Composting for Community Mini-Grant Program

The Composting for Community Mini-Grant Program, administered by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), is entering its second year with support from 11th Hour Racing. This program provides funding and training resources to new or existing local community composters located in historically underserved communities within New England coastal states and New York City. The initiative is guided by ILSR's broader mission to build resilient, community-based solutions and to decentralize environmental and economic systems for greater local empowerment. The mini-grant program specifically focuses on addressing the disparities faced by BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations, Native Nations, and neighborhoods that have historically experienced discrimination and exclusion. It seeks to bolster these groups by facilitating community composting efforts, which serve both environmental goals and community resilience. A total of 15 projects will be awarded $10,000 each. In addition to financial support, awardees will gain access to virtual hot composting training, a travel stipend for the 9th National Cultivating Community Composter Forum in Sacramento, California, and membership in ILSR’s Community Composter Coalition. The program acknowledges the regulatory efforts made by some New England states to divert food waste, while pointing out the lack of support for smaller, community-based institutions such as schools and urban farms. Similarly, while New York City has made notable strides in composting, many grassroots composters face challenges due to the limitations of municipal funding and competition with industrial operators. The mini-grant program seeks to bridge this gap by funding initiatives that develop a localized, circular composting economy in underserved urban and rural areas. Eligible applicants include organizations working in or rooted in historically underserved communities. Examples of eligible entities include but are not limited to community gardens, congregations, educational institutions, farms, food co-ops, food scrap collection services, for-profit organizations, governmental institutions, Native Nations, nonprofits, and worker-owned cooperatives. Projects must directly fund local composting operations and be based in one of the following locations: New York City, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island. Applications for the 2025 cycle open on June 16 and close on July 25. Submissions are made through a Google Form, and applicants are required to include a budget. Applicants should allot approximately 20 to 30 minutes to complete the application. Selection decisions will be guided by ILSR’s Equity Principles Guide to ensure a fair and inclusive review process. Awardees will be notified by the end of October, with contracts finalized and funds distributed by mid-November. Projects must be completed within one year of accepting the award. If selected, awardees must submit a signed acknowledgement form confirming alignment with the program’s goals, along with a W-9 and EFT form for fund disbursement. Questions or technical issues related to the application can be directed to composting4community@ilsr.org. T