The Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) administers the Food Waste Prevention and Rescue Grant Program pursuant to Public Resources Code section 42999 of the Public Resources Code.

The purpose of this competitive grant program is to lower overall greenhouse gas emissions by expanding existing or establishing new food waste prevention and/or rescue projects in California to reduce the amount of food being disposed in landfills.

The Food Waste Prevention and Rescue 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 Investment projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling and much more.

Funding Information

• $4,000,000 available for fiscal year (FY) 2019-20.
• $150,000 minimum and $300,000 maximum per grant award

Eligible Projects

• Food waste prevention projects that prevent food waste from being generated and becoming waste that is normally destined for landfills.
• Food rescue projects that result in rescued food being distributed to people, that would otherwise be destined for landfills.
• Any food waste residuals from the food rescue project must be composted or sent to a digester within the project service area (if available).

Eligibility Criteria

Only two distinct and separate applications per qualifying entity will be accepted (this also applies to each campus for the University of California, the California State University, or California Community Colleges). Eligible applicants may submit an individual, cooperative (typically for two or more private entities), or regional application (typically for two or more local government entities). For a cooperative or regional application, one entity must be identified as the lead participant to act on behalf of the participating entities. A maximum of three other participants are allowed because it is not efficient for one entity to administer the grant on behalf of a large number of participants. Lead participants and participating entities are subject to the two-application rule. 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
• 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
• B-Corp and Benefit Corporations
• Private, for-profit entities.  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. 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 or federal agencies (including offices, department, bureaus, and boards)
• University of California campuses, California State University campuses, or the California Community College campuses.
• Solid Waste Facilities
• Public School Districts
• Qualifying Indian Tribes, defined as an Indian 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 to Indians because of the status of its members as Indians; or
  • Can establish that it is a government entity and that meets the criteria of the grant program

For more information, visit CalRecycle.