Composting and Food Waste Reduction Cooperative Agreements (CFWR) Deadline

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So far USDA has invested $3 million in community composting across the country. The $10.2 million to be awarded in 2022 will fund pilot projects that develop and implement strategies for municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. Read news release.

Local governments may submit projects that do one or more of the following:   

• generate compost;  
• provide access to compost to farmers;  
• reduce fertilizer use;  
• improve soil quality;  
• encourage waste management and permaculture business development;  
• increase rainwater absorption; reduce municipal food waste; and/or  
• divert food waste from landfills.     

Priority will be given to projects that anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits, incorporate plans to make compost easily accessible to farming operations of all sizes, including community gardeners, integrate other food waste strategies, including food recovery efforts and collaborate with multiple partners. Projects should span two years.

Applications for CFWR cooperative agreements are due Sept. 1, 2022, on grants.gov under funding opportunity number USDA-NRCS-NHQ-CFWR-22-NOFO0001179.

How to Apply for Grants and Cooperative Agreements 

Submit applications via grants.gov for CFWR agreements and UAIP grants. Pre-recorded webinars on the purpose, project types, eligibility, and basic requirements for submitting applications will be posted at usda.gov/urban.

For more information, please contact: USDA Urban Agriculture