human health and the environment.
Visit the EPA grants webpage for more information.
EPA specific funding opportunities for reducing wasted food are listed below. We will update this page with any future opportunities specific to wasted food.
Consumer Recycling Education and Outreach Grant Round Two
On September 16, 2024, EPA announced an exciting funding opportunity as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This funding opportunity is focused on consumer recycling education and outreach. For this second round of REO funding, EPA is focusing on preventing the generation of wasted food and increasing its recycling through composting. The program provides $39 million to fund one cooperative agreement that includes three projects:
- Developing and implementing a national consumer wasted food reduction campaign.
- Expanding the market for and sales of compost.
- Increasing education and outreach to households on composting.
Apply by December 20, 2024.
Visit the Consumer Recycling Education and Outreach webpage for more information.
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia
EPA is excited to offer the second round of SWIFR grants for Tribes and intertribal consortia! These grants will provide approximately $20 million in awards ranging from $100,000 to $1.5 million each. The entities eligible to apply under this announcement are federally recognized Tribes, including Alaskan Native Villages and former Indian reservations in Oklahoma. Intertribal consortia are also eligible to apply. The deadline to apply for the SWIFR Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia is March 14, 2025. EPA will host two live informational webinars on this funding opportunity that will be recorded and available for later viewing. For the full details, please visit EPA’s SWIFR Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia webpage.
Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) for Communities
EPA is excited to offer the second round of SWIFR grants for communities! These grants will provide approximately $58 million in awards ranging from $500,000 to $5 million each. The entities eligible to apply under this announcement are political subdivisions of states and territories. The EPA considers counties, cities, towns, parishes, and similar units of governments that have executive and legislative functions to be political subdivisions of states. The deadline to apply for the SWIFR Grants for Communities is December 20, 2024. For the full details, please visit EPA’s SWIFR Grants for Communities webpage.
EPA Region 4 Sustainable Materials Management Grants
EPA Region 4 released a notice of funding opportunity designed to address municipal recycling markets and promote strategies for preventing food loss and waste in the Southeast.
Apply by December 2, 2024.
Learn more about this funding opportunity on Grants.gov.
EPA Region 1 Healthy Communities Grant Program 2024
EPA New England’s Healthy Communities Grant Program is now accepting applications for projects that will benefit one or more New England communities. EPA plans to award approximately 15 cooperative agreements for amounts up to $40,000. Sustainable Materials Management is one of the topic areas within scope. There are several informational webinars, the first of which is on July 16 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET (Register here).
The deadline to submit an application is Friday, November 1, 11:59 p.m.
Visit the Healthy Communities Grant Program webpage for more information.
EPA Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program
EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights is awarding approximately $2 billion in grants to fund community-driven projects that address climate challenge and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. Recognizing that disadvantaged communities often bear the brunt of environmental contamination from improper waste disposal, this grants program includes projects that address Waste Reduction and Management to Support a Circular Economy. Example projects include food waste prevention through education, surplus food donation, community-scale composting, and more.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis with initial award selections beginning in March 2024. The final application deadline is November 21, 2024.
EPA President’s Environmental Student and Teacher Awards
EPA’s is requesting applications for the 2025 President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) and Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). PEYA recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects from students in Grades K–12 that promote environmental awareness and encourage community involvement. PIAEE recognizes outstanding Grade K–12 educators who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning for their students.
Projects eligible for the awards can apply to a variety of environmental topics, including (but not limited to):
- Climate change.
- Environmental justice.
- Food waste.
- Lead in drinking water.
- Litter in oceans and waterways.
- Recycling.
- Agricultural practices.
- Using STEM in environmental education.
Application Deadline: January 15, 2025.
Application and eligibility information is available on EPA’s PEYA webpage and EPA’s PIAEE webpage.
Grants.gov
All EPA grants and other federal grants can be found on Grants.gov. Additionally, all EPA grant applicants must use Workspace to submit applications through Grants.gov.
Other Federal Agency Grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture
USDA Community Food Projects Competitive Grants
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program supports projects that work across the food system to increase the self-reliance of communities in providing for their food needs. The program also promotes comprehensive responses to local food access, farm and nutrition issues—including strategies to reduce food waste—and agricultural needs that mutually benefit agricultural producers and consumers. Public food program service providers, Tribal organizations, and private nonprofit entities are eligible to apply.
Apply by November 7, 2024.
Learn more about this program and how to apply.
USDA Foundational and Applied Science Program Grants
These grants cover research, education, and extension projects with a wide variety of topics and eligible entities.
Application deadlines: August 1 through November 14, 2024, depending on program area.