The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the availability of up to $2 million for local governments to host Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) pilot projects for fiscal year 2021.

The cooperative agreements support projects that develop and test strategies for planning and implementing municipal compost plans and food waste reduction plans and they are part of USDA’s broader efforts to support urban agriculture.

USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (Office) will accept applications on Grants.gov until 10:59 p.m. Central Time on July 16, 2021.

Projects should span two years with a start date of September 25, 2021 and completion date of September 25, 2023.

Cooperative agreements support projects led by local governments that:
• Generate compost.
• Increase access to compost for agricultural producers.
• Reduce reliance on and limit the use of fertilizer.
• Improve soil quality.
• Encourage waste management and permaculture business development.
• Increase rainwater absorption.
• Reduce municipal food waste.
• 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 farmers, including community gardeners, integrate other food waste strategies, including food recovery efforts and collaborate with multiple partners.

A prerecorded webinar will provide an overview of the cooperative agreements’ purpose, project types, eligibility and basic requirements for submitting an application. The webinar will be posted at farmers.gov/urban.

Questions about this cooperative agreement opportunity can be sent to UrbanAgriculture@usda.gov.