REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE 

Source Reduction x Circular Economy Initiative to Reduce Plastic Waste in National Parks

Grant Application Open: March 7 – April 18, 2024

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: 

• Proposals would require support (programmatic or financial) from at least 2 entities, including 

but not limited to: an NPS site, an NPS commercial service provider at the park/site, local 

friend’s group or partner organization, gateway community organization, or municipal 

government. 

• While NPS may not be directly involved in project implementation, written affirmation of 

collaboration with the NPS from NPS Superintendent is required. 

• Concession Operations (and any other for-profit entities) are not eligible to receive grant funds 

directly from NPF. Funds will need to be administered to other entities and then re-granted.

To further the goals in the 2023 Green Parks Plan, the 2023 National Park Service (NPS) Plastics 

Reduction and Elimination Plan (Plastics Plan), Secretarial Order 3407, and in conjunction with goals 

outlined by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the National Park Foundation (NPF) is 

working with both the National Park Service’s (NPS) Sustainable Operations and Maintenance Branch 

(SOMB) and Commercial Services Program (CSP) to improve lifecycle management of products, with an 

emphasis on source reduction of plastics, used in and around National Parks and their gateway 

communities. 

The Plastics Plan states that it will employ the EPA waste reduction hierarchy of source reduction and 

reuse, recycling then composting, energy recovery, and treatment/disposal, in that order. NPS will be 

placing strong emphasis on reducing plastics by eliminating and substituting with other materials. 

However, some plastic products in either the short or long-term will not have substitutes and will 

remain a park waste stream. Furthermore, some plastics such as beverage containers will continue to be 

brought into parks by visitors and park residents. These waste streams will need to be managed through 

park efforts – mainly reuse and recycle options. This initiative seeks to apply systems thinking and 

encourage community and industry-driven solutions through a circular economyi approach. 

NPF is seeking innovative proposals to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics – both from the source 

reduction and circularity angles. This RFP is being shared with NPS, nonprofit, and commercial entities

that administer and/or manage waste systems in and around NPS sites. The NPF and NPS are seeking 

proposals that represent commitment and collaboration between a park, its concessioner(s) or 

commercial use authorization holder(s) and/or one or more organization(s) from the park’s gateway 

community/ies. The community organization may be a municipality, chamber of commerce, nongovernmental organization, school, or another group. Eligible project submissions must connect to NPS 

and are encouraged to involve and engage multiple partners. The goal is to foster innovative approaches 
to plastics reduction and recycling from within parks, communities, and commercial operations that will 

lead to enduring change in national parks and beyond. 

Entities should apply to this program via NPF’s online grant system, Fluxx. Additional details on the 

application process may be found in “Section F: Proposal Instructions.”

 

Deadline: Applications are due on the NPF Fluxx Grant Portal no later than April 18, 2024 (midnight

ET). 

 

Award Amount: Grant requests may be up to $200,000, with possible exceptions. Grants will be 

awarded to the applicant organization. 

 

Selection Process: All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of 

representatives from the National Park Foundation and the National Park Service. Grantee selections 

will be based on the applicant’s ability to meet and exceed program requirements and outcomes.

 

Questions: Please reach out to NPS with questions and inquiries regarding the content of your proposal. 

Any general grant application questions can be directed to NPF (applications@nationalparks.org). 

• Margaret Wilson – NPS Sustainability Operations & Maintenance Branch

(margaret_wilson@nps.gov) 

• Katy Canetta – NPS Commercial Services Program (katy_canetta@nps.gov) 

• Ashley McEvoy – NPF Resilience & Sustainability Program Director (amcevoy@nationalparks.org) 

 

RFP Contents: 

A. Program Overview 

B. Program Criteria 

C. Program Timeline and Selection

D. Program Details and Guidelines 

E. Program Evaluation 

F. Proposal Instructions 

 

Appendix A: Sample Application

Appendix B: Fluxx Appendix

A. Program Overview

NPF is seeking innovative proposals to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics – both from the source 

reduction and circularity angles. This RFP is being shared with NPS, nonprofit, and commercial entities 

that administer and/or manage waste systems at NPS sites. The NPF and NPS are seeking proposals that 

represent commitment and collaboration between a park, its concessioner(s), lessees, or commercial 

use authorization holder(s), and at least one organization from the park’s gateway community. The 

community organization may be a municipality, chamber of commerce, non-governmental organization, 

school, or another group. Eligible project submissions must connect to NPS and are encouraged to 

involve and engage multiple partners. The goal is to foster innovative approaches to plastics reduction 

and recycling from within parks, communities, and commercial operations that will lead to enduring 

change in national parks and beyond. 
Examples of proposal concepts for this RFP may include (but are not limited to): 

i) Plastics accounting, or an assessment that measures the negative impacts of plastics 

pollution. 

ii) Regulatory overview of opportunities and challenges related to plastics recycling. 

iii) Innovative ways to recycle or reuse plastics, including subsidizing sending plastic 

commodities to innovative plastic recyclers. 

iv) Providing equipment or other support for reverse logistics, including sending packaging 

materials back to distributors for reuse. 

v) Business-model related approaches, including procurement plan development, retail floor 

set/planogram development to promote consumer choice of more sustainably packaged 

products, or forming a retailer purchasing group that pressures distributors to shift away 

from plastics. 

vi) Acquisition of new equipment, including new recycling or hauling equipment, dishwashers 

for businesses to use reusable utensils instead of disposables, source-separated recycling 

containers, labels, etc.

vii) Education and messaging campaigns for visitors/gateway communities to encourage 

reduction. 

viii) Training events or tools for the community and the park to communicate plastics reduction 

and recycling.

ix) Toolkits for concessioners on what the next phase/leading edge of greening hospitality 

could look like regarding circular economy solutions. 

x) Communication toolkits to improve consumer understanding of source reduction and/or 

circular economy strategies. 

B. Program Criteria

While NPF understands and respects that there are a broad diversity of project opportunities and 

needs in parks, funding will be prioritized for the projects that most strongly meet the criteria 

below. 

Actionable. Project significantly improves or enhances plastics reduction and recycling in and 

around NPS sites. It features one or more of the priority themes and furthers the goals in the 

2023 Green Parks Plan and 2023 NPS Plastics Reduction and Elimination Plan. The scope of work 

is appropriate and feasible.

Collaborative. Project demonstrates multi-stakeholder engagement, NPS collaboration, 

partnership between at least 2 entities: park, NPS commercial service provider at park, local 

friends group, gateway community organization, or municipal government), matching funds, or 

in-kind match to amplify project proposal. 

 

Impactful. Projects will be thoughtful and precise, describing in detail the knowledge and ability 

to execute that the applying organizations and their associated NPS units have for reaching 

project completion. Project clearly results in improvements to resources, stakeholder 
operations, or programs, and identifies a plan to measure success, capture data and 

demonstrate short- and/or long-term impact.

C. Program Timeline and Selection

Application Opens: March 7, 2024

RFP Informational Call: March 18, 2024, at 3pm ET

 (Join via this link) 

 March 19, 2024, at 3pm ET

 (Join via this link) 

Application Closes: April 18, 2024

Notification of award selection: May 29, 2024

Grant agreement and payment processing: June 2024

Grant reports due: October 31, 2024, and annually un�l 

comple�on

Review and Selection. All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of 

representatives from the National Park Foundation and National Park Service (NPS). Selection 

will be based on the applicant’s ability to meet and exceed program requirements and criteria 

described herein (see Appendix A. Example of Online Application). 

 

D. Program Details and Guidelines

1. Grant requests may be up to $200,000, with possible exceptions. Only one request may be 

submitted per organization or entity. 

2. Please include the following when submitting your application: 

o NPS Commitment: Please attach a signed letter of collaboration from Affiliated Park 

Superintendent. 

3. Annual reports will be due October 31, 2024, and annually until grant is complete. Reports 

will be submitted via NPF’s grant system, Fluxx. 

4. Selected partners will be asked to collect project content (videos, photos, participant 

biographies, impact stories, etc.) and work with NPF to collaboratively amplify partnership 

activities through social media, media inquiries, and other opportunities as available. 

Below are addi�onal guidelines to assist with determining applica�on eligibility:

Guidelines: 

a) Proposals would require support and commitment (programmatic and financial) from at least 2 

entities, including: a park, an NPS commercial service provider at the park, local friend’s group, 

gateway community organization, or municipal government.
b) While NPS may not be directly involved in project implementation, written support from NPS 

Superintendent is required. 

c) Proposals that demonstrate matching capital or other investment from concessioners, 

Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) holders, lessees, or gateway communities will receive 

favorable consideration in proposal evaluation. 

d) Eligible applicants include NPS units, nonprofit organizations, or local municipalities. For-profit 

entities (including concessionaires) are not eligible to apply for funding, although project 

funding may support their work on the project. NPF encourages nonprofit friends groups to be 

the lead applicant and grantee for these projects. 

e) Entities are encouraged to submit multi-year project proposals for up to three years of funding

(exceptions possible dependent on proposal). 

f) Grant requests may be up to $200,000, with possible exceptions. Please reach out to us with 

specific questions or guidance if your proposal is more than $200,000.

E. Program Evaluation

Successful applicants will be engaged by NPF program staff over the course of the grant period and 

may be required to detail their evaluation and program outcomes in a follow up conversation with 

NPF staff, guided by the standard NPF annual reporting template. 

F. Proposal Instructions:

1. Read the RFP and Join an Optional Info Call

Please read this RFP carefully and then use the online application system to submit between 

March 7 – April 18, 2024. Please be as specific as possible when answering application questions 

to help reviewers fully understand the scope and expected impact of your proposed project.

For additional information, join one of our optional informational calls on March 18 or March 

19, 2024. Recordings of the calls will also be posted to NPF’s website (NPF Grants Applications). 

 

2. Apply Online Between March 7-April 18

Entities should apply by accessing NPF’s online grant system, Fluxx, and selecting “Circular 

Economy Grants.” A copy of the online application can be found in Appendix S for parties who 

are interested in reviewing the application prior to logging into the system. Detailed instructions 

for navigating Fluxx may be found in Appendix B. 

 

Here are some important tips below for completing the application:  

1. If you do not already have an account through Fluxx, you will have to register 

first (see instructions in Appendix B). Registration can take two to three days to receive 

approval prior to being able to access the online application, so please allow for this 

time during the application period. 

2. The system does not auto-save, therefore, be sure to periodically hit the “save” 

button to protect your work. We recommend completing the application in a word 

document first and then placing the responses into the Fluxx application to have a copy 

in the instance that your responses are not saved.  
Appendix A

Copy of Fluxx Application (FOR REFERENCE ONLY)

Please note: This form does NOT autosave. Please click the [Save] button to ensure your data will not be lost. Once 

you have saved and completed your application, click the [Submit] button to send your application to the National 

Park Foundation. You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission.

Contact applications@nationalparks.org with any questions about this application.

Organization Information 

Grants will be awarded to the applicant organization.

• Organization: 

• Primary Grant Contact: 

• Primary Grant Signatory: 

Primary Signatory is the name of the person who will be signing the Grant Agreement. 

This is typically the park superintendent, partner organization’s Executive Director, or 

comparable leadership position. 

Program/Project Information

• Project Title: 

• Project Abstract (Please provide a 3-5 sentence description of your project here): 

• Program/Project Description: Please provide a description of your project in 2-3 

paragraphs MAX. 

• Program/Project Timeline: 

• Program/Project Partners 

• Partner organization, if applicable

• Partner contact name, if applicable 

• Partner contact phone number, if applicable 

• Partner contact email, if applicable

• Who will be the main project lead and who will be responsible for the project 

implementation? 

National Park Partner Information (if applicable): 

• Affiliated National Park Service unit(s): 

• Select which naming designation your affiliated unit is considered: (Drop down list) 

• Affiliated NPS Region? 

• Affiliated Gateway Community(ies):
Program/Project Criteria

• Describe your organization’s ability to implement this project/program. What 

organizational strengths or resources do you have that will help leverage this 

project/program?

• Does your project improve other areas of waste diversion?

• Will this be a multi-year project? Y/N

o If Y, 2 or 3 years? (Or alternatively, how many years are needed to complete this 

project? 1, 2, 3 years) 

• Is project/program relevant to the 2023 Green Parks Plan, the 2023 National Park 

Service (NPS) Plastics Reduction and Elimination Plan (Plastics Plan), Secretarial Order 

3407, or the White House Council on Environmental Quality Greening Government 

Initiative? Please explain. 

The questions below fit the specific weighted criteria (in bold) that will be used in NPF’s 

application evaluation process: 

o Overall Value (30%): Project significantly improves or enhances the NPS 

Plastics Reduction Implementation Plan and includes at least two entities. It 

features one or more of the priority themes and furthers the goals in the

Green Parks Plan and 2023 NPS Plastics Reduction and Elimination Plan. The 

scope of work is appropriate and feasible. 

 How will your project address source reduction and/or circulatory 

related to single-use plastics? Reminder: if unsure about scope of 

project, reference proposal concept examples in the RFP. 

 Does your proposal address DOI Plan to Phase Out Single-Use Plastics by 

2023 and/or GPP goals to divert 75% of waste to landfills by 2035? If 

yes, please specify how. 

o Stakeholder Buy-In & Collaboration (30%): Project demonstrates multistakeholder engagement, NPS buy-in, support from partnerships (at least 2 

entities: park, NPS commercial service provider at park, local friends group, 

gateway community organization, or municipal government), matching funds, 

or in-kind match to amplify project proposal.

 Does your organization have in-kind funding or a partner match 

available to support this project? Y/N

• If Y, please indicate the combined value of matching support. 

 How does your project promote collaboration between parks, gateway 

communities, and the private sector?

o Budget (10%): The project includes a budget which clearly and accurately 

reflects the needs of the project with identified expense categories and 

realistic cost estimates to execute the project within the timeframe identified.

 Please provide a budget below that clearly outlines your expense 

categories, and any secured matching funds. For multi-year requests, 

please outline projected revenue and expenses per year. Please total all 

revenues and expenses. Please have separate line items for stakeholder 

matching funds that are contributing to the project. 
o Project Impact & Innovation (30%): Project clearly results in improvements to 

resources, stakeholder operations, or programs, and identifies a plan to 

measure success, capture data and demonstrate short- and long-term impact. 

 Does your project implement leading edge or innovative approaches to 

plastic/waste management? How so?

 How do you plan to track success and evaluate impacts?

 What is the intended outcome, and will you be able to measure the 

outcome quantitatively and/or qualitatively? 

Grant Request

• Expected project start date:

• Expected project end date:

• Amount Requested:

• Grant Term (Please state how many months or years are expected for program/project 

completion): 

Superintendent Certification

• Name of Superintendent/Site Manager of NPS Unit

• Title: 

Document Upload

Please upload the following required application documents here:

• Letters of Collaboration from Affiliated Park Superintendent

Please upload Letter of Collaboration from Affiliated Park Superintendent. 

• Proposed Project Budget

Please attach a project budget that indicates anticipated or in-hand income and 

expenses. The project budget should also include proposed NPF grant funding. If request 

is for multi-year funding, please detail each year plus total.
APPENDIX B

FLUXX Cheat Sheet

Logging into Fluxx

For op�mal func�onality, it is recommended to use the Chrome browser. To install Chrome, visit: 

htps://www.google.com/chrome/ 

If you have any ques�ons throughout the process, please reach out to the Grants Administra�on team at 

applica�ons@na�onalparks.org. 

New Users

If you have not accessed the system before, please register your profile at htps://na�onalparks.fluxx.io/. 

We ask that you DO NOT share profiles within your organiza�on; all individuals accessing the portal 

should have a unique login. Once you have submited your registra�on, please allow up to 2 business 

days for processing, at which point you will be invited to the system with an automated email sent to the 

email address indicated in the registra�on. 

Exis�ng Users

 Navigate to the National Park Foundation Fluxx portal by visiting https://nationalparks.fluxx.io/

 Enter your user ID (email address you used during registration) and password (case sensitive)

o Typically, your ID is your primary email address

o The password is case sensitive
How to Reset Password

 Click on the “Forgot Password?” link on the left side of the login page

 Enter the email associated with your Fluxx account and click “Submit”

 Allow a few minutes to receive a reset email and follow the instructions provided

 If you do not receive a reset email, check your spam/junk folder. If you still haven’t received a

reset email, please reach out to the Grant Administration team at

applications@nationalparks.org

Naviga�ng the Grantee Portal

The NPF grantee portal is where you will submit applica�ons, check the status of applica�ons and 

subsequent grants, submit reports and update your personal and organiza�onal profiles. 

Landing Page

The main landing page has two main sec�ons: the naviga�on menu on the le� and the general 

informa�on sec�on. 

Naviga�on Menu
1. Affiliated Organization - Your organization is listed 

here. If your email is associated with more than one 

organization, you can change organizations here.

2. Information – Click on Welcome at any time to get 

back to this main page

3. Apply for Funding – NPF’s open applications are 

linked here. You can also reference closed

applications and grantee resources. Please read the 

application descriptions carefully before starting to 

ensure you are completing the right form.

4. Organizations – Go here to view and

update/request updates to your organizational

information

5. People – Go here to update your contact

information.

6. Requests – All grant applications are found here, 

whether still in draft or in review.

o Pending requests – Unsubmitted draft

applications that you are working on. They 

will remain here until you submit them to 

NPF.

o Requests to Edit – If NPF staff have

questions or require additional information 

on your submitted request, they will send 

the application back to you and you will find 

them here. You will also receive an email 

alert.

o Submitted Requests – All requests that are 

being considered for funding are located 

here.

7. Grants – Active and closed grant applications are 

found here

8. Reports – This section displays information on

upcoming reports due, previous reports submitted, 

and reports for which NPF has requested additional 

information. You will receive an email alert 

requesting additional information.

9. Gear Icon - Clicking on this icon will allow you to 

change your password and log out.
i

Circular Economy: A circular economy keeps materials, products, and services in circulation for as long possible. The Save Our Seas 2.0 Act 

refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or 

regenerative by design, enables resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aims 

for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems (including business models). It is a change to the 

model in which resources are mined, made into products, and then become waste. A circular economy reduces material use, redesigns 

materials, products, and services to be less resource intensive, and recaptures “waste” as a resource to manufacture new materials and 

products. EPA, https://www.epa.gov/circulareconomy/what-circular-economy.