00A01704

**Description:** This agreement provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the Rhode Island Food Policy Council (RIFPC).

Specifically, the project will reduce food waste, increase donations from food businesses, and increase the capacity for compost processing in the Rhode Island communities of Providence, Pawtucket, Newport, Middletown, and Central Falls.

RIFPC, along with their statutory partner, Groundwork RI (GWRI), will deliver direct technical assistance for schools and businesses, train community members in gardening and compost practices, establish additional composting locations and services, and expand assistance to local schools and community gardens.

Through increased compost and garden production, this project supports workforce development and new community leadership opportunities, building community engagement on environmental and climate-related issues, supporting food recovery and waste diversion, and generating a local, circular economy.

Outcomes include a reduction in carbon emissions associated with food production, transportation, and disposal, reduction in methane emissions from landfills, increased food security for vulnerable populations, job creation, and increased access to local gardens and compost in disadvantaged areas in Rhode Island.

**Activities:** The activities include establishing a community advisory board called the Opportunity Rising Board (ORB) consisting of up to 60 members, maintaining 10 individuals representing each of the following areas: Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket, Middletown and Newport, Rhode Island.

ORB members will lead 12 community meetings per year to listen to community input and provide education and training to build local capacity to understand and address climate and environmental justice concerns.

The recipient and project partners will train up to 146 peer educators in a train-the-trainer model to educate and train the community on food waste diversion and composting techniques, reaching at least 1,500 community members.

The recipient and project partners will hire 36 jobs directly and will support an additional 32 jobs through construction activities.

This trained workforce will manage the collection and processing of food waste into finished compost from 9 compost sites constructed and installed throughout the project service areas.

To make composting more accessible to residents, the recipient and project partners will install 15 food waste collection stations in public areas and an additional 22 stations at schools.

Finished compost will be provided to the 26 school and community gardens that will be built or upgraded in the project period.

At least 4,400 students will receive education and training on gardening practices, food waste diversion, and composting.

The recipient will provide technical assistance to residents, businesses, and schools on food scrap donation and food waste collection.

The recipient and project partners will enroll at least 343 businesses, schools, warehouses, and farms in surplus food donation to support local food banks, including transport of donated foods.

The recipient will host monthly project partner meetings to share data, discuss and address challenges, and share insights, including evaluation of the project.

The recipient will create and regularly update a website with a data dashboard accessible to the public that tracks and displays key project outputs such as food scraps collected, compost produced, gardens constructed, food donated, and community members engaged.

To appropriately manage this data collection and display, the recipient will develop a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).

**Subrecipient:** Town of Middletown - will support project goals within the municipality, including build-out of the composting facility on identified location(s), community outreach, and coordination of cross-agency activities.

The town plans to lease a piece of property from a local base and will secure approvals for any construction activities.

Rhode Island Food Policy Council

2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING 6 - SAFEGUARD AND REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES 6.1 - CLEAN UP AND RESTORE LAND FOR PRODUCTIVE USES AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 4 - ENSURE CLEAN AND HEALTHY AIR FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 4.1 - IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE LOCALIZED POLLUTION AND HEALTH IMPACTS 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 5.2 - PROTECT AND RESTORE WATERBODIES AND WATERSHEDS 6 - SAFEGUARD AND REVITALIZE COMMUNITIES 6.2 - REDUCE WASTE AND PREVENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.2 - EMBED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS INTO EPA’S PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ACTIVITIES 5 - ENSURE CLEAN AND SAFE WATER FOR ALL COMMUNITIES 5.1 - ENSURE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE WATER INFRASTRUCTURE 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY AND SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING S - CROSS AGENCY STRATEGY S.1 - ENSURE SCIENTIFIC INT

66.616 - Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program

EPA Region 1: Boston [EPA - RO]

Rhode Island United States

State-Wide

Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-04)

Termination This project grant was reported as terminated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in July 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 12/31/27 to 05/01/25.