The Recycling Partnership Inc
The Recycling Partnership Inc is a public charity based in Washington, DC. It supports efforts to improve recycling systems in the United States through grants and technical assistance for communities and recycling facilities, along with education, outreach, and policy work.
The Recycling Partnership Inc at a glance
In short: The Recycling Partnership Inc gave $15.5M across 113 grants in 2024 (avg $137K), top state Michigan. 65% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $15,501,664
- +2.8% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 113
- +29.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $137,183
- -20.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $65,020
- Total assets
- $46,065,391
- -21.8% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 65% first-time grantees (74 of 113, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (24% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Recycling Partnership Inc
- How to Apply
-
The website directs communities interested in other grants to contact the organization to learn more. For processing and MRF grants, it directs interested applicants to fill out a form. The curbside and drop-off grant pages describe eligible project types and direct communities to contact the organization for more information.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 F Street Nw 7Th Fl, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (877) 514-8774
Website: https://recyclingpartnership.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
3 open opportunities from The Recycling Partnership Inc
Community Recycling Program Grants
The Recycling Partnership Inc
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Residential Curbside Recycling Cart Grant Program
The Recycling Partnership Inc
Amount
Up to US $825,000
Deadline
Deadline not published
Steve Thompson Memorial Education Grants
The Recycling Partnership Inc
Amount
$80,000+
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who The Recycling Partnership Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was City of Flint ($2.2M). Together the top 10 received $7.6M.
Grant Size Distribution
414 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 173 grants of 414 (42%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization describes its community and facility grant opportunities as serving applicants across the United States. In 2024, the largest reported shares of grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan (24%), Texas (15%), and California (13%), followed by Pennsylvania (5%) and New York (4%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 113 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Recycling Partnership Inc open to new grantees?
65%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 74 of 113 grantees (65%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $167K; repeat grants $81K. How we count
Medians: $80K first-time, $40K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $4.5M (2020) to $15.5M (2024). In 2024 it made 113 grants totaling $15.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| City of Flint Flint, MI | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $2,230,110 |
| City of McKinney McKinney, TX | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $813,116 |
| Balcones Recycling Inc Austin, TX | Mrf equipment grant to improve sortation of all material | $652,775 |
| Valemi Inc Corona, CA | Grant to end market facility to improve collection of film and flexable material | $646,494 |
| City of Syracuse Syracuse, NY | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $632,507 |
| City of Sterling Heights Sterling Heights, MI | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $603,339 |
| Solid Waste Services Inc DBA JP Mascaro & Sons Audubon, PA | Regional grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure in Multiple counties and communites | $542,939 |
| City of Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $516,309 |
| City of Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX | Community grant to improve recycling collection, education and infrastructure | $481,568 |
| Polystamp LLC Austintown, OH | Grant to end market facility to improve collection of film and flexable material | $448,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $46,065,391 | $41,184,643 | $38,012,797 | $15,501,664 | 113 | $1,636,213 |
| 2023 | $58,888,621 | $37,086,752 | $33,811,294 | $15,078,895 | 87 | $1,056,108 |
| 2022 | $38,566,177 | $34,845,834 | $30,970,151 | $13,047,179 | 85 | $202,373 |
| 2021 | $36,347,357 | $35,681,041 | $26,169,611 | $12,599,552 | 84 | $21,334 |
| 2020 | $28,699,633 | $24,340,751 | $15,160,240 | $4,450,689 | 45 | $22,123 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization’s stated mission is to build a better recycling system that delivers economic and environmental benefits to communities and people working throughout the recycling industry.
Its website describes grants and technical assistance for communities and recycling facilities, including materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and processors. The stated grant focus areas include improving recycling access and collections, reducing contamination, enhancing operations, and increasing processing capacity. Grant purposes reported for 2024 include community recycling collection, education and infrastructure; MRF equipment and sortation; and end-market facilities intended to improve collection of film and flexible materials.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the organization reported 113 grants totaling $15,501,664. Grant amounts ranged from $5,064 to $2,230,110, with a median of $65,020.
The largest reported 2024 grants included $2,230,110 to the City of Flint, Michigan, for community recycling collection, education, and infrastructure; $813,116 to the City of McKinney, Texas, for the same purpose; $652,775 to Balcones Recycling Inc. in Austin, Texas, for MRF equipment to improve sortation; and $646,494 to Valemi Inc. in Corona, California, for an end-market facility to improve collection of film and flexible material. Other notable awards included $632,507 to the City of Syracuse, New York, and $603,339 to the City of Sterling Heights, Michigan, for community recycling improvements.
The organization’s website describes community grants and grants for processors and MRFs. Its Residential Curbside Recycling Cart Grant supports communities adopting cart-based collection, converting from bins or bags to carts, or expanding service areas. Its Residential Drop-Off Recycling Grant supports projects such as new drop-off sites and infrastructure connecting sites to regional MRFs or transfer stations. The website also describes a 2026 initiative seeking California residential recycling programs to implement and evaluate behavior-change strategies.
The Steve Thompson Memorial Education Grants support recycling professionals’ travel, lodging, and registration for professional development and networking at the Resource Recycling Conference. The program description reports more than $80,000 distributed annually and says the grants recognize the role of recycling professionals in improving program performance.
The 2024 filing states that grant disbursements are made after the organization receives invoices documenting allowable expenditures. Grantees are required to submit quarterly process reports and a final report upon project completion. The organization may terminate an agreement by written notice if a grantee fails to fulfill its obligations.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Scott Breen as chair, Monique Oxender as chair until June, Robert Flores as secretary, and Scott Hemink as treasurer. Directors listed include Brent Bell, Scott DeFife, Scott Ballard, Megan Daum, Robin Wiener (until June), and Kristin Kelley (until June).
The Recycling Partnership Inc is led by Megan Keefe Harrison, Chief Executive Officer on every filing since 2023; 7 of 27 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Megan Keefe Harrison
Chief Executive Officer
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$376K (2023) → $424K (2024)
Monique Oxender
Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2021
Vice Chair → Chair, 2022
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Scott Breen
Chair
Secretary → Chair, 2024
On filings since 2022
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Megan Daum
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Defife
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Alexander
Director
Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Robin Wiener
Director
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Holli Alexander
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alexander Habib
Director
Vice Chair → Director, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kirstin Witt
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristin Kelley
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Semi Konak
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alex Schenck
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Brent Bell
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ginger Spencer
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jonathan Paul
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Ballard
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joseph A. Bontempo
Chief of Staff
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$208K (2020) → $279K (2024)
Sarah Dearman
Chief Innovation Officer
Vice President of Circular Ventures → Chief Innovation Officer, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$202K (2020) → $248K (2024)
William J. Culbertson
Chief Legal Officer
Vice President of Strategy & Chief Legal Officer → Vice President of Strategy & Chief Legal, 2021
Vice President of Strategy & Chief Legal → Chief Legal Officer, 2022
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$236K (2020) → $316K (2024)
Christine Santos
Chief Financial Officer
Vice President of Finance → Chief Financial Officer, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$107K (2023) → $243K (2024)
Jeffrey Meyers
Senior Strategic Advisor
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$315K (2023) → $354K (2024)
Chris Airhart
Chief Development Officer
New on the 2024 filing
40 hrs/week
$257K (2024)
Robert Flores
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Scott Hemink
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2023
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Stephanie Potter
Vice Chair
Vice Chair → Director, 2023
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Haley Lowry
Vice Chair
Director → Vice Chair, 2024
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (49)
- Former: Cody Marshall (2020–2023) — Chief Optimization Officer
- Former: David Clark (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Jeff Meyers (2020–2022) — Chief Strategy & Financial Officer
- Former: Keefe Harrison (2020–2022) — Chief Executive Officer
- Former: Anitra Marsh (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Diego Donoso (2021–2022) — Director
- Former: Gary McElyea (2022) — Vice Chair
- Former: Marjory Appel (2022) — Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
- Former: Meghan Altman (2022) — Director
- Former: Brian Hawkinson (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Sara Axelrod (2020–2021) — Secretary
- Former: Aaron Burman (2021) — Vice President of Data & Analytics
- Former: Petra Watjen (2021) — Chief Financial Officer
- Former: Tom Mooradian (2021) — Director
- Former: Aimee Gregg (2020) — Director
- Former: Ann Meitz (2020) — Director
- Former: Anne Bedarf (2020) — Director
- Former: Bruce Karas (2020) — Director
- Former: Cathy Foley (2020) — Director
- Former: Craig Cookson (2020) — Director
- Former: Derric Brown (2020) — Secretary
- Former: Elizabeth Schmitt (2020) — Senior Vice President of Development
- Former: Erik Throndsen (2020) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Ronk (2020) — Director
- Former: John Caturano (2020) — Director
- Former: John Cook (2020) — Director
- Former: Jonathan Butcher (2020) — Director
- Former: Josephine Bertrams (2020) — Director
- Former: Kathleen Niesen (2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Kazumi Mechling (2020) — Director
- Former: Keith Christman (2020) — Director
- Former: Kim Carswell (2020) — Chair
- Former: Kris Waldhauser (2020) — Director
- Former: Maria Burquest (2020) — Director
- Former: Melissa Craig (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Chung (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Hodges (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Kirk (2020) — Director
- Former: Nicole Collier (2020) — Director
- Former: Ricky Lane (2020) — Director
- Former: Robert Budway (2020) — Director
- Former: Sanjay Mehta (2020) — Director
- Former: Seth Barron (2020) — Director
- Former: Spooner Ward (2020) — Director
- Former: Susan Robinson (2020) — Director
- Former: Terese Kietzer (2020) — Director
- Former: Tony Burns (2020) — Director
- Former: Tracee Reeves (2020) — Director
- Former: Viviana Alvarez (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $424K, to Megan Keefe Harrison (Chief Executive Officer). 7 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Recycling Partnership Inc
How much does The Recycling Partnership Inc give each year?
The Recycling Partnership Inc gave $15.5M across 113 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $15.1M across 87 grants.
What is The Recycling Partnership Inc's typical grant size?
The Recycling Partnership Inc's median grant in 2024 was $65,020, and its average grant was $137,183, across 113 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Recycling Partnership Inc that year got $167K on average.
Where does The Recycling Partnership Inc give grants?
The Recycling Partnership Inc's top state is Michigan, with 24% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Texas (15%) and California (13%). The most frequent recipient cities were Raleigh, NC (3 grants), Bay City, MI (3 grants) and Ypsilanti, MI (2 grants).
Does The Recycling Partnership Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 113 grants with a stated purpose on The Recycling Partnership Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Recycling Education, Outreach and Improvement Grant" (4 grants).
Who are The Recycling Partnership Inc's largest grantees?
The Recycling Partnership Inc's largest 2024 grantees include City of Flint ($2,230,110), City of McKinney ($813,116) and Balcones Recycling Inc ($652,775), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Recycling Partnership Inc?
The Recycling Partnership Inc reported $46.1M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $41.2M.
What does The Recycling Partnership Inc fund?
The organization’s stated mission is to build a better recycling system that delivers economic and environmental benefits to communities and people working throughout the recycling industry. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Recycling Partnership Inc?
The website directs communities interested in other grants to contact the organization to learn more. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Recycling Partnership Inc's EIN?
The Recycling Partnership Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-1622018. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 27, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS October 9, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 3, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 18, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work The Recycling Partnership Inc funds
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