EREF Grants

EREF Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Environmental Research & Education Foundation
Amount: US $15,000 - US $500,000
Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Summary

The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) is dedicated to advancing solid waste research and education globally. As a prominent source of funding, EREF supports initiatives aimed at enhancing sustainability and efficient waste management practices. Their grants are available to both U.S. and non-U.S. institutions, with a focus on research that fosters innovative solutions in waste minimization, recycling, and energy conversion. Proposals must align with EREF's strategic goals for impactful research.

Overview

The EREF is the only private, grant making institution with a national and international scope whose sole mission is to support solid waste research and education initiatives. Our research grants program is led by our Research Council, a body of volunteers consisting of technical experts in industry, academia and consulting. The work of the Council is guided by a long range strategic plan with the goal to achieve greater sustainability, good environmental stewardship, higher process efficiency and increased knowledge. Council recommended projects are then reviewed by our Board’s Projects Committee for a final review and funding allocation. Non-research oriented projects are reviewed and recommended to the Projects Committee by technical staff. Background The sustainability movement has reached the business models of nearly every industry in the United States, and many companies, municipalities and states have set aggressive sustainability goals that include how waste stream are being managed. The EREF Board of Directors has set an initiative to ensure research funded reflects EREF’s long-term strategic plan to address all areas of integrated solid waste management, with a strong focus towards research that increased sustainable solid waste management practices. EREF is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is one of the largest sources of funding for solid waste research in North America. EREF is not affiliated with any other entity or group and governed by a duly elected Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is the decision-making body that has responsibility for establishing policies that define program interests and fundamental objectives to be served by the Foundation. Definition of Solid Waste Used in this RFP It should be noted that EREF defines solid waste to include: municipal solid waste (e.g. residential, commercial, institutional)construction & demolition debriscertain industrial wastes (e.g. exploration & production waste, coal ash) andother wastes typically managed by the solid waste industry or generated by the public not included in the above items (e.g. electronic waste, disaster debris, etc). Agricultural wastes (that aren’t handled by the waste industry), nuclear waste, and land applied wastewater treatment sludge are generally not included in this definition. Research Topic Areas Pre-proposal topics must relate to sustainable solid waste management practices and pertain to the following topic areas: Waste minimizationRecyclingWaste conversion to energy, biofuels, chemicals or other useful products. This includes, but is not limited to, the following technologies:Waste-to-energyAnaerobic digestionCompostingOther thermal or biological conversion technologiesStrategies to promote diversion to higher and better uses (e.g. organics diversion, market analysis, optimized material management, logistics, etc.)Landfilling Desirable aspects of the above topics, in addition to or as part of hypothesis driven applied research, also include: economic or cost/benefit analysesfeasibility studies for untested technologies or management strategieslife cycle analysis or inventoryanalyses of policies that relate to the above. Topics Requiring Approval Prior to Pre-Proposal Submission There are a number of topics that may require approval before a pre-proposal will be considered. Investigators who would like to propose a research topic where the primary objectives relate to the areas listed below should contact EREF to discuss the topic prior to submitting a pre-proposal. List of Topics Requiring Approval: Development of life-cycle/process models to evaluate solid wasteEvaluating specific applications of pyrolysis/gasification to manage niche/minor waste streamsDevelopment of specific gasification/pyrolysis techniques or technologiesUsing algae to create biofuels from waste

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Non-U.S. InstitutionsThere are no restrictions in regards to geographic location.Any U.S. or non-U.S. institutions are eligible to apply.Non-Academic InstitutionsProposals will be accepted from non-academic institutions provided the principal investigators are qualified to conduct the research.Multiple InstitutionsSubmissions may include multiple institutions.Who Can Serve as a Principal InvestigatorPrincipal investigators (PI) must be qualified to do the work proposed and should be experts in the subject matter referenced in the pre-proposal/proposal.Typically this would include full-time faculty at academic institutions, post-doctoral employees, and principals or senior personnel at non-academic institutions.    However, graduate students are encouraged to consider applying to EREF’s scholarship program (see the EREF website for details).Multiple Pre-Proposal SubmissionsPre-Proposal submissions are limited to two (2) submissions per principal investigator during a particular submission period.Beyond this, the PI cannot be listed as a PI or co-PI on other submissions that round, but may be listed as a supporting investigator on other submissions.Repeat SubmittalsPre-proposals that did not receive an invitation to submit a full proposal may re-submit a revised version of the original pre-proposal once, and thereafter, approval must be obtained by EREF beforehand.In the event a research topic is very closely related to a prior submittal by the same entity, EREF staff will make any determinations regarding whether or not a submitted proposal constitutes a re-submittal.In Kind Services and Additional External FundingBecause the amount of funding for research is limited, EREF encourages submitting parties to form partnerships with other funding sources (real-dollars or in-kind services).Parties should identify the sources and amounts of external funding in their submissions.It is preferred that real dollars from external sources be managed through EREF rather than going to the research institution directly.Note that in such instances this does not reduce the amount of these funds that go to the research institution.

Ineligibility

Overhead CostsEREF will not pay indirect or overhead costs in excess of 25% of direct costs.For non-academic institutions, the definition of overhead can vary.However, typically this refers to payment that denotes a time and materials rate multiplier of 1.25.Cost SharingCost sharing is encouraged, but is not required.For clarity, any cost sharing should not be listed in in the “Amount Requested” line of the pre-proposal form.Only the amount requested from EREF should be listed.If cost sharing will be a part of the proposal, the amount of the cost share and where it comes from can be noted in the full proposal if one is requested.Including Educational Objectives/Efforts in Research ProposalsPre-proposals do not need to contain specific or direct educational objectives. There is no special consideration given to proposals when such objectives are included.If the proposed research includes substantial efforts related to education, these may be deemed an educational project.For information regarding educational projects, see below.Educational ProjectsGrants are typically not provided to support the development of educational projects. However, collaborations or partnerships with entities seeking to develop educational materials for sustainable solid waste management, including conferences or events, which advance the Foundation’s educational mission may be considered.Additional LimitationsIt is EREF’s policy that all results from funded projects are made publicly available and are without bias.  Thus, EREF will typically avoid funding proposals prepared with the following aims:To directly commercialize and/or patent a particular technology or processTo provide venture capital or operating funds for start-up companiesTo provide funds that primarily aid in the formation or initialization of community programs (e.g. recycling programs, re-use projects, etc)To directly support lobbying activitiesTo fund conferences or events, except as noted under “Educational Projects”To conduct research or evaluations with an extremely narrow scopeExamples include projects that impact a small portion of the solid waste stream, benefit a single entity or community, or that cover a very small geographical area (e.g. a single county or town).Graduate students are not eligible to be principal investigators for this program