Notice of Funds Available: Organics Grant Program (FYs 2018–19 and 2019–20)

The application period for fiscal year (FY) 2018–19 and 2019–20 is now closed.

Awards | Criteria | Eligibility | Funding | Timeline and Cycle Details | Grant Administration Documents

The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) administers a program to provide opportunities for the Organics Grant Program pursuant to Section 42999 of the Public Resources Code. The purpose of this competitive grant program is to further the purposes of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) and lower overall greenhouse gas emissions by expanding existing capacity or establishing new facilities in California to reduce the amount of California-generated green materials, food materials, or alternative daily cover (ADC) being sent to landfills.

The Organic Grant Program is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment– particularly in disadvantaged and low-income communities. The Cap-and-Trade program also creates a financial incentive for industries to invest in clean technologies and develop innovative ways to reduce pollution. California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling and much more. At least 35 percent of these investments are made in disadvantaged and low-income communities. For more information, visit California Climate Investments.

Submitted Application Listing

Per California Climate Investments Funding Guidelines a listing of all submitted applications for this cycle is available. This includes submitted applications that may not be selected for funding. Any additional information of interest may be made available after the cycle is awarded via California Public Records Act Request.

Awards

Note: “ORG” followed by a number is the cycle code for the Organics Grant Program.

Cycle 4ORG4 Awards | Approval of Awards, March 25, 2020

Criteria

Approval of Criteria, August 5, 2019

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

  • Local governments (cities, counties, or cities and counties):
    • Cities, counties, and cities and counties as defined in Public Resources Code Section 30109.
    • Regional or local sanitation agencies, waste agencies, or Joint Powers Authorities.
  • Private, for-profit entities. For purposes of this program, a “private, for-profit entity” is defined as a business intended to operate at a profit and return a profit to its owners. The business must be qualified to do business in California and be in good standing with all applicable California state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Secretary of State and the Franchise Tax Board. Any and all subsidiaries, divisions or affiliated businesses are considered part of the primary business entity for the purpose of applying for and receiving a grant award under the Organics Grant Program. A business is considered an “affiliated business” if it has at least one owner with a forty (40) percent or greater interest in another applicant business.
  • State agencies (including offices, departments, bureaus, and boards).
  • The University of California campuses, the California State University campuses, or California Community Colleges campuses.
  • Nonprofit organizations (except private schools) registered with the federal government under 501(c)3, (c)4, (c)6 or (c)10 of the Internal Revenue Code. Must be qualified to do business in California and be in good standing with all applicable California state agencies, including being registered and current in the Registry of Charitable Trusts.
  • Qualifying Indian Tribes. A “Qualifying Indian Tribe” is defined as an Indian tribe, band, nation or other organized group or community, residing within the borders of California, which:
  1. Is recognized for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of the status of its members as Indians; or
  2. Can establish that it is a government entity which meets the criteria of the grant program.

Applicants that have previously received California Climate Investments funding are eligible provided the project meets the criteria and the previously funded project is progressing in a manner satisfactory to CalRecycle.

Only two applications per qualifying entity will be accepted. Eligible applicants may submit an individual, cooperative, or regional application. For a cooperative or regional application, one entity must be identified as the Lead Participant to act on behalf of the participating jurisdictions/entities. Lead Participants and participating jurisdictions/entities are subject to the two-application rule. If more than two applications are submitted by an applicant, it will be the applicant’s responsibility to decide which applications should go forward. If the additional application(s) are not withdrawn, the first two applications, as determined by timestamp, will move forward and all other applications will be disqualified.

Projects

  • Construction, renovation, or expansion of facilities to increase in-state infrastructure for the composting or digestion of organics into compost, soil amendments, fertilizers, biofuels, or bioenergy.
  • Construction, renovation, or expansion of facilities to increase in-state infrastructure for the pre-processing of organics if the lead applicant is the same entity that will compost or digest the pre-processed material to make compost, soil amendments, fertilizers, biofuels, or bioenergy.
    • Projects must result in an increase in tons of green or food materials diverted from landfills beyond that which the preprocessor was already diverting.

Projects must be located in California and result in permanent, annual, and measurable:

  1. Reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to existing practice of landfilling green or food materials within California; and
  2. Increases in quantity (tons) of green materials or food materials, newly diverted from landfill disposal or ADC use in California, and composted or digested.

For purposes of this program, “newly diverted” means the tons of materials that are currently being landfilled or used as ADC that will instead be diverted as a result of this project.

Funding

  • $16,112,753 ($13,312,753 is available for fiscal year (FY) 2018–19, and $2,800,000 is available for fiscal year (FY) 2019–20)
  • $3,000,000.00 per grant award

Timeline and Cycle Details

Grant Administration Documents

Terms and Conditions
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.

Procedures and Requirements Revised
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 these documents, please contact: grantassistance@calrecycle.ca.gov.

Organics Grant Program Homepage

For more information, contact GHGreductions@calrecycle.ca.gov