Criteria | Eligibility | Funding | Timeline and Cycle Details | Grant Administration Documents
The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) administers a program to provide opportunities to support start-up costs for establishing a recycling center to increase the California Refund Value (CRV) beverage container redemption opportunities.
Criteria
Eligibility
Applicants
New Recycling Center. A new recycling center is defined as an applicant who intends to apply and is eligible to become a certified recycling center. The new recycling center must be certified and permitted under the local authority prior to the issuance of the Notice to Proceed (NTP) email.
Organizational Types
- Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit organizations (except private K–12 schools) registered with the federal government under 501(c)3, (c)6, or (c)10 of the Internal Revenue Code.
- Local Governments. California cities, counties, and other local government entities.
- Joint Powers Authorities (JPA). All participating JPA members must be eligible.
- Private entities and for-profit businesses.
- Public Colleges and Universities.
- Qualifying Tribal Entities.
- A Qualifying Tribal Entity is defined as a tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, residing within the borders of California, which:
- is recognized for special programs and services provided by the United States because of the status of its members as Native Americans; or
- can establish that it is a government entity that meets the grant program’s criteria.
- A Qualifying Tribal Entity is defined as a tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, residing within the borders of California, which:
Projects
- Setting up a new Recycling Center. Establishing a new recycling center to redeem California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers from the general public, and it must be certified pursuant to California Public Resources Code 14538 and California Code of Regulations Title 14, sections 2030 and 2045.
All projects must be located within an unserved zone, or no zone, at the time of award.
If the applicant does not own the property on which the Recycling Center will be located, the applicant will be required to provide a conditional lease agreement or letter of intent to lease from the property owner for the proposed site location(s) at the time of application. Applications submitted without a conditional lease agreement or letter of intent to lease from the property owner will be disqualified.
Non-infrastructure costs are limited to 20 percent of the total award. Non-infrastructure costs include, but are not limited to, personnel, education, and outreach.
All applications must use the same email address that is used or will be used for certifications.
Funding
- $19,999,336 available for fiscal years (FYs) 2023-24 and 2024-25
- The minimum requested amount must be at least $500,000 per grant award. The maximum requested amount must not exceed $3,000,000 per grant award.
Timeline and Cycle Details
| Dates | Activity and Details |
|---|---|
| May 27, 2026 | Question and Answer Period and Due Date
|
| June 23, 2026 | Application Due Date
If you are unable to access GMS or need assistance you may send an email to Grant.Assistance@calrecycle.ca.gov. |
| July 21, 2026 | Secondary Due Date
|
| October 2026 (tenative) | Grants Awarded CalRecycle considers funding recommendations, and if approved, conditionally awards grants in this month. |
| April 1, 2028 | Deadline for Final Report and final Payment Request |
Grant Administration Documents
Notice: Submission of an application constitutes an acknowledgment that you have read these Terms and Conditions and understood and agreed that they will be part of the Grant Agreement upon an award of any grant funds.
The text of these Terms and Conditions may not be altered, changed or revised in any way, except in writing by mutual agreement of the parties pursuant to the Amendment provision herein. In the event of any dispute regarding the content of these Terms and Conditions, the original document contained in the grant cycle file located at the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 will control. These Terms and Conditions are applicable only to the specified cycle and/or Fiscal Year of the particular grant program specified.
If you require assistance in obtaining access to this document, please use the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Notice: These Procedures and Requirements are in draft form. Upon issuance of Grant Agreement, these Procedures and Requirements shall become final.
The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery reserves the right to make any necessary changes to the Procedures and Requirements prior to issuance of the Grant Agreement. Any such changes will be non-negotiable. In the event that any changes are made to the Procedures and Requirements, all Grantees will be notified as to what specific changes have been made.
Once the Grant Agreement has been issued and the Procedures and Requirements have become final, the text of the incorporated Procedures and Requirements may not be altered, changed or revised in any way, except in writing by mutual agreement of the parties pursuant to the Amendment provision contained in the Terms and Conditions. In the event of any dispute regarding the content of the incorporated Procedures and Requirements, the original document contained in the grant cycle file located at the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 will control. These Procedures and Requirements are applicable only to the specific cycle and/or Fiscal Year of the particular grant program specified.
If you require assistance in obtaining access to this document, please use the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Beverage Container Redemption Innovation Grant Program Homepage