Grants

+ Eligible Entities

Public and private entities in the U.S. and/or Canada that engage in any of the following activities are eligible to apply for the FRC grant:

• Operate a material recovery facility
• Manage residential curbside recycling programs
• Manage drop-off or convenience site recycling programs

**If there is a foam ban currently in existence in your community, you are not eligible to apply. **

In addition, qualified entrants must be ready/able to…

• Accept post-consumer foam polystyrene^† for recycling. Programs that already accept foam polystyrene but that would like to expand their acceptance of foam polystyrene will also be considered.
• Invest in the required equipment to collect and process foam polystyrene^† for recycling. Funding is contingent on the successful implementation of the plan within 6 months of the grant commitment.
• Communicate the addition of foam polystyrene^† to current program directly to households and incorporate acceptance of foam polystyrene into its regular communications/educational materials.
• Report on volumes of foam polystyrene^† collected, processed and marketed.
• Commit to collecting, processing and marketing foam polystyrene^† for 3 years.

^†includes post-consumer foodservice packaging, egg cartons and meat trays; may also include protective packaging

The eligibility requirements are subject to change based on demand and program learnings.

+ Funding Source, Grant Amounts and Cash Match

• Funding Source: Funding for the grant program comes from contributions from members of the Foam Recycling Coalition, a special interest group of the Foodservice Packaging Institute.
• Grant Amounts: Funding amounts will be made on a case-by-case basis and will be dependent on equipment needs. The maximum amount per grant is $50,000.
• Cash Match: No cash match is required, but additional costs by the grantee may be incurred for related items such as site preparation, provision of conveying system and electrical infrastructure, freight, and other installation costs.

+ Contract Requirements and Terms

Grant recipients will be required to sign a contract detailing the planning, equipment ordering, delivery, installation, and start-up of the system, as well as associated education, outreach and data gathering related to foam polystyrene recycling. The term of the contract will be three years.

+  Application Instructions, Due Date and Selection Process

The 2025 FRC grant application window is March 18, 2024 - April 15, 2025. Please follow the application instructions to apply.

Application Instructions: In order to apply for a grant from the FRC, please download the application form, fill it out, and submit along with any attachments via email to recyclefoam@fpi.org. Please limit your proposal length to the space provided in the application form.

Application Due Date: Applications are due by April 15, 2025. Applications received before the application window opened will be considered. Please follow the application instructions to apply.

Selection Process: The FRC will review the grant applications and may request additional clarifying information as needed. Selections will be based on a number of variables, such as capacity, number of households served and level of funding available. Please note that applications that rate highly and are likely to be considered for funding include:

• 50,000 households or more served
• MRF application of foam densifier (in a single-stream or dual-stream MRF)
• Residential curbside collection of post-consumer foam, as well as possible commercial collection
• Well-defined end markets
• Detailed project planning timeline
• Multifaceted outreach plan
• Comprehensive budget
• Thorough supporting documentation (i.e., equipment quote)

+ Questions

Questions related to the FRC grant program should be direct to recyclefoam@fpi.org