Funding Matrix
| Project Stage | Sited on Public Property (e.g. state or municipal land, public wastewater treatment facilities) |
Private Enterprises | Agricultural Enterprises (e.g. dairy farm) |
| Planning: Site Assessment |
DOER GreenComm MassDEP SMRP MassDev Brownfield |
MassDev Brownfield |
N/A |
| Planning: Feasibility Studies | DOER GreenComm MassDEP SMRP |
USDA RDEP-REAP |
USDA RDEP-REAP RD-VAPG |
| Design Assistance | DOER GreenComm MassDEP SMRP |
N/A | NA |
| Construction Financing Assistance | DOER GreenComm MassDEP CWSRF RLF SMRP MassDev TEF |
MassDEP RBDG RLF MassDev TEF USDA RD B&I RDEP-REAP |
MassDEP RBDG RLF DAR AgEnergy AEEP MassDev TEF USDA FSA NRCS EQIP RD B&I RDEP-REAP |
| Production-Based Incentives | DOER NMCs RECs/AECs |
DOER NMCs RECs/AECs USDA RDEP-ABPP |
DOER NMCs RECs/AECs USDA RDEP-ABPP |
| Project Review (by Local Government Entities) |
N/A | N/A |
N/A |
Key to Acronyms:
MassDEP = Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
CWSRF = State Revolving Loan Funds for Clean Water . Provides low-cost funding, via 2% interest loans, to assist municipalities in complying with federal and state water quality requirements. Financial assistance is available for planning and construction of projects which may include anaerobic digestion systems at wastewater treatment plants.
RBDG = Recycling Business Development Grants are available to Massachusetts businesses recycling target materials, one of which is packaged food materials.
RLF = Recycling Loan Fund offers flexible lending programs for working capital, refinancing and real estate acquisition, purchasing of machinery and equipment and acquisition financing with reduced interest rates for projects involved in the collection and processing of organic material.
SMRP = Sustainable Materials Recovery Program provides technical and financial assistance to public and private entities involved in the collection, processing, composting and recovery of organic materials.
DOER = Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
GreenComm - Grants for Designated Green Communities
NMCs = Net Metering Credits are awarded to a facility that is producing more power than is being consumed at the end of the customer's monthly billing period.
RECs/AECs = Renewable Energy Certificates/Alternative Energy Certificates
DAR = Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
AgEnergy/AEEP = Agricultural Energy Grant Program & Agricultural Environmental Enhancement Program. AgEnergy is a competitive annual energy efficiency and renewable energy grant program available to Massachusetts farms. The scope of funding priorities varies year to year, focusing on efficiency and renewable technologies. In the past the program has funded feasibility studies, anaerobic digestion engineering documents and design and construction cost needs. Typical maximum funding amount is $30,000. AEEP is a competitive annual environmental grant program that supports the mitigation and/or prevention of negative impacts to natural resources and water quality that may result from agricultural practices. In the past, AEEP has funded components of ADs as a manure management strategy. Typical maximum funding amount is $30,000 for materials only with a minimum 5% cost share.
MassDev = MassDevelopment
Brownfield = Brownfields Redevelopment Fund provides loans (and sometimes grants for municipalities) of up to $100,000 for Phase I site assessment for brownfield sites.
TEF = Tax Exempt Financing that lowers debt costs by between 1% and 2% for qualifying solid waste disposal facility, district energy system and small manufacturing projects.
USDA = United States Department of Agriculture
FSA = Farm Service Agency Loan & Loan Guarantee Programs. FSA makes direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loans to family-size farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank, Farm Credit System institution, or other lender. FSA loans can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and supplies. FSA loans can also be used to construct buildings or make farm improvements.
NRCS-EQIP = Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program. USDA NRCS is working to help farmers with conservation practices that improve air quality. Depending on federal appropriations, NRCS has been able to provide eligible producers with support through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to implement cost effective and innovative practices that improve air quality, including anaerobic digesters. Funds are available in areas with air quality that does not meet the health-based standards established for ground-level ozone pollution. This currently includes all counties in Massachusetts.
RD B&I = Rural Development Building & Industry Loan Guaranty Program. This USDA program is designed to encourage the commercial financing of rural businesses, thereby creating and saving rural jobs and improving the economic and environmental climate of rural communities. The Business & Industry Loan program is lender-driven. The USDA guarantees the loan rather than lending directly. A commercial lender requests the B & I guarantee, and, if approved, it makes and services the loan.
RDEP = Rural Development Energy Program. Availability depends upon annual federal appropriations:
REAP = Rural Energy for America Program. REAP provides assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to complete a variety of projects. Offering both loan guarantees and grants, the REAP program helps eligible applicants install renewable energy systems such as solar panels or anaerobic digesters, make energy efficiency improvements such as installing irrigation pumps or replacing ventilation systems, and conduct energy audits and feasibility studies.
ABPP = Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. ABPP provides payments to producers who support and expand production of advanced biofuels refined from sources other than corn kernel starch. To be eligible, applicants must produce and sell advanced biofuels. Conditions need to be met for the producer and for the biofuel.
RD VAPG = Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grants. Awards may be used for planning activities, as working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products, and for farm-based renewable energy. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.