Each year, Boulder County Public Works’ Resource Conservation Division (RCD) distributes Circular Economy Funding, which was previously known as Zero Waste Funding. The Circular Economy Funding Program has been in place for the past 27 years and has provided over $1.5 million to local groups seeking to advance the Circular Economy and make a real impact on climate change through innovative and progressive projects that enhance resource conservation and foster circularity in Boulder County.

Growers interested in applying compost to their orchard, cropland, or rangeland can benefit from up to $10,500 towards the cost of delivery, application, and compost material - plus free technical assistance!

For priority consideration, fill out the interest form below by July 14, 2025.

Apply Now!

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would like to notify you about an upcoming opportunity to apply for a grant under the Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program.

The Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is accepting applications to provide financial assistance to entities operating free, public recycling drop-off sites for the collection and transportation of recyclables to processing facilities. The deadline to submit completed applications is 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2025. Recycling rebates are managed and awarded independently of C3 grant funding opportunities and eligibility requirements.

Learn about rebates

Schools across the U.S. and Canada have the opportunity to boost their recycling efforts with financial support from the Carton Council. Grants of up to $5,000 are available to help U.S. and Canadian K-12 schools establish, enhance or expand food and beverage carton recycling programs. 

The Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Foam Recycling Coalition announced that its grant program is now open for 2025, offering a major opportunity to expand foam polystyrene recycling across the United States. Since its inception, the grant program has enabled over 13 million additional residents to recycle foam polystyrene like cups, egg cartons, takeout containers and packaging materials. Facility operators, non-profits and solid waste authorities are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to help establish or enhance foam polystyrene recycling in their communities.

The 2025 application period is open now through April 15, 2025. Eligible entities must engage in operating a material recovery facility, manage residential curbside recycling programs, or manage a drop-off or convenience site recycling program.

Learn more!

The Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is excited to announce that applications are now available for our Mini Grants, Impact Grants, and Capacity Building Grants. These funding opportunities support projects that contribute to the advancement of a circular economy in Colorado. Before applying, please carefully review the eligibility criteria to ensure your project aligns with C3’s strategic goals.

Restore Grant applications are open through February 19th! Farmers and ranchers can receive up to $25k to implement climate-smart practices that sequester carbon. Award decisions will be sent by late March, 2025.

Learn More & Apply

The Colorado Circular Communities (C3) Enterprise is here to support Colorado’s path to circularity. C3 provides access to the tools, funding, and expertise you need to bring your projects to life. Whether you’re in the planning stages or enhancing an ongoing initiative, C3 supports circularity projects at every stage.

Is your school cafeteria still using plastic? Plastics leach chemicals that have been shown to adversely affect pituitary systems, reduce testosterone levels, and increase the incidence of breast cancer. Tell your principal, or nutrition services director, or teacher that PlasticFreeRestaurants.org is offering FREE MONEY to eliminate single-use plastic from school cafeterias, and that schools that switch to reusable, toxin-free stainless steel SAVE MONEY even after accounting for increased labor, water, and electricity costs. 

Schools and Restaurants can apply FOR FREE

Boulder County’s Circular Economy Funding projects provide an opportunity for organizations and businesses to participate in Boulder County’s vision of becoming a zero waste community and closing the waste loop through circular economy practices. 

Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) Funding Opportunities

The Region 8 Sustainable Materials Management Grant is now open and accepting applications. The request for applications (RFA) will be open for 45 days (till September 27^th , 2024). Click here to view and apply for this opportunity, and let me know if you need any assistance along the way.

The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 

The intent of this rebate program is to assist free public recycling drop-off sites by offsetting a portion of the transportation costs incurred by shipping recyclables to market or to a processing center. The rebate period covers costs incurred by drop-off sites from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

Mini Contribution Grant RFA Now Available!

The Front Range Waste Diversion (FRWD) board of directors is pleased to announce a funding opportunity through a Request for Applications (RFA) process. The RFA offers mini contribution grants through a simplified application process for small-scale projects that are easy to implement and support the strategic goals of the FRWD program. Grant funds are exclusively available for equipment and supplies purchases that contribute to Front Range waste diversion efforts.

The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to fund projects, sustainable beyond the grant period, which will enhance the financial viability of recycling, composting, reuse, repurposing, and waste reduction in Colorado and will create new jobs in the state. Preventing waste before it is created is the most effective reduction method (reduce), followed by reuse, and recycle. 

Attention retail food establishments! Denver’s new Reuse Denver program can help your small business save money, reduce waste and create a better customer experience!

Do you have a project that will significantly impact waste diversion in the Front Range of Colorado? With up to $5 million in funding, the FRWD Board of Directors is eager to support projects focused on advancing the circular economy through high-impact waste diversion initiatives.

In support of Inflation Reduction Act Section 60112, the goal of this grant program is to support businesses that manufacture construction materials and products to develop and verify Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), and to states, Indian Tribes, and nonprofit organizations that will support such businesses. This program seeks to improve transparency and disclosure of embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data associated with construction materials and products to facilitate the procurement of lower embodied carbon construction materials and products throughout the United States. Disclosure of embodied GHG emissions through the development of EPDs based on robust and comprehensive data will enable fair comparison of construction materials and products and facilitate procurement of these products with lower embodied carbon emissions.