One example of a grant exists in Portland Oregon, where the Department of Defense paid $200,000 to the implement fuel cell technology. The money provided by the state will be used as part of a 1.3 million-dollar project that uses methane gas that is captured from digesters. The project managers were senior engineer Garry Ott, principal engineer Gene Appel, construction manager Hollie Berry, and electrical maintenance manager Duane Sanger. The Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant, in Portland processes an average of 80 million gallons of Portland’s sewage per day. From this roughly one million cubic feet of gas is produced daily by the digestion of organic compounds in various treatment processes, of which more than five percent will be used in the fuel cell. This project will be a lasting investment and the fuel cell technology will be utilized for years to come.

On September 28 1998 Governor Pataki of New York, announced a $20 million Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act grant to Onondaga County to improve the water quality of Onondaga Lake. This grant will support six projects aimed at improving the performance of the county's Metropolitan Sewage Treatment Plant and combined sewer overflow system to stop sewage from contaminating the lake. One of these projects will provide between $4.8-$5.6 million to modify and clean waste sludge digesters at the Metro plant. In addition, the plant will upgrade its dewatering and methane compression systems. The plant will also use this money to construct a new chemical storage and feed system for chemicals to enhance phosphorus removal. These projects will enhance the plant's ability to handle the increasing solid waste generated by the growing population while reducing phosphorous loading to the lake, which will help eliminate algae blooms and the offensive odors they cause.

In 1997, the Ontario government, to address environmental issues involving sewage treatment, established a $200 million grant. This followed a 1994 meeting of Canada's 13 environment ministers preparing an action plan to address waster usage. Canada's water usage is the second highest per capita in the world, yet their wastewater treatment facilities lag behind other developed countries. Furthermore, a "water audit" showed the cost per cubic liter to the government at 15$. This is due to a low pricing system and, more importantly, an aging treatment infrastructure.