Waste Reduction Community Grants
Grants of up to $25,000 are available to support innovative community-based efforts to reduce residential waste and increase participation in the City of Toronto’s waste diversion programs. A priority will be placed on investing in actions that address multi-residential buildings, multi-lingual communities, equity-seeking groups and Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.
The grants support the City’s Long Term Waste Management Strategy and reflect its guiding principles:
- working with community partners to enhance access to waste diversion programs;
- increasing public engagement; and
- working together to deliver services.
The strategy puts priority on reducing and encouraging the prevention of waste, maximizing its value before disposal, and supporting the move towards a circular economy. Waste diversion, which minimizes the amount of waste sent to landfill, follows reduction and reuse in order of priority.
Grants of up to $25,000 are available to support innovative community-based efforts to reduce residential waste and increase participation in the City of Toronto’s waste diversion programs.
Objectives
All proposed projects for grant funding must satisfy one or more of the following objectives:
- Directly result in a reduction in the amount of residential waste produced or an increase in the amount of residential waste diverted from landfill;
- directly enhance the knowledge and ability of individuals or the community group to engage in activities that will result in the reduction and/or diversion of residential waste; and/or
- foster long-term changes in behaviour that result in waste reduction or increased participation in the City of Toronto’s diversion programs.
Eligible Projects
Eligible groups include resident, tenant, and neighbourhood associations, service clubs, ethnic community organizations, registered charitable organizations, environmental organizations, school groups, clubs, and councils.
Examples of projects eligible for funding could include:
- Initiatives that support reduction and reuse
- Waste education and engagement initiatives
- Initiatives that align with the Long Term Waste Management Strategy (e.g. repair, exchange, swapping and sharing)
A priority will be placed on investing in actions that address multi-residential buildings, multilingual communities, equity-seeking groups and Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.
The City will accept applications for a minimum of $5,000 up to a maximum of $25,000 in grant funding.
The following eligibility criteria must be met:
- the project must demonstrate how it aligns with the Long Term Waste Management Strategy and supports the City’s aspirational Zero Waste goal;
- the organization must be incorporated and have non-profit status. Organizations without these prerequisites may apply if they enter into a trusteeship agreement with an incorporated non-profit organization; and
- your group/organization must fall into one of the eligible categories below.
Eligible
- Resident, tenant, neighbourhood, and business associations
- Service clubs
- Ethnic community organizations
- Registered charitable organizations and environmental organizations
- School groups, clubs and councils
Ineligible
- Building managers and property owners
- For-profit businesses
- Individuals
- Grant making organizations
- Organizations allied with political parties
- Organizations without a clear distinction between religious and community service functions at the program and budget levels
- Academic institutions
- School Boards
- Organizations with an active or incomplete project funded by the Waste Reduction Community Grants
Project Eligibility
Examples of projects eligible for funding could include:
- Initiatives that support reduction and reuse
- Waste education and engagement initiatives
- Initiatives that align with the Long Term Waste Management Strategy (e.g. repair, exchange, swapping and sharing of goods)
Before you apply, please read the Application Guidelines. The guidelines booklet outlines everything you need to know about our two-step application process, what we will fund, eligibility, and deadlines.
Important
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact us before submitting an application so that we can discuss the proposed project and application process.
- Before submitting an application, make sure it is complete. Answer every question and provide all required information.
Ready to apply
When ready, please complete and submit the online Step One: Expression of Interest (EOI) application, or contact us to request an electronic application form.
All applications will be reviewed by City of Toronto staff. A limited number of applicants, who align most closely with the grant guidelines and assessment criteria, will then be shortlisted and invited to proceed to Step Two: Full Application stage.
| Stage | Dates (2020)* |
|---|---|
| Grant applications/Expression of Interest Application opens | January 22 |
| Expression of Interest (EOI) submission deadline | March 9 at 11:59 pm |
| Notification to shortlisted EOI applicants | mid-April |
| Full Application submission deadline | May-June |
| Full Application reviewed by the Grant Review Committee | June-August |
| Funding decisions communicated | July-August |
*dates subject to change
| # | Organization | Project Description | Funding |
| 1 | North York Harvest Food Bank | North York Harvest Food Bank will reduce food waste in Toronto by transitioning four neighbourhood food banks from a “hamper model” to a “choice model.” Through workshops and development of multi-lingual posters/brochures, food bank volunteers and users will be taught about the difference between best before and expiry dates on food packaging to avoid unnecessary food waste at home. | $25,000 |
| 2 | Youth Empowering Parents | Youth Empowering Parents will develop online tutorials, resources and activities to assist youth in teaching newcomer parents and their families about effective waste management practices, including correct waste disposal, using the Waste Wizard and TOwaste app, accessing repair, reuse and sharing hubs and transitioning to more reusable household products. | $14,300 |
| 3 | Stonegate Community Association | Stonegate Community Health Centre will develop and run interactive repair, reuse, food waste reduction and textile diversion workshops which are regularly incorporated within their existing programming to educate residents on methods by which they can reduce waste and increase diversion. | $12,000 |
| 4 | Back Lane Studios | Back Lane Studios will train youth and support them in the creation of short, compelling videos on waste-related issues, such as reduction, diversion and processing. The videos will be shown at school programs and screenings and shared through social media. | $11,140 |
| 5 | The Children’s Bookbank and Literacy Foundation | The Children’s Bookbank and Literacy Foundation will teach middle school students about their role in the circular economy and guide their participation in classroom-based book drives. Students will have the opportunity to visit the Children’s Bookbank and learn how books are collected, sorted, packed, donated to community partners and recycled. | $9,700 |
| # | Organization | Project Description | Funding |
| 1 | 1001 Bay Street – Green Committee | The Green team at 1001 Bay Street, a 500 unit condominium building, is aiming to become the greenest building on Bay Street by delivering educational programming and tenant engagements. Initiatives will include on site environment days, welcome packages for new residents, a kiosk, signage, literature, training, a website, and more. | $12,000 |
| 2 | Donwood Park Eco-Team | Donwood Park Public School students will create and publish a book that educates and motivates families to adopt the TDSB’s Boomerang Lunch and Snack Program. In doing so, the project will educate students and their parents about reducing food and packaging waste through ‘litterless lunches’, and proper waste sorting. | $8,000 |
| 3 | Fashion Takes Action (FTA) | Fashion Takes Action will educate students at schools across Toronto about the 7Rs of Fashion (reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, research, repair, rent), through workshops on sustainable fashion and textile waste diversion, stewardship programming, and leadership training camps. | $24,300 |
| 4 | Junction Farmers Market | With the goal of becoming a zero-waste market, the Junction Farmers Market will establish a reusable foodware station, wash station, and dedicated storage space to eliminate foodware and packaging waste at the seasonal farmers market. The project will engage market vendors, market customers, residents and business owners from The Junction in waste education and awareness programming. | $12,488 |
| 5 | Recycling Council of Ontario | The Recycling Council of Ontario will design and develop a Clothing Swap Event Planning Toolkit for multi-residential buildings in Toronto which will contain customizable resources that will be available for download and translated into several languages. | $25,000 |
| 6 | Friends of Christie Pits Park | The Friends of Christie Pits will create Toronto’s first-ever sharing library of community events materials (e.g. tables, tablecloths, chairs, tents, coolers) in the Christie Pits Park and surrounding neighbourhoods. | $9,600 |
| 7 | Tides Canada Initiatives – Not Far From The Tree | Not Far from the Tree will increase the capacity to harvest and share more fruit across Toronto, and reduce organic waste, by developing a fruit-picking web application. The app will connect homeowners with fruit trees with fruit picking volunteers in an expanded operating area including North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke. | $24,700 |