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.
See more Organic Waste-to-Energy
Recover value and energy from organic materials and landfill gas
Related Resources
See All
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
Aspen Heights: Redefining affordable housing in Saskatoon
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
Heartland Housing Foundation: Building a sustainable future in Fort Saskatchewan
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
Building a better future: CABN’s net-zero affordable housing pilot
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
Pine Tree Park: Transforming affordable housing with energy efficiency and solar power
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
Rossland Yards: Transforming affordable housing in Rossland, BC
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy
Transforming communities with Sustainable Affordable Housing: Article series
In a series of six articles, we highlight impactful projects funded by GMF's Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) initiative, demonstrating how energy-efficient, community-centered housing can foster resilience and well-being.
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy | Housing
YWCA Banff: Building stability and community through affordable housing
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Guide: Equity and non-energy benefits of community building retrofits
Explore the equity and other non-energy benefits of retrofitting community buildings.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar recording: Accelerate your community’s net-zero transformation with new GMF funding
Watch our webinar to discover how GMF’s new funding can help you upgrade infrastructure and reduce local GHG emissions.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Webinar recording: The real impact of home-energy efficiency financing
Watch our webinar to discover how you can achieve your climate goals by implementing a home-energy efficiency financing program in your community
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy
Webinar recording: Transform your approach to energy efficiency with the Housing Providers’ Toolkit
Watch the discussion on how to take advantage of the Housing Providers’ Toolkit.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Guide: Taking your indoor swimming pool to net zero
A guide with key measures and lessons learned to help you build a plan for net-zero indoor swimming pools.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar recording: How to start reducing GHG emissions in community buildings
Watch the discussion on how to create a GHG reduction pathway for community buildings.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy | Housing
Webinar recording: How to get a project started, tips for small francophone communities
If you’re a small francophone municipality looking to develop sustainability projects and access funding, watch this webinar to learn how others overcame common challenges.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Factsheets: Community Buildings Retrofit initiative
Learn how to retrofit existing community buildings to lower GHG emissions and extend their life cycle.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar Recording: Enhance comfort and energy savings with municipal building envelopes
Watch this webinar to explore strategies for optimizing municipal building envelopes, enhancing both comfort and energy efficiency.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar recording: Energy efficiency for reaching net zero
Learn how municipalities can advance energy efficiency initiatives to reach net-zero targets.
Energy
Webinar recording: Planning for net-zero emissions
Municipal leaders and experts discuss strategies for achieving net-zero emissions targets and scaling up climate action efforts at the local level.
Waste
Webinar recording: Net-Zero Circularity: Procurement
Watch this webinar recording to see how circular procurement can help put the principles of a circular economy into action.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: Durham Region, ON launches novel financing model
A video showcasing innovative and accessible financing options for home-energy upgrades.
Waste
Resources: Strengthening your municipality’s circular economy initiatives
Find case studies, exercises and worksheets to help your municipality reduce waste and strengthen its circular economy initiatives.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Video: Retrofitting community buildings for maximum GHG reduction impact
A short video explaining the pathway approach of retrofitting a building - using an outcomes-oriented approach - to achieve (near) net zero carbon buildings over time.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Community Buildings Retrofit Advisory Service
The CBR Advisory Service is a new service that is intended to help smaller municipalities by matching them to industry leaders who understand best practices in the CBR field and can help provide personalized coaching and advice, including clarified goals, insights, and replicable results.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Community Efficiency Financing market guide
Guide to help Canadian municipalities assess potential home energy upgrade programs
Local energy generation
Energy
Webinar recording: An introduction to district energy
Learn how a centralized heating and cooling system can help your municipality reduce GHG emissions and save money.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar recording: Supporting small and medium municipalities through the Community Buildings Retrofit initiative
Watch this webinar recording to learn about successful examples of completed retrofits, how municipalities can choose the right funding options and to answer any questions about the funding process.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Guide: Taking your indoor ice rink to net zero
A practical guide to get you started on your own net zero retrofit plan and to help you develop an actionable roadmap to net zero ice rinks.
Municipal fleet electrification
Transportation
Priority Municipal Actions to Enable Zero Emission Vehicle Adoption
GMF and Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) collaborated to create six priority municipal actions to accelerate zero emission vehicle adoption.
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy
Understanding energy efficiency: A guide for affordable housing providers
This guide is for affordable housing providers, such as municipalities or housing cooperatives, interested in improving energy efficiency in their buildings.
Waste
Webinar recording: How to start the conversation about circular economies in your municipality
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Webinar: Transitioning ice rinks to net-zero
Learn the basics of building retrofits for facility buildings
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Resource library: Community Buildings Retrofit
Find practical case studies and guidance for planning your local community building retrofit.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Webinar recording: Introduction to local home-energy financing programs
Learn the basics on delivering local financing programs for home-energy upgrades.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: Saskatoon delivers Saskatchewan’s first local home-energy financing program
Learn how the City of Saskatoon designed its Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) to help residents retrofit their homes and reduce GHG emissions.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Resources: Community Efficiency Financing
Read guidebooks and case studies to see how municipalities are designing home upgrade financing programs.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: Kingston supports homeowners with financing program for energy upgrades
Hear from Julie Salter-Keane, Manager of Climate Leadership at the City of Kingston, as she discusses the City’s program implementation and their approach to designing a strong local program.
Energy
Factsheet: Governance strategies for deep decarbonization
This factsheet provides senior municipal leaders with governance strategies for achieving deep emissions reductions in each decarbonization pathway.
Energy
Factsheet: Governance components for deep decarbonization
This factsheet introduces senior municipal leaders to key components of a good governance structure for deep emissions reductions and implementation actions.
Energy
Factsheet: Municipal governance for deep decarbonization
This factsheet provides senior municipal leaders with the pathways and steps for achieving deep decarbonization and net-zero emissions by 2050.
Energy
Climate Action Accelerator for Community Buildings
Is your municipality looking to drive climate action by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in municipally-owned buildings, but is unsure how to maximize time and impact, secure funding and partnerships, or how to get started? FCM’s Climate Action Accelerator for Community Buildings will help up to 20 small and mid-sized municipalities take climate action within their building portfolios.
Energy
Video: Tips from Iqualuit’s LEED Silver aquatic centre
In this video, you will learn the key elements and lessons learned that helped Iqaluit succeed on building its energy efficient aquatic centre.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: New municipal financing program removes barriers to energy-efficiency upgrades for homeowners
Marie-Pierre Paquette discusses how the municipalities of Plessisville, Varennes and Verchères banded together to launch a joint pilot project that would bring energy-efficient home renovations within reach for more homeowners.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: Introduction to home energy upgrade programs
Watch this video to learn more about home energy upgrade programs and how they can help municipalities to tackle climate change, save money, and invest in the local economy.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Video: New municipal financing program removes barriers to energy-efficiency upgrades for homeowners
Marie-Pierre Paquette discusses how the municipalities of Plessisville, Varennes and Verchères banded together to launch a joint pilot project that would bring energy-efficient home renovations within reach for more homeowners.
Energy | Housing
Webinar recording: Take your project from study to capital
Watch this webinar recording and discover how others have successfully converted studies into a capital project that provides social, economic and environmental benefits.
Energy
Webinar recording: How to adapt green municipal projects to stand the test of time
Watch this webinar recording and explore how to build and adapt projects to make them truly sustainable in the long term.
Energy
Webinar recording: The 5 keys to a green municipal project business case
Watch this webinar recording and discover the five critical focus areas you need to address to get your project started, from financing and partnerships to integrating a triple-bottom-line approach.
Energy
Introducing GMF’s Community Buildings Retrofit initiative
Discover how GMF can support your community building retrofits, from funding for energy monitoring, building commissioning, studies and capital projects to capacity-building activities and resources.
Energy
Article series: Meet LC3’s climate leaders
Read our article series to get to know the leaders of the Low Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) network, and learn how they are advancing effective ways to address climate change in big cities.
Waste
Circular Cities & Regions Initiative
Interested in learning more about how the circular economy can come to life in cities and regions? Review the CCRI webinar recordings featuring speakers from leading organizations and global cities.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
GMF’s Municipal Energy Roadmap
Solutions for Canadian communities to achieve significant GHG emissions reductions in buildings and meet long-term sustainability objectives.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Primer for elected officials: Municipal Energy Roadmap
This primer for elected officials outlines how the Municipal Energy Roadmap can help choose the right energy-related solutions for your buildings.
Sustainable affordable housing
Energy
Regional Energy Coaches
Regional Energy Coaches help affordable housing providers plan energy efficiency retrofits and new builds.
Municipal and community buildings
Energy
Factsheets: Municipal Energy Roadmap
These factsheets offer specific guidance around building-level solutions, community-level solutions, and long-term strategies to help you drill down and meet your objectives.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Webinar recording: How to create an efficiency financing program for your community
An overview of the funding options, eligibility and application details of GMF’s Community Efficiency Financing program.
Community efficiency financing
Energy
Factsheets: Community Efficiency Financing
Learn how to design, deliver and market a home upgrade financing program for your community.
Energy | Housing
Webinar recordings: Best practices in municipal sustainability
How are cities and communities of all sizes tackling their environmental challenges? Find out from our five-part webinar series on innovations and opportunities in municipal energy, waste, water, transportation and land use initiatives.
Waste
Report: Solid waste management in Canadian municipalities
Expanding responsibility for producers to include the post-consumer stage of their products is a key solution for financial and environmental sustainability in the waste sector.
Energy
Tool for municipal clean energy program development: Use the Energy Poverty and Equity Explorer to reduce energy poverty and greenhouse gases
The Energy Poverty and Equity Explorer tool, developed by Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners (CUSP), offers municipalities access to relevant data so they can better understand energy poverty, and other equity and affordability challenges in their communities.
Waste
Webinar recordings: Plastic waste management solutions for Canadian municipalities
Watch our webinar recordings to see how your Canadian municipality can reduce and better manage your plastic waste through innovative solutions and approaches.
Waste
Guide: 2018 Sustainable Communities Awards project guide: Waste
Learn how to implement the best practices and strategies used by Kitimat-Stikine, BC, our 2018 Sustainable Communities Awards waste winner.
Energy | Housing
Webinar recording: How to prepare a GMF capital project application
Need advice for preparing your GMF capital project funding application? Watch our webinar recording to hear tips from our staff and find out what reviewers are looking for.
Waste
Six sustainability ideas that have gone mainstream in Canada: Article series
In a series of six articles, we explore inspiring projects and sustainability solutions being implemented in cities and towns of all sizes across Canada.
Waste
Guide: Sustainable Neighbourhood Development
This guide, Sustainable Neighbourhood Development: Practical Solutions to Common Challenges, is designed to help you re-imagine your municipality's approach to planning, development and regulation.
Transportation
Webinar recording: Solutions to municipal sustainability challenges
Watch our webinar recordings to learn how you can address sustainability challenges in waste management, transportation and asset management in your municipality.