North Carolina — 2027 Community Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant ($60,000–$80,000 Caps; February 11)

FundingUp to $60,000 for a standard project or up to $80,000 for a priority project per qualifying local government; required cash match at least 20% of the grant requested.

DeadlineFebruary 11, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.; no time zone specified by the official RFP.

Last verified2026-11-05

Required next actionRead the complete NCDEQ 2027 CWRAR RFP and required proposal questions; verify current Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report was submitted and satisfy existing-grant restrictions. Prepare local-government project budget with cash match of at least 20% of requested grant. Email one proposal in Word or PDF to alex.miller@deq.nc.gov, received by February 11, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.; ask funder to confirm time zone.

Broad Eligibility

North Carolina counties, municipalities, councils of governments and solid waste authorities. Must have filed latest Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report; only one CWRAR proposal per entity. Joint local government projects allowed. School/nonprofit organizations may benefit from eligible programs but are not direct applicants.

Atlas Analysis

Official RFP and FAQ verified November 5, 2026: NCDEQ 2027 Community Waste Reduction and Recycling 13-page RFP and official 2027 program FAQ. True competitive applicant grant, not vendor procurement. Individual maximum $60,000 standard/$80,000 priority; match is 20% of requested award, cash not in-kind. Eligible waste diversion infrastructure, equipment, vehicles, collection containers, recycling outreach; excludes salaries, land, overhead, consultant studies and contracted collections. Required latest solid-waste annual report; one proposal per entity; joint projects permitted. Email Word/PDF proposal to NCDEQ Alex Miller by Feb 11 at 5pm; no official timezone stated. Reimbursement after executed contract, 10% retained pending final report. Applicants must answer the RFP proposal questions; selected grantees must complete the applicable post-award forms.

North Carolina 2027 Community Waste Reduction and Recycling (CWRAR) Grants

North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service, is accepting applications for the competitive 2027 Community Waste Reduction and Recycling (CWRAR) Grant. This is financial assistance for North Carolina local governments to establish or expand recycling, waste diversion, collection and public education, not an ordinary government equipment purchase contract.

Applicant Funding and Match

Eligible North Carolina local governments may request up to $60,000 for standard projects or up to $80,000 for priority projects. The required cash match must be at least 20% of the requested grant amount (for example, a $20,000 grant requires $4,000 cash match); in-kind contributions do not count. Priority categories include new or expanded curbside recycling programs, regional recycling infrastructure, household hazardous waste programs and construction/demolition recycling. Eligible applicants are North Carolina counties, municipalities, councils of governments and solid waste authorities. The applicant must have submitted the latest required Solid Waste and Materials Management Annual Report; other existing/open grant performance conditions may apply.

Eligible Costs and Restrictions

Potentially eligible costs include recycling collection vehicles or equipment, containers, recycling-education materials and certain recycling infrastructure development or installation. Employee salaries, land acquisition, general administrative overhead, utilities, studies or consultant services, contracted recycling collection and unrelated vendor operations are excluded. Project spending must occur under the executed grant contract, generally July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028. The program operates on reimbursement; NCDEQ holds 10% until the final report is accepted. A school or nonprofit cannot apply as a standalone entity merely because it benefits from a local recycling project.

Application and Deadline

Submit one complete written proposal answering NCDEQ’s 2027 CWRAR RFP questions in Word (preferred) or PDF to alex.miller@deq.nc.gov. The proposal must be received by February 11, 2027 at 5:00 p.m.; NCDEQ does not specify the deadline time zone in the published RFP. Joint local government projects are allowed, but each partner may participate in only one CWRAR proposal. Applicant governments may also apply separately to SWIFR only for a distinct project without duplicate purchases. Award offers are expected in April 2027; additional forms and tax/compliance requirements apply to selected grantees.

Official documents reviewed November 5, 2026: NCDEQ 2027 CWRAR grant program and FAQ and controlling 2027 CWRAR RFP (13 pages).

Source verificationOfficial government source · www.deq.nc.govAtlas last verified this record 2026-11-05. Always use the funder's current application materials, amendments and portal instructions as the controlling source.View source and application materials ↗