Funder: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Due Dates (Anticipated): May 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $3,000–$10,000 per project; completion within one year of contract execution
Summary: Supports short-term Massachusetts waste reduction projects extending product life through donation, sharing, rescue, reuse, and repair.
Key Information: Funding is reimbursement-based; costs incurred before full contract execution are not reimbursable.
Description
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Municipal Waste Reduction Branch administers these micro-grants to advance the state’s solid waste reduction goals. The program supports short-term projects that keep products in use through donation, sharing, rescue, reuse, and repair—not recycling or composting. Its goals include increasing participation in reuse and repair, building sustainable infrastructure, and testing or expanding innovative approaches, systems, and technologies.
Supported work includes reusable packaging and food-service systems, food rescue, repair and redistribution programs, deconstruction, and recovery of building materials. Reuse means repeated use of a product for its intended purpose, rather than upcycling or repurposing. MassDEP seeks recurring, replicable projects that can continue beyond the grant and prioritizes projects directly benefiting designated Disadvantaged Communities.
