Boulder County Public Works’ Resource Conservation Division has opened grant applications for 2026 Circular Economy Fund projects.
Donor Name: Boulder County Public Works
State: Colorado
County: Boulder County (CO)
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 09/30/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The goals of this grant program are to contribute to environmental justice and decrease the negative environmental impact of the community. Successful programs will reduce environmental impact by reducing resource disposal; decreasing greenhouse gas emissions; increasing circularity, reuse, and recycling; and increasing access to new and existing waste diversion resources and programs.
Funding Categories
There are three (3) categories in which applicants may apply for funding: Consumer Behavior and Practices, Collection and/or Processing, and Manufacturing & Design.
- Consumer Behavior and Practices
- Consumer Behavior and Practices projects must focus on zero waste, source reduction, reuse, recycling, circular economy, closed loop systems, extended producer responsibility, product stewardship and/or composting. Consumer Behavior and Practices projects must be measurable and provide services where a need exists within the Service Area that is not otherwise being conducted.
- Collection and/or Processing
- Projects must improve existing zero waste/circular economy programs in ways that facilitate some or all of the following:
- increase the quantity or percentage of materials reused, recycled, or composted
- create new opportunities for recycling and/or composting
- improve intermediate processing capabilities
- improve safety
- create efficiencies of operation
- create new technologies
- Projects must improve existing zero waste/circular economy programs in ways that facilitate some or all of the following:
- Manufacturing & Design
- Projects must either improve the design of consumer goods and/or packaging or create new goods that align with zero waste/circular economy principles.
Examples of Programs
- Waste prevention or waste-to-product initiatives, turning waste from one part of an operation or business into a resource for another
- Repair and refurbishment projects
- Curbside toters
- New transportation for single-stream recyclables or organics
- New bins for single-stream or compost collection of materials within municipal buildings
- Zero waste education
- New technologies
- Reuse projects and infrastructure
- Redesigning consumer packaging to increase reuse, recyclability, or compostability.
Funding Information
2026 funding is $50,000 total for all projects. Projects requests may be between $1,000 – $30,000. Programs are reimbursement based.
Service Areas
The Service Area includes all of Boulder County, City & County of Broomfield and the Town of Erie, including the part of Erie that is outside of Boulder County.
Eligibility Criteria
Project applicants must be registered as a business, an official non-profit organization, or a governmental entity. Projects must be based in the Service Area, divert materials generated in Service Area from the landfill, or involve educational campaigns targeting residents or businesses within the Service Area. Projects must not duplicate existing programs or services.
For more information, visit Boulder County Public Works.
