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Metro is accepting applications for grants for innovative projects to prevent and reduce waste.
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Metro is launching the application cycle for the second round of its Investment and Innovation grants. These grants aim to support creative ideas and build resiliency in the greater Portland area’s garbage and recycling system to prevent and reduce waste.
The Metro Council created the Investment and Innovation program in 2017 to support local businesses and nonprofit organizations involved in reducing the amount and toxicity of waste and preventing materials from being discarded in landfills by repairing, reusing, recycling, composting or making energy from items rather than throwing them away. The program seeks to foster economic opportunities and provide other benefits for people who have historically been left out of the garbage and recycling system, particularly communities of color.
The first set of 14 grants was awarded last December for projects ranging from improving plastics recycling to providing training opportunities for new garbage and recycling truck drivers. This year Metro is expanding the sizes of the grants it is offering. It is also seeking capital grant proposals with a particular focus on strengthening the region’s recycling infrastructure and managing food waste from businesses.
“We received some extraordinary proposals last year from organizations that are thinking creatively about ways to prevent and reduce waste,” said Roy Brower, interim director of Property and Environmental Services. “We want to find more opportunities to support businesses and nonprofits that are focused on increased food waste recovery and building capacity to increase the recycling of curbside materials.”
Metro will issue grants in two categories:
- Program grants between $25,000 and $75,000 each that can support personnel costs, operations and equipment associated with new or expanded programming, awarded on a rolling basis
- Capital grants between $50,000 and $750,000 each for larger investments such as machinery or other capital improvements, awarded annually.
Grants must be matched with other cash, in-kind support or a combination of both. For program grants, the match must be a minimum of 20 percent of the amount requested from Metro. For capital grants, the match must be equal to or greater than the amount requested from Metro.
Pre-proposals for capital grants are due by 4 p.m. on Friday, July 12, with grant awards expected to be announced at the end of the year. There is no deadline for applications for program grants, which will be awarded on a rolling basis. The first set of program grant applications will be reviewed starting in July.
Metro is hosting workshops to provide more information that may be helpful to prospective grant applicants. Those interested in applying for a capital grant are invited to attend one of two workshops on Monday, June 10, one held in the morning, the other in the late afternoon. Similar workshops (morning and afternoon) will be held for prospective program grant applicants on Thursday, June 13. Attendance at the workshops is optional and not a prerequisite for application. Audio recordings and a PowerPoint presentation from the workshops will be posted on the Investment and Innovation web page afterward.