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Eligibility Application

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Eligibility Application

Each Compost Reimbursement Program grant year begins with the eligibility application, or eligibility review. Applications to the program open in July of each year and are open for 45 days. Eligible applicants are selected after being prioritized based on whether they will purchase and use compost containing food waste feedstocks, where it is practicable to do so. Selected applicants will be sent a grant agreement contract that established their obligations, funding limits, and other program requirements. After signing and returning the grant agreement contract, the farm may begin purchasing compost and incurring costs.

As part of the eligibility review, the program will collect necessary information from each farm to determine whether they meet the qualifications to participate in the program. This information includes, but is not limited to:

  • Farm name and an address
  • Farm UBI number (Washington State Unified Business Identifier)
  • Farm Washington Statewide Vendor Number
  • Primary contact name, phone and email
  • Authorized Representative contact name, phone and email (if awarded a grant, the person who will sign the official grant agreement for the organization)
  • Landowner contact name, phone and email (if the farm is on leased land)
  • Farm operation type
  • Farm operation size (in acres)
  • Compost facility where compost will be purchased.
  • Compost product that will be purchased, including a quote from the selected facility.
  • Compost product feedstocks.
  • Estimated associated costs in which reimbursement will be sought (may include costs for the compost, as well as, compost transportation, equipment, spreading and labor).

Farm Size


Beginning in fiscal year 2025, the Compost Reimbursement Program must attempt to fairly distribute funding across farm size categories based on acreage. To achieve this goal, applications will be sorted into three farm size categories (see table below), with each size eligible for a different maximum funding amount. Farm size is determined using the total actual acreage of a farm. The following funding limits were established to maximize the number of participants in the program and the amount of grant funding distributed to farmers.
Category Farm Size Range Maximum Funding Amount
A <10 acres $10,000
B 10-50 acres $15,000
C 50+ acres $20,000
Funding limits for each participating farm will be determined based on their projected expenses provided in the eligibility application but will not exceed the maximum funding amount for each category above. The final grant funding limit will be established in the grant agreement contract with each farm.

Additionally, there will be a set limit to the number of farms eligible to receive funding for each category. The number of farms per category will fluctuate based on the applicant pool for each year.

Determining Grant Amounts

Each farm will be sorted into a category based on farm size in acres with a set funding limit (see table above). 

Grant amounts are determined based on the funding limit category a farming operation falls into and the proposed budget submitted in their eligibility application. If 50% of their proposed budget puts them over their category’s funding limit, the eligible grant amount will be their funding limit. If 50% of their proposed budget is under their funding limit, either 10% or $1,000 will be added to their proposed budget, whichever is greater. Although this process will be used to determine grant amounts, grantees still are not eligible to receive reimbursement for more than 50% of the actual eligible costs incurred.

Examples of how grant amounts are determined:

  • A 15 acre farm estimates their costs at $40,000, so their grant amount is $15,000 (Category B Maximum).
  • A 15 acre farm estimates their costs at $25,000, so their grant amount is $13,750 ($12,500 (50%) + $1250 (10%)).
  • A 15 acre farm estimates their costs at $5,000, so their grant amount is $3500 ($2500 (50%) + $1000).

Application & Selection Process

To participate, farms must first complete an eligibility application. This will be completed through the online grant portal, where applicants will create an account that will be utilized throughout the reimbursement process. Please note that applicants must hold a statewide vendor number and submit a quote for the anticipated compost purchase prior to submission of the application.

Once applications close, WSDA will process all applications into three categories:
  • Conditionally Approved: The application and farm meet all the necessary requirements (see below) and have been selected to participate in the program. These farms will receive a notice indicating their status as well as a digital signature link for their grant agreement contract. Conditionally approved farms will have 30 days to sign and return their grant agreement contract to WSDA. Farms may elect to have their contracts mailed to them instead, sign with ink, then return the contracts to WSDA at the address provided.
  • Standby: The application and farm meet all the necessary requirements, but they have not been selected in the current wave of applicants due to funding limitations. Farms that are on the standby list may be selected during a secondary round of approvals in the winter if more funding becomes available.
    • To be added to the standby list, applicants must confirm their participation by logging into their online grant portal and responding “yes” in the standby confirmation form. Applicants that do not respond “yes” to this question will not be contacted in the winter if funding becomes available.
  • Denied: The application does not meet all necessary requirements, so the farm is not eligible to participate in the program. Denied applicants will be notified with a brief explanation of the reason.

Selection Process

Applications are selected based on three priority levels (established in RCW 15.04.420) based on the presence of food-waste feedstock in the compost that will be purchased and the practicability of using such compost. During application processing, WSDA will sort all applications into the following priority levels:
  • Priority 1. Farm will purchase compost that contains food-waste from a facility that sells those products.
  • Priority 2. It is not practicable for the Farm to purchase compost that contains food-waste.
  • Priority 3. Farm does not intend to purchase compost that contains food-waste despite being able to do so.
Available funding will be distributed in priority order across applications. If the number of prioritized applicants exceeds available funding for that farm size category, participants will be randomly selected from the eligible applications.
 

 

Eligibility to Participate


Any Washington State commercial farming operation – including those in agriculture, silviculture, aquaculture – can apply to participate in the Compost Reimbursement Program. To be eligible to participate a farm must meet all the following requirements:
  • Be a commercial farming operation in Washington State.
  • Answer all eligibility application questions truthfully and in their entirety.
  • Hold a Washington Statewide Vendor Number (SWV) from the Office of Financial Management and a UBI (Washington State Unified Business Identifier) number.
  • Comply with WSDA’s pest control rules as established under chapter 17.24 RCW for the transport and application of compost.
  • Agree to collect soil samples before compost application and until up to 10 years after the last grant funding is used. Soil samples must be collected following the Soil Sampling Protocol and mailed to a WSDA-specified laboratory for analysis.
  • Agree to obtain landowner permission and signature for soil sampling performed by the farming operation and WSDA until up to 10 years after the last grant funding is used by the operation.
  • Not seek reimbursement for the following:
    • Compost products from a facility that’s not included in the eligible compost facility map
    • Their own compost products
    • Compost products that they have transferred, or intend to transfer, to another individual or entity, whether or not for compensation.
    • Compost or expenses incurred prior to all parties signing the grant agreement contract.

Program Participation Requirements

To participate in the Compost Reimbursement Program, a farm must adhere to the following requirements:
  • A farm and the landowner of the farm property must sign a grant agreement contract with WSDA. This is to ensure WSDA can collect soil samples for the full 10 years. The contract must be signed by all parties prior to compost purchase, transport, or application.
  • A farm must take soil samples (as outlined in WSDA’s Soil Sampling Protocol) from the field where the compost will be applied and send the samples to a WSDA-specified laboratory. The initial sample taken as part of the current grant must be taken prior to applying compost that will be reimbursed through the grant.
  • A farm must provide all information listed in the Reimbursement Application form, including but not limited to the source, size, sale weight, and amount of compost products purchased, as well as the cost of transportation, equipment, spreading, and labor, if seeking reimbursement for those costs.
  • To qualify for reimbursement, a farm must provide invoices, receipts, or other documentation acceptable to WSDA of the costs of purchasing and using compost products for which the applicant is requesting reimbursement, as well as a brief description of what each purchased item was used for. For more reimbursement documentation requirements information, please visit the Reimbursement Form page.

For general grant and eligibility questions, email Compost@agr.wa.gov.

Grant awards are taxable and will be reported by WSDA to the IRS. All program records and data are subject to public disclosure.

The WSDA Compost Reimbursement Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.