Study: Organic Waste-to-Energy
Outline the design of a proposed organic waste-to-energy system
LOCAL ENERGY GENERATION
Read the guide for more information on creating a successful application.
Read the application guideFunding Snapshot
- Grant for up to 50%* of eligible costs
- Up to a maximum of $200,000
The following organizations are eligible for GMF funding.
Canadian municipal governments (e.g., towns, cities, regions, districts, and local boards).
Municipal partners, which include:
- private sector entities
- municipally-owned corporations
- regional, provincial or territorial organizations delivering municipal services
- non-governmental organizations
- not-for-profit organizations
- research institutes (e.g., universities)
An Indigenous community is an eligible lead applicant if they are partnering with a Canadian municipal government on an eligible project, or if they have a shared service agreement with a Canadian municipal government related to municipal infrastructure, climate change or adaptation.
A detailed feasibility assessment outlining the design of a proposed organic waste-to-energy system.
Applications are accepted year-round, though this offer may close when all funding has been allocated.
* The following applicants may qualify for a grant of up to 80 percent of eligible project costs:
- municipalities (or their partners) with a population of 10,000 or under;
- regional governments or groups of municipalities where the average population of the member municipalities is 10,000 or under;
- eligible Indigenous communities; and,
- northern communities
Northern and eligible Indigenous communities that are applying to GMF for the first time may qualify for a grant of up to 100 percent of eligible costs.
The North is defined as the three territories and the northern extent of seven provinces. This includes portions of the following provinces defined by Statistics Canada codes: Newfoundland and Labrador (10), Québec (24), Ontario (35), Manitoba (46), Saskatchewan (47), Alberta (48) and British Columbia (59).
What we fund
We fund feasibility studies that outline the design of a proposed organic waste-to-energy system. This funding helps Canadian cities and communities produce and utilize local sources of energy and generate additional valuable products such as digestate and fertilizers, ultimately resulting in a net GHG emission reduction.
Your feasibility study should build on your business case exploring a system that generates energy from landfill gas, anaerobic digestion or aerobic composting with heat recovery for local organic waste, including food waste, yard waste, biosolids, or the organic fraction of construction/demolition waste, packaging, agricultural or forestry waste.
Your study should aim to:
- Confirm the practicality and viability of constructing and operating the proposed organic waste-to-energy system.
- Incorporate feedback from stakeholder engagement and public consultation.
- Complete system design and quantify expected costs and revenue streams.
- Quantify the environmental, social, and economic impacts and benefits.
- Confirm partnerships.
- Detail proposed business model, including project ownership, operations, and financing.
- Identify risks and mitigation options (including climate risk assessment).
Your study will need to consider, at minimum, the following questions:
- What are the GHG impacts of the solution or approach being studied?
- Is there an economic benefit to the municipality of developing the proposed organic waste-to-energy system, rather than managing the feedstock in another manner?
- Climate risk assessment (required for projects studying new infrastructure assets valued over $2 million; optional for other projects)
- An equity assessment that answers, at minimum, the following questions:
- Which equity-deserving groups might benefit the most from the project, and/or be burdened, directly or indirectly, by the project or decision? How are these groups positively or negatively impacted by the project or decision?
- What strategies can be used to address barriers or mitigate negative impacts?
- What data sources, reports, or mapping resources can help illuminate equity issues in your local context?
Eligible activities undertaken as part of your study include:
- Detailed project design.
- Verification of availability of local organic waste feedstocks.
- Verification of buyers for energy and other products created by the proposed system.
- Detailed financial analysis (e.g., cost estimates, revenue projections, return on investment (ROI), and funding options).
- Developing terms and conditions for going to tender for the capital project.
- Stakeholder engagement and public consultation.
- Regulatory approval processes.
- Impact assessment process.
- Climate risk assessment.
Ultimately, your study should equip you with the information you need to implement a capital project.
What your project needs to achieve
All projects that meet the criteria on this page are eligible. Please note that we consider several factors in making a funding decision. We strive to fund the most impactful initiatives, so not all eligible projects will be approved for funding.
It is strongly recommended that you complete a business case ahead of your feasibility study.
A business case and feasibility study may be undertaken together as one project, eligible for a grant of up to a maximum of $200,000 for the project as a whole.
Further information regarding the offer can be found in the Organic Waste-to-Energy application guide.
- Requirements for all Organic Waste-to-Energy projects
-
All projects (business cases, feasibility studies, and capital projects) must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- The project generates energy from:
- Upgrading or direct use of landfill gas; OR
- Anaerobic digestion of local organic waste; OR
- Aerobic composting of local organic waste with heat recovery.
- The project results in a net GHG emissions reduction compared to the current baseline.
- Project creates a net energy benefit relative to the current baseline.
Note: local organic waste may include food waste, yard waste, biosolids, or the organic fraction of construction/demolition waste, packaging, agricultural or forestry waste.
- The project generates energy from:
- Resilience
-
Projects must meet minimum requirements related to climate resilience:
- All capital projects that include new infrastructure assets must be built outside the current 100-year floodplain of the most recent floodplain map, unless evidence can be provided of protection to safeguard the asset.
- Projects with new infrastructure assets valued over $2 million must conduct a Climate Risk Assessment (i.e., Infrastructure Canada Climate lens, ISO 14091, PIEVC High Level Screening Guide or equivalent) and address risks identified. A Climate Risk Assessment must be included in study workplans (where relevant) and is submitted as part of the pre-application for relevant capital projects.
- Equity considerations
-
GMF recognizes that many urgent social issues are interrelated, and that climate action and sustainability initiatives need to be designed to ensure fair distribution of benefits and burdens, across all segments of a community and across generations. Projects will be assessed on their potential to result in improved socio-economic outcomes and a more equitable distribution of benefits and burdens among the community, for present and future generations. While projects can be eligible without incorporating these considerations, preference is given to projects that:
- Integrate principles of anti-racism, equity, inclusion and reconciliation.
- Apply inclusive community engagement practices.
- Implement social procurement.
- Generate significant socio-economic benefits, such as increased accessibility, improved outdoor spaces, and inclusive employment and apprenticeship.
As you develop your project approach, consider the following questions:
- How can you design an engagement approach that would enable you to consider the diverse needs, experiences, and voices of all stakeholders and rights holders in this project?
- Which equity-deserving groups might benefit the most, and/or be burdened, directly or indirectly, by this project? How are these groups positively or negatively impacted?
- Are there opportunities to address or mitigate negative impacts?
- Are there opportunities to rectify existing or potential biases, discrimination, or exclusionary practices in your project planning, design, funding, and implementation?
- How can you maximize the socio-economic benefits that your project generates?
- How can you leverage your procurement practices to generate more positive social, economic and environmental outcomes within your community and region?
- Multi-solving
-
GMF seeks to fund the very best examples of municipal initiatives that achieve a multitude of benefits for the environment, communities and local economies. Higher application evaluation scores are given to projects that demonstrate excellence in one or more of the following areas:
- sustainable materials management
- biodiversity
- socio-economic benefits
- meaningful engagement and collaboration with rights holders and stakeholders
Required documents
To apply for GMF funding, you must submit:
- a pre-application form
- an application form
- a project workbook
- all required supporting documents specified in the application guide
A GMF project officer will be your point of contact throughout the process and will review your file and provide feedback. You may be asked to revisit some steps to help you submit a complete and high-quality application.
Application process
Phase 1: Pre-application submission
You must submit a pre-application form through FCM’s funding portal. To do this, create a client profile and follow the steps in FCM’s funding portal to submit your pre-application form.
Phase 2: Eligibility determination
A GMF outreach officer or advisor will review your pre-application form. They will determine whether your organization and initiative are eligible to proceed to the next stage of the application process. You will receive a response within 15 business days of the date we receive your pre-application form.
Phase 3: Full application submission
If your organization and initiative are determined to be eligible to proceed to the next stage, your GMF outreach officer or advisor will inform you that the full application form is available through FCM’s funding portal. They will also provide you with an Excel project workbook template to complete and submit with the full application form.
It is important to note that even if a project is deemed eligible to move forward with a full application, it does not guarantee full application eligibility or that the project will be approved for funding.
As you complete the application form, contact your GMF outreach officer or advisor if you have any questions. Once you’ve filled out the application form and project workbook and attached the required supporting documents, submit it to GMF through the FCM funding portal.
Phase 4: GMF project officer review
Once the full application form is submitted a GMF project officer will be assigned to your file and will review your application for accuracy and completeness and will work with you to resolve any remaining questions.
Phase 5: Peer review and internal review
An external expert peer review panel evaluates all capital and study applications. There will also be an internal analysis to provide a funding recommendation to GMF’s managing director, the GMF Council and FCM’s Board of Directors.
Phase 6: FCM funding decision
For studies, funding decisions are determined by GMF’s managing director. The average time for a funding decision is three to five months after your full application form submission.
For capital projects, FCM’s Board of Directors approves the funding recommendation made by the GMF Council. The average time for a funding decision is four to six months after your full application form submission.
How to apply
- Download and review the application guide.
- Reach out to a GMF representative to discuss your project at gmfinfo@fcm.ca or 1-877-417-0550.
- Review the list of prerequisites and supporting documents in appendix D of the application guide.
- Review the eligible and ineligible costs:
- Ensure you have a detailed project budget in place and are securing other funding sources for your project.
- Visit the FCM funding portal to create your profile and request a PIN to access the system. Already have an FCM funding portal profile? Skip to Step 7.
- Complete the pre-application form available on the platform.
Quebec municipalities
FCM has an agreement with Quebec's ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH) that allows the ministry to review applications to GMF before they are submitted to FCM. Quebec municipalities applying for funding from GMF must follow the process below to submit their application to MAMH.
Once you have completed all the steps in the ‘How to apply’ section above, submit your application by following the steps below. Note that the content of the links is available in French only.
- Save your application form using the appropriate file name.
- Save the application form to your local device with the following filename: FMV_ "your municipality's name"_ "date" (YYMMDD). For example: FMV_TownofABC_180228.pdf
- Log in to the Portail gouvernemental des affaires municipales et régionales. using your username and password.
- To submit your form click on “File Transfer”.
- In the “Recipient” drop-down list, select the applicable program.
- Upload your files and select “Transfer” once your request is complete.
- Receive confirmation from MAMH.
- MAMH assesses the applications to ensure that the projects submitted do not conflict with Quebec's government policies and directives. Once the assessment has been completed, MAMH informs the applicant of their decision and sends compliant applications to GMF for review.
- MAMH requires up to 15 working days to review the application and forward it to GMF.
- Receive approval from GMF.
- GMF will inform the applicant once they receive the application from MAMH and review the submission. If the application is approved for funding, an agreement between FCM and the applicant is prepared.
Need help to see if this is the right funding for you?
Contact our Outreach team who can answer any questions you have relating to this funding opportunity.
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Recover value and energy from organic materials and landfill gas
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