What we fund
We fund business cases that assess viable waste-to-energy systems and business models for a given site and/or feedstock. This funding helps Canadian cities and communities determine whether it is viable to produce and utilize energy from landfill gas or waste organic material, and generate additional valuable products such as digestate and fertilizers, ultimately resulting in a net GHG emission reduction.
Your business case can explore systems that generate energy from landfill gas, anaerobic digestion or heat recovery from wastewater, landfills or aerobic composting (including food waste, yard waste, biosolids, packaging waste and agricultural waste).
Your business case should prepare you for a 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.
Your business case should aim to:
- Determine the practicality and viability of available organic waste-to-energy systems for your site and/or feedstock and identify a preferred system or systems.
- Assess the potential environmental, social, and economic impacts and benefits.
- Quantify expected costs and potential revenue streams.
- Identify partnership opportunities.
- Define proposed business model, including recommendations for project ownership, operations, and financing.
- Identify risks and mitigation options.
Your business case will need to consider, at minimum, the following:
- What are the GHG impacts of the solution or approach being studied?
- Is there an economic benefit to the municipality of developing an organic waste-to-energy system, rather than managing the feedstock in another manner?
- 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 that may be undertaken as part of your business case include:
- A scan and evaluation of available local organic waste feedstocks.
- A lifecycle assessment of available feedstocks.
- A scan and evaluation of available organic waste-to-energy systems and providers.
- An assessment of the market for energy and other products created by the proposed system.
- An evaluation of available sites and/or site viability for an organic waste-to-energy system.
- A financial analysis (e.g., cost estimates, revenue projections, return on investment (ROI), and funding options).
- An examination of the legal and regulatory context and implications for the project.
- An evaluation of the organization’s ability to deliver the solution.
- An assessment of partnership opportunities and business model options.
- An assessment of environmental, social, and economic impacts and benefits.
- Stakeholder engagement.
Business cases for Organic Waste-to-Energy projects must also include a lifecycle assessment (LCA) or lifecycle inventory of proposed feedstocks.
This analysis should include a comparison of the environmental impacts of the use of the feedstock in a proposed organic waste-to-energy system, in contrast to the current management of the feedstock. It should also confirm if here is sufficient and reliable quantity and quality of feedstock supply both cyclically over the course of an operating year and over the facility’s planned lifecycle. (ISO14040, ISO14044, and the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) handbook provide optional guidance to support applicants in undertaking an LCA.)
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.
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
- Energy recovery from composting, wastewater or landfill (geothermal).
- 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.
- 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