NYSP2I selects awardees for inaugural Community Impact Accelerator Grant Program

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) has announced selections for the inaugural year of its Community Impact Accelerator Grant Program, a new funding opportunity designed to advance scalable, community-led pollution prevention initiatives across New York State.

Also known as source reduction, pollution prevention (P2) refers to practices that reduce or eliminate waste at the source by improving production processes, using non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and reusing materials rather than sending them into the waste stream.

Sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) through the Environmental Protection Fund and led by Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Innovation in Manufacturing and Sustainability (CIMS), NYSP2I has selected five projects following a competitive review process. The projects, spanning multiple regions of New York State and chosen for their innovative pollution prevention approaches, will collectively receive up to $250,000 in grant funding to implement community-based initiatives during the 2026-27 program year. Proposals were evaluated on anticipated pollution prevention impact, implementation readiness, community engagement, replicability, partnership strength, and benefits to disadvantaged and underserved communities. Final awards are contingent on standard conditions, including contract fulfillment and funding availability.

The Community Impact Accelerator Grant Program strengthens local adoption of P2 practices while supporting implementation projects that can be replicated across organizations and communities statewide. Funded projects are expected to generate measurable environmental and public‑health benefits that extend well beyond the direct grant investment.

“We’re excited to support projects that put pollution prevention into practice at the community level,” said Roy Green, director of NYSP2I.

“The selected projects combine strong partnerships, implementation-focused approaches, and the potential for replication across New York State. We look forward to working with these organizations as they demonstrate how community-led initiatives can achieve meaningful environmental benefits while serving as models for others to adopt,” Green added.
 

2026-27 Selected Awardees

Syracuse University
Demonstrating Community Sharing Infrastructure in Public Housing

The Institute for Sustainability Engagement (ISE) at Syracuse University will launch a resident‑governed Library of Things (LoT) at Polo Grounds Towers, a NYCHA public housing development in Harlem serving more than 3,300 low‑income residents. The LoT will provide shared access to tools, appliances, recreational equipment, and household goods, allowing residents to borrow rather than buy, reducing material consumption, extending product lifecycles, and preventing waste before it is created.

Developed in partnership with Shareable (Sharing, Inc.), the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (MSWAB), and the Polo Grounds Towers Resident Association, the project will demonstrate that a community‑managed LoT in public housing is a viable, replicable pollution‑prevention strategy that strengthens infrastructure in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
 

Binghamton University
WaterGuardians: A Replicable School-to-Home Pollution Prevention Program for New York Communities    

Binghamton University will implement WISE‑UP: WaterGuardians Implementation for School‑based Engagement in Upstream Pollution Prevention, a community‑driven model designed to reduce household sources of waste and pollution through school‑to‑home engagement. Students, educators, families, and community partners across Broome County and the Southern Tier will participate in hands‑on environmental learning, household action challenges, educator training, and community outreach.

The project will produce a validated, replicable upstream pollution‑prevention implementation model and toolkit that schools and community organizations statewide can use to independently deliver and sustain pollution‑prevention programs.
 

Fund for the City of New York — Cafeteria Culture
Mindful Choice Meals: A Districtwide Model for Food Waste Prevention in School Cafeterias

Cafeteria Culture, a Partner Project of the Fund for the City of New York, will collaborate with the NYC Public Schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services to expand Mindful Choice Meals (MCM), a food‑waste‑prevention initiative that reduces cafeteria waste through source reduction. MCM improves service‑line practices so students can choose the foods they want, cutting untouched food waste by an average of 35% and increasing consumption by 15% in previous pilots.

The project aims to demonstrate a scalable, institutional model for reducing cafeteria food waste and advancing upstream pollution prevention across New York State.
 

ReUse Systems, Inc.
Finger Lakes Salvage & Deconstruction Pilot — Community C&D Diversion Program

ReUse Systems, Inc. (RSI), a nonprofit based in Geneva, NY, will launch the Finger Lakes region’s first community‑led salvage and deconstruction pilot program, serving Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, and Yates counties. The initiative targets one of the region’s largest and least‑served waste streams: construction and demolition (C&D) debris currently headed to the Ontario County Landfill, slated for permanent closure in 2028.

Building on a successful salvage pilot at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, RSI will intercept reusable building materials, fixtures, furniture, and architectural elements before demolition renders them landfill‑bound. The project will conduct multiple salvage jobs, hire a Deconstruction Program Manager, train workforce development participants, and establish a regional resource‑sharing network across rural municipalities.
 

The Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation Inc.
Harvesting Change: Moving Student-Driven Food Waste Reduction from Pilot to Policy, School to Region

The Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation (CELF) will expand its Harvesting Change initiative in partnership with the City School District of New Rochelle and additional Title I districts across Westchester County. Building on a successful 2025–26 pilot that trained 11 teachers and engaged 145 students in school‑based food‑waste-reduction activities, the project will advance upstream pollution prevention through three strategies: 1) institutionalizing share‑table protocols and culturally relevant menu updates; 2) extending food‑waste‑reduction practices into households through student‑led outreach; and 3) scaling a proven school‑based model to new districts using CELF’s open‑access toolkit and peer‑learning approach.

The initiative will benefit under‑resourced, diverse school communities designated as Disadvantaged Communities and USDA low‑income/low‑access areas. Expected outcomes include measurable reductions in school food waste, improved access to nutritious and culturally relevant meals, strengthened community participation in pollution‑prevention practices, and a replicable, youth‑driven model for upstream pollution‑prevention education across New York State.
 

Community Impact to Date

Through NYSP2I’s Community Grant Programs, including the flagship Community Grants Program and the new Community Impact Accelerator Grant Program, 193 projects have been supported throughout New York State with grants totaling $3.2 million to date. Ten additional projects, totaling $300,000, have been selected for award and are pending final contracting. Past projects have included food-waste diversion and community-composting initiatives, educational workshops on repair and reuse, and efforts to reduce the use of plastic and single-use food service items. Many of these projects benefited underserved populations in environmental justice communities.

The next Community Impact Accelerator Grant Program request for applications will be announced in spring 2027.

 

About the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) is a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Rochester Institute of Technology, Binghamton University, Clarkson University, Cornell University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with a statewide reach. NYSP2I also collaborates closely with the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NY MEP) to extend its reach to manufacturers across the state. Together, this network delivers statewide impact through innovation, technical expertise, and community engagement.

NYSP2I’s mission is to make New York State more sustainable for workers, the public, the environment, and the economy through pollution prevention, technical assistance, applied research, and outreach. Pollution prevention focuses on reducing or eliminating waste before it is created by improving processes, using safer materials, and increasing resource efficiency, rather than relying on treatment or cleanup after pollution is generated. We achieve this by:

• Reducing toxic chemical use and emissions
• Preventing pollution at its source
• Improving efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, and water
• Minimizing waste generation and supporting circularity

Our work supports businesses, municipalities, and organizations, along with academic and community partners, in achieving environmental goals while enhancing operational performance, regulatory compliance, and competitiveness.

 

Funding provided by the Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The opinions, results, findings and/or interpretations of data contained herein are the responsibility of Rochester Institute of Technology and do not necessarily represent the opinions, interpretations or policy of New York State.