The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) is excited to announce that we will be soliciting applications for the first round of Food Waste Innovation Grants.
Sponsoring Agency: Department of Small and Local Business Development
Type of Fund: Grant
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/06/2022
Size of the Fund: Less than USD $50,000
The Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) is excited to announce that we will be soliciting applications for the first round of Food Waste Innovation Grants.
These grants will provide support for restaurants, food manufacturers, shared commercial kitchens, and commercial corridors like Main Streets and Business Improvement Districts, to minimize their food waste going to landfill and minimize urban rat populations.
DSLBD is collaborating with community partners, including the Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) and Compost Cab, to support small food businesses to reduce food waste. This aligns with the goals of Sustainable DC 2.0 and future requirements of the Zero Waste Omnibus Act, while simultaneously reducing food purchasing and waste disposal expenses, as well as environmental impact and rodent food sources.
Through one application, eligible food businesses can apply to receive:
• Virtual or in-person food waste assessment: This assessment can be done in-person or virtually and will provide recommendations to each business on how to reduce food waste. These will be free and available for all applicants after providing Eligibility documentation and answering Program Entry & Eligibility questions. This is not required for applying for the Food Waste Innovation Grants but is encouraged; to guarantee completing your assessment before the Food Waste Innovation Grant deadline, you must submit Eligibility & Program Entry by January 6th.
• Compost Credit: 100 businesses will be selected for $1,000 in credit for food scraps collection for composting. For many small businesses, this will cover 6 months of food scraps collection. The Food Waste Assessment will evaluate how long your $1,000 credit will cover. Applications for Compost Credit will be selected by lottery by District of Columbia (DC or District) Ward.
• Food Waste Innovation Grants: DSLBD intends to award between 6 and 20 Food Waste Innovation Grants for a total of $300,000 for Fiscal Year 2022. Applicants can submit for the full funds required for their project, but DSLBD may award less than the amount requested. Awards larger than $10,000 will be considered for projects with 2 or more businesses collaborating. The grant will be competitive, with all eligible applications received before the deadline to be reviewed by an independent panel.
Eligibility Requirements
The following types of organizations are eligible for this grant:
• For-profit, District-based food system businesses with 25 full time employees (FTE) employees or fewer. Businesses that are processing, producing, or serving food or beverages. Businesses must attest to being independently and/or locally owned, having headquarters in the District, and having the majority of operations (measured by assets, gross receipts, or employees) in the District.
Nonprofits that will be directly managing shared infrastructure or programming for one or more businesses that meet criteria, Nonprofits will need to submit letters of support signed by each partner business including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Basic Business License (BBL) for each business partner, as well as attestations by the business regarding their eligibility.
More information at: https://dslbd.dc.gov/node/610162
Eligible Countries:
United States
Business Categories:
Environment, Climate Change and Ecology, Food Industry, Business, Manufacturing, Hotel and Restaurant Industry, Commercial
