USDA/AK Forum Grant for Rural Community Toxics Reduction
(note by Zender Environmental)
Alaska Forum has a funding opportunity available on a first come, first serve basis. Peter Melde from the
Alaska Forum is the contact for this grant and his contact details are given at the bottom of this page.
The funding they have is to purchase small equipment and materials used in projects that remove toxics
from landfills. A list of example equipment that have been funded through this program is given below to
give you ideas. You can request other equipment and supplies that aren’t listed here but contact Peter
first to make sure it is something eligible under the grant. The maximum amount per equipment piece or
material is $5000, but multiple pieces of equipment can be applied for. Note that shipping costs to get the
equipment/supplies to your community can be in addition to the $5000.
To apply for this funding, all you need to do is write a brief letter (could be a paragraph) that describes
what you are looking for and how the items will be used and the benefit to your community. They would
like it to be printed on official letterhead and you can send it to Peter via email, or fax. If you have a quote
for what you’re needing, you can include it with the letter, but it isn’t necessary. Peter can help you
gather the costs for the equipment/supplies. It is important that it is clear in the letter how many pieces of
equipment you’re looking for (e.g. if you’re requesting totes, list the number of totes you need).
If your community is granted funding, and after you have received the equipment/supplies, AK Forum will
ask that you send photo documentation of the equipment that was awarded, for their records (e.g. a photo
of totes full of batteries). (A letter of appreciation from the community would also suffice.)
To give you some ideas, below is a list of items that have been funded through this program (note that
this is not an exhaustive list):

Totes (for shipping batteries or other haz wastes)

Safety gear

Spill cleanup equipment
 Waste oil burner

Freon Removal Bottles

Connex container
 Wooden Pallets, stretchwrap

Haz waste kit from Total Reclaim

5-gallon buckets

Fish tote liner bags

55-gallon drums

Oil absorb pads

Hazmat spill kits

Bags vermiculite

Banding equipment

Freon removal equipment

Collection bins

Oil filter crusher
Things that definitely can’t be applied for are: smart ash burners, bulb eaters, aluminum can crushers
Again, All you need is one paragraph ( a few sentences!) that requests any of the equipment, or a
combination of the equipment, above. Then write 1 or 2 sentences on why you need it – such as
“we need these supplies to protect our community from toxic exposures that happen due to our
open dump site.” Just write it out on tribal or city letterhead, and have someone sign it and date
it. Peter can take this letter and start working on it right away. If he needs something else he will
tell you.
If you have any questions about this funding opportunity, please contact Peter Melde at 907-351-1536,
email pmelde@akforum.org , fax/voicemail 888-301-0185.
USDA/AK Forum Grant for Rural Community Toxics Reduction
(AK Forum Flyer)
We don’t have an application form to fill out. Our application consists of a brief letter that
describes what you are looking for and how the items will be used and the benefit to your
community. We’d like it on official letterhead and attached to an email or faxed.
All the materials funded through this grant must be related to hazardous material reduction from
the waste stream. There isn’t a maximum amount that can be funded, but no one item can
exceed $5000. Labor costs can’t be covered, only materials. We do have grant money available
through September of this year, but it is on a first come, first served basis. You can contact me
by phone or email and I can help you develop a list of fundable items for your community.
We are taking requests at any time, now and into next year. There is a limit of $5000 on any one
item, but the total amount requested by a community can be more. I’m not allowed to grant
money, I can only supply materials.
Your applications should include a simple description of the project and the materials requested
along with contact information for the person in charge of completing the project. We’re also
required to collect some information on who you’re getting technical assistance from in your
decision to request the items; is it part of a solid waste management plan developed with DEC,
Zender Group, a Tribal agency, etc.? Just a couple sentences are needed as this grant is
supposed to provide material support to such assistance. You can also include personal
training. Photos and some documentation that the work was completed will finish the process
and help us show the important contribution of these funds to USDA personnel.
Funding can cover small equipment and materials used in projects that remove toxics from
landfills. Targeted wastes include lead-acid batteries, small household batteries, anti-freeze,
used oil, electronic equipment, and many household hazardous wastes. Examples of funded
projects include: purchase of an antifreeze recycling unit; staging materials like fish totes for
lead-acid batteries and lumber or roofing for a basic shed to shelter staged toxics; 5-gallon
buckets for household battery collection; connex containers for storage of materials; safety and
protective equipment for workers handling the collected items.
To prevent duplication of effort between AK Forum and other service providers, this funding is
limited to materials only and cannot be applied to activities such as paying staff or for handling
non-hazardous materials.
Peter Melde
pmelde@akforum.org
phone 907-351-1536
fax/voicemail 888-301-0185