Keep America Beautiful to offer up to $375K in cigarette litter prevention grants
Stamford-headquartered Keep America Beautiful is now accepting applications for its 2024 Cigarette Litter Prevention Program (CLPP), which provides up to $375,000 in grants for efforts designed to reduce to cigarette waste in public spaces and waterways.
The nonprofit pointed out that cigarette butts are the nation’s single most littered item, accounting for 20% of the litter found on the ground and in waterways. The organization’s research also determined that smokers are less likely to litter when ash receptacles are available nearby.
Since its inception in 2003, CLPP has been implemented in more than 1,800 communities across the country, achieving an average of a 50% reduction in cigarette waste. Nearly 1,000 CLPP receptacles were distributed in 2023, resulting in an estimated 63% reduction in cigarette litter in areas where they were installed.
Grants of up to $20,000 will be made to nonprofits, local governments, and community groups, and Keep America Beautiful local affiliates to support implementation of the CLPP’s four-step process. Applications are online, with a deadline of Feb. 15 at 5:00 p.m. EST.
“The number of cigarette butts found on our streets and within our waterways is alarming,” said Jennifer Lawson, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Through our CLPP Grants, we aim to change that narrative by providing communities and organizations across the country with the funds, resources, and infrastructure necessary to collect and recycle cigarette waste with ease.”
The program is sponsored by Altria, the Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, and Reynolds American.