Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for approximately $9.5 million in discretionary grant funding for FY 2023 through its Composting and Food Waste Reduction (CFWR) cooperative agreement pilot program. USDA anticipates making awards between $55,000 and $400,000. The NOFO was released on March 16, 2023 and remains open through June 15, 2023.
The CFWR cooperative agreement pilot program was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The purpose of the CFWR program is to enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans. Proposed projects should address either food waste reduction and/or composting and conservation. USDA will prioritize proposals that (1) align project proposals to address priorities on environmental justice, racial equity, climate change, investment in historically underserved communities, and sustainable agricultural practices; (2) integrate food waste reduction strategies that take into consideration the most preferred food waste recovery activities as described in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Food Recovery Hierarchy; (3) anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits for the impacted community; (4) incorporate plans to make compost easily accessible to agricultural producers, including community gardeners, school gardens, and producers; (5) include a robust plan that describes collaboration with multiple partners; and (6) provide a detailed plan for project monitoring, evaluation and documentation of insights and solutions to obstacles encountered during the course of the project.
The City meets the criteria to be eligible to submit an application. The Department of Public Service is requesting $400,000 in CFWR funding to support a residential curbside...
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