Study: Organic Waste-to-Energy

• The applicant must be a Canadian municipal government (e.g., town, city, region, district, local board) or an eligible municipal partner (e.g., private sector entity, municipally-owned corporation, NGO, not-for-profit, research institute/university).
• If the lead applicant is not a municipal government, the project must be delivered 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 feasibility study that outlines the design of a proposed organic waste-to-energy system (building toward implementation of a future capital project).
• The proposed system must generate energy from landfill gas use/upgrading, anaerobic digestion of local organic waste, or energy recovery from composting, wastewater or landfill (geothermal), and must result in a net GHG emissions reduction and a net energy benefit compared to the current baseline.

Who is eligible?

• Private sector entities (as municipal partners)
• Municipally-owned corporations
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Research institutes (e.g., universities)

Who is not eligible

• Private-sector companies, non-profits, NGOs, research institutes (e.g., universities) and other non-municipal organizations that are not delivering the initiative in partnership with a Canadian municipal government.
• Indigenous communities applying as the lead applicant that are not partnering with a Canadian municipal government on an eligible project and do not have a shared service agreement with a Canadian municipal government related to municipal infrastructure, climate change or adaptation.

Eligible geographic areas

• Canada (eligible applicants include Canadian municipal governments and eligible partners).
• Northern Canada: the three territories and the northern extent of seven provinces—Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia (as defined by Statistics Canada codes).

• Expected GHG reduction impact (45%).
• Sustainable materials management / circularity and embodied carbon measures (12%).
• Biodiversity and ecological benefits (12%).
• Socio-economic benefits (16%).
• Engagement strategy (15%).

• Step 1: Eligibility check
  • Review the Organic Waste-to-Energy offer webpage requirements, outcomes and targets before applying.
  • If unsure about alignment or how to apply, contact GMF at gmfinfo@fcm.ca or call 1-877-417-0550.
• Step 2: Pre-application preparation
  • Prepare to submit a pre-application form.
  • Identify participating organization(s) and roles (lead applicant/lead municipality/partner).
  • Identify the lead project contact(s), including one designated as the “application contact” (only this person can submit the forms).
  • If you are a non-municipal lead applicant, obtain a municipal council resolution stating municipal partnership (required attachment).
  • Draft a project overview (project working title, offer type, and project type) and a project description, objectives and rationale.
  • Prepare high-level budget information (project start/end dates, funding request, anticipated total project costs).
• Step 3: Pre-application submission
  • Submit the pre-application form with required attachments.
  • If you are a municipality or municipal corporation from Quebec, ensure the pre-application is submitted and approved by the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH).
• Step 4: Eligibility determination
  • Wait for GMF staff review of the pre-application to determine whether your organization and initiative can proceed to the next stage.
  • Be prepared to provide additional information if requested by GMF staff.
• Step 5: Full application preparation
  • After being informed the full application is available, complete the full application form (some information will be pre-populated from the pre-application and may be edited).
  • Complete the GMF project workbook provided by your GMF outreach officer/advisor and attach it to the full application.
  • Gather and organize all required supporting documents for your project type (as listed in the guide’s Appendix D).
  • For feasibility studies and capital projects (where applicable), prepare an engagement plan and inclusive engagement practices information for the application form (and attach an engagement strategy if available).
  • For the full application, include required project management and delivery documentation (project team organigram and resumés/qualifications).
• Step 6: Full application submission
  • Submit the full application form with the project workbook and all required supporting documents as attachments.
  • Ensure the declaration and signature section is completed by a person with signing authority from the lead applicant organization (consultants cannot sign or submit).
• Step 7: GMF review and follow-up
  • After submission, work with the assigned GMF project officer who reviews the application for accuracy and completeness and may ask questions to resolve outstanding items.
• Step 8: Peer review and internal review
  • For feasibility studies, an external expert peer review panel evaluates the application.
  • GMF also completes an internal analysis to support a funding recommendation.
• Step 9: Funding decision
  • FCM’s Board of Directors oversees funding recommendations made by the GMF Council.

• Applications are accepted year-round, but the offer may close once all available funding has been allocated.
• For business cases and feasibility studies, the average time for a funding decision is three to five months after submission of the full application.
• GMF staff strive to respond to pre-applications within 15 business days of receipt.
• For municipalities or municipal corporations from Quebec, all pre-applications must be submitted and approved by the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation (MAMH).