Deadline Extended! Rethink Waste Community Waste Reduction Grants Still Available

Because of COVID and the holidays, we have decided to extend the grant proposal deadline to January 20! We would love to help your idea get off the ground with a $500-$2000 grant award to businesses, organizations, or individuals.

We’ve seen such an increase in single-use disposables since the start of the pandemic and we want to help you or your organization change that:

• Do you have a drinking station but no way to safely wash cups? Perhaps you could apply to use the money for a dishwasher? Or get creative and make an outdoor dishwashing station like we have in the Kansas Avenue Learning Garden?
• Do you see a lot of wasted food that could be avoided with a tumbling composter for your business?
• Do you see a lot of TRASH being put into the RECYLING and vice versa? Apply for some good quality signage to help people know what goes where.

The Environmental Center’s Rethink Waste Project is to provide $500 – $2000 grant awards to individuals, businesses, or organizations in Deschutes County to help with materials, infrastructure, or time that contribute to waste reduction in the community. Work should plan for continued success beyond the grant period. The project must have measurable results. For example, the project could measure the amount of waste prevented, the increase in waste recycled, or the amount of waste composted, etc.

Application Guidelines

Eligibility:

• Businesses, individuals, and organizations in Deschutes County or a project that largely impacts Deschutes County and/or its residents.
• Projects should be completed by December 31st, 2021.

Selection​ ​Criteria:

• The application is complete, submitted, and all questions are answered completely. If you can’t submit the application online, please contact Ani to let her know.
• The applicant submits a simple budget (a bulleted list is sufficient) to show the use of funds and a general timeline of implementation after submitting application.
• The project is clearly defined through goals, objectives, and a reasonable budget.
• The project has measurable results.  The project application must describe how many resources are being conserved. For example, the amount of waste prevented, the increase in waste recycled, or the amount of waste composted, etc.
• The application must demonstrate how the project will be sustained past the first year of funding and will contribute to waste prevention in the community long-term.

Ideas of What Can​ ​Be​ ​Funded:

• Materials, personnel time, or infrastructure needed for waste reduction
• Incentive prizes for community members for participation in waste reduction program
• Reusable dishware to reduce waste at staff events
• Compost tumblers or equipment to support food waste reduction
• 2019-2020 Grant Winners

Please submit application online through google forms, if possible. Please submit any questions and application materials with e-mail subject “Fall 2020 RW Community Grant Application” in the subject line to: ani@envirocenter.org

Grants Timeline

Applications Due: January 20, 2021
Grant Winners Announced: February 2, 2021
Grant Progress Report Due: June 25, 2021
Grant Work completed by: December 31, 2021
Final Grant Report Due: January 14, 2022

If possible, please apply online here. Or click here to download the complete application and guidelines.

*Header image shows the coffee bar at Sunriver Owner’s Association with the reusable mugs they bought with the Rethink Waste grant money to replace their single-use styrofoam cups.