At the February 17th 2026 City Environment and Climate Change Committee (ECCC) meeting, CAFES' Executive Director, Angela Keller-Herzog presented on proposed updates to the Community Environmental Projects Grant Program (CEPGP), especially the introduction of a dedicated waste reduction funding stream. Overall, CEPGP is a well-regarded program that supports community-led environmental initiatives across Ottawa with grants of $2,000 to $10,000, with an annual budget of $102,000. The City has now proposed to double this funding, through the addition of a separate funding stream dedicated to waste reduction initiatives.
While supporting the additional funding for waste reduction initiatives, CAFES identified some eligibility and administrative barriers that hamper the effectiveness of the program. We highlighted opportunities to strengthen the program by aligning its terms and language with existing City grant models, including allowing project-attributable wages and salaries as eligible expenditures; lowering the $5million liability insurance requirement on proponents by providing an access pathway to the City’s Community Program Insurance Program (CPIP); allowing multi-year projects for the waste reduction stream; and allowing planning for waste and circular economy related social enterprises as eligible projects.
The meeting concluded with a recommendation that Committee maintain the existing CEPGP structure, approve the funding increase of $102,000 in grants available for waste reduction initiatives, and consider the improvements proposed by CAFES in the planned program review in 2027.
You can find the CAFES delegation presentation below. The annual deadline for CEPGP proposals is usually at the end of March.
