Business case: Organic Waste-to-Energy

• The applicant must be a Canadian municipal government, or a municipal partner (e.g., private sector entity, municipally-owned corporation, NGO, not-for-profit, or research institute such as a university) applying in partnership with a Canadian municipal government.
• An Indigenous community may apply as lead applicant if partnering with a Canadian municipal government on an eligible project, or if it has a shared service agreement with a Canadian municipal government related to municipal infrastructure, climate change or adaptation.
• The project must be a business case that assesses viable organic waste-to-energy systems and business models for a given site and/or feedstock.
• The project must generate energy from landfill gas (upgrading or direct use), anaerobic digestion of local organic waste, or energy recovery from composting, wastewater or landfill (geothermal).
• The project must result in a net GHG emissions reduction and a net energy benefit compared to the current baseline.

Who is eligible?

• Canadian municipal governments (e.g., towns, cities, regions, districts, and local boards)
• Private sector entities (as municipal partners)
• Municipally-owned corporations (as municipal partners)
• Non-governmental organizations (as municipal partners)
• Not-for-profit organizations (as municipal partners)

Eligible expenses

• Costs to write the GMF full application (up to $5,000) incurred up to 90 days before the full application is received by FCM.
• Project-related administrative costs required for the initiative, such as project communications, permits/certifications required for the project, printing/photocopying by outside suppliers, document acquisition used exclusively for the project, and document translation.
• Advertising and public communications costs required for the project (e.g., public surveys, advertising development fees, media distribution fees, website development).
• Fees for professional or technical consultants and contractors.
• Staff remuneration (salaries and eligible benefits) for employees’ time actually worked on implementing the project (including participation in FCM-led capacity building activities related to the initiative).
• Supplies and materials specifically needed to undertake the project.
• Transportation, shipping and courier charges for delivery of materials and services essential for the project.
• Travel and accommodation necessary to complete the project (and to attend FCM-led capacity building activities related to the initiative), provided costs comply with Treasury Board of Canada guidelines.
• Costs for meetings and public gatherings to communicate the project and collect feedback (e.g., facility rental, audiovisual equipment rental, accessibility supports such as interpretation/shuttle/babysitting services where they support equity and inclusion objectives; honoraria for cultural leaders/Elders/Indigenous knowledge keepers and local cultural protocols such as gifts/ceremonies).
• Taxes to the extent your organization is not eligible for a rebate.

Eligible geographic areas

• Canada (Canadian municipal governments, and eligible municipal partners working with a Canadian municipal government).
• North (as defined by GMF/Statistics Canada): the three Canadian territories and the northern extent of seven provinces—Newfoundland and Labrador, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

• GHG reduction impact (45% weighting for studies and for capital projects).
• Multi-solving – Environmental benefits (24% total weighting for studies and for capital projects), including: sustainable materials management (12%) and biodiversity & ecological benefits (12%).
• Multi-solving – Other benefits (31% total weighting for studies; includes socio-economic benefits (16%) and engagement strategy (15%)).
• For capital projects only: Other benefits (35% total weighting), including socio-economic benefits (10%), engagement strategy (10%), and financial analysis (15%).
• Implementation criteria (pass/fail) for studies and capital projects: teams and partners, workplan, budget; plus risk management (pass/fail) for capital projects only.

• Applications are accepted year-round, but the offer may close when all available funding has been allocated.
• If annual funds are fully allocated, new applications are deferred for approval to the next fiscal year starting April 1.
• For business case and feasibility study applications, the average time for a funding decision is three to five months after submission of the full application.
• Business cases for Organic Waste-to-Energy projects must include a lifecycle assessment (LCA) or lifecycle inventory of the proposed feedstocks, comparing the proposed approach to current feedstock management and confirming reliable feedstock supply over the facility’s planned lifecycle.