Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Project | USDA NRCS NHQ CCFWR 20 NOFO0001018

Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Project (FY 2020) - FAQs

1) What is the Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Project?

The Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Project is a fiscal year 2020 funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), through the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP). It is set up as a cooperative agreement program to help local governments launch pilot projects that test practical, locally driven approaches to community composting and food waste reduction.

2) Which USDA office runs this opportunity?

The opportunity is run by USDA NRCS through its Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (OUAIP).

3) Is this a grant or something else?

This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, not a standard grant. Because of that structure, selected awardees should generally expect a more collaborative relationship with the federal agency during the project, which can include coordination, reporting, and potentially shared planning expectations consistent with cooperative agreement structures.

4) What is the main goal of a CCFWR pilot project?

The main goal is to develop and test strategies that reduce food waste and turn wasted food and other organic materials into usable compost, while building local systems that help ensure the compost is beneficial and accessible to producers and communities.

5) What outcomes is the program trying to achieve?

CCFWR pilot projects are framed to accomplish several connected outcomes, including:

• Generating compost
• Increasing access to compost for agricultural producers, explicitly including community gardeners
• Reducing reliance on and limiting the use of fertilizer
• Improving soil quality
• Encouraging waste management and permaculture-related business development
• Increasing rainwater absorption (a soil health and stormwater co-benefit tied to improved organic matter)
• Reducing municipal food waste
• Diverting food waste away from landfills

6) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are local governmental entities, specifically:

• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments

7) Are nonprofits, universities, businesses, or individuals eligible to apply directly?

Based on the information provided, eligibility is limited to local governmental entities (county, city/township, and special district governments). Other organizations are referenced as potential partners, but they are not listed as eligible applicants in the description provided.

8) Where can eligible applicants be located?

Eligible entities may be located anywhere in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and affiliated areas listed in the notice. The description specifically includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (Caribbean Area), as well as Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Pacific Islands Area).

9) What kinds of organizations is the program designed to support as project leads?

The program is oriented toward municipalities, counties, local governments, and city planners that can lead community-scale planning and implementation efforts, typically in partnership with other local organizations.

10) How much total funding was expected to be available for FY 2020?

Total funding for FY 2020 CCFWR pilots was expected to be about $900,000.

11) How many awards were expected to be made?

NRCS expected to make roughly 20 awards.

12) What is the maximum award amount per project?

Individual awards are capped at $90,000.

13) Is there a geographic distribution goal for awards?

Yes. NRCS indicated it intends to fund projects in no fewer than 10 states, signaling a goal of geographic spread rather than concentrating awards in only a few locations.

14) What types of project approaches are preferred or prioritized?

NRCS identified several priorities that can strengthen an application. Preference is given to pilot projects that:

• Anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits (such as reduced disposal costs, job creation, small business growth, or cost savings for growers through compost availability)
• Include clear plans to make compost easy to access for agricultural producers (distribution logistics, partnerships with grower networks, and similar access planning considerations)
• Integrate additional food waste strategies beyond composting, including food recovery efforts
• Collaborate with multiple partners (cross-sector coordination among local government, community organizations, urban farms and gardens, haulers, institutions generating food scraps, and other stakeholders)

15) What does "economic benefits" mean in the context of this program?

NRCS notes a preference for projects that anticipate or demonstrate economic benefits. Examples mentioned include reduced disposal costs, job creation, small business growth, and cost savings for growers due to increased compost availability.

16) Does the program emphasize compost access for growers?

Yes. Priority is given to proposals that include clear plans to make compost easy to access for agricultural producers, explicitly including community gardeners. This suggests compost distribution and access planning are important parts of a competitive pilot.

17) Are strategies beyond composting allowed or encouraged?

Yes. NRCS favors projects that integrate additional food waste strategies beyond composting, including food recovery efforts, which points to a more comprehensive approach that can include edible food rescue and redistribution alongside composting for inedible scraps.

18) Are partnerships required?

The description does not state partnerships are strictly required, but it does say NRCS prioritizes proposals that collaborate with multiple partners, indicating that partnerships can strengthen an application.

19) What is the deadline and how were applications submitted?

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 26, 2020. Late submissions were not considered.

20) Was there an informational webinar?

Yes. NRCS scheduled an informational webinar for June 4, 2020, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time to walk potential applicants through the program purpose, eligible project types, eligibility rules, and basic submission requirements.

21) What is the opportunity number and CFDA number referenced?

The opportunity references opportunity number USDA NRCS NHQ CCFWR 20 NOFO0001018 and CFDA 10.935.

22) Where were the formal requirements and required forms supposed to be found?

Additional details and formal requirements were referenced as being available in the full announcement materials associated with the opportunity number USDA NRCS NHQ CCFWR 20 NOFO0001018 (CFDA 10.935), including required application forms, instructions, and any specific compliance or reporting expectations tied to the cooperative agreement format.