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You're in: Salmon Conservation and Restoration > Green/Duwamish/Puget Sound Watershed > Funding Opportunities

Related Information

• King County Environmental Grants
• Puget Sound Partnership

Grants for Salmon Habitat and Water Quality Projects

Overview

Money is available for your salmon habitat protection and restoration projects, environmental education, and community outreach within the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9), and water quality improvement projects in the lower portion of the Duwamish watershed. Three different grant opportunities are available.

The WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum and King County Wastewater Treatment Division are eager to assist cities, schools, businesses and non-governmental organizations in funding projects and other activities that help improve conditions for salmon and water quality in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound watershed. Grant Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on September 23, 2011.

Information about other projects and programs underway or planned in the watershed can be found in the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan. This information will help you avoid duplicating existing efforts, may give you ideas that improve your proposal, and suggest opportunities for cooperation.

Scientific information that may help you develop a scientifically-sound proposal can be found in the Strategic Assessment and the WRIA 9 Habitat Limiting Factors and Reconnaissance Assessment Report. Finally, watershed staff are available to answer your questions.

Grant Programs Available

Small Grant Fund For Salmon Habitat and Restoration Projects

The WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum is eager to support projects, programs, and studies that help improve conditions for salmon in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9). The total funding available is $75,000 with a minimum grant award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $25,000. Projects or programs must be included in the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan and show a direct benefit to salmon habitat.

The following types of projects are encouraged:

• Removal of invasive weeds and revegetation using native plants along the Green/Duwamish River and tributary streams.
• Low impact development projects, such as fish-friendly docks and pervious pavement.
• Acquisition of parcels key to protecting important salmon habitat.
• Large woody debris placement.
• Fish barrier surveys and barrier removal.
• Stream, lake, wetland, and shoreline restoration.

Education/Stewardship Fund for Salmon Habitat

Funding will be provided for stewardship programs and environmental education that support salmon recovery in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9). A total of $75,000 is available with a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum amount of $25,000. Projects within this category may be for environmental education, or a combination of environmental education with an on-the-ground native planting or a restoration component that includes community involvement.

The following types of projects are encouraged:

• Watershed and salmon education and science programs in the community.
• Stream, lake, wetland, or shoreline restoration project planning and site development.
• Maintenance of restoration sites, including weed control.
• Livestock management, such as fencing.

Duwamish Water Quality Improvement Fund

These grants are to help reduce water pollution in the lower Duwamish Waterway to support the successful implementation of future Combined Sewer Overflow projects in the Duwamish. They are offered to promote partnerships in the Duwamish area with the goals of advancing source control for the Superfund Cleanup, developing local expertise in water quality protection, and enhancing small scale environmental and economic opportunities in the community. The total funding available is $150,000. The minimum grant award will be $5,000, and the maximum award will be $25,000.

Projects must be located within the Duwamish Watershed Grant Area:

Examples of projects within this category include:

• Outreach to local businesses and community to promote water quality goals.
• Stormwater bioretention/biofiltration projects (e.g. rain gardens, bioswales and filter strips).
• Enhancing shoreline habitat through plantings of native vegetation.
• Stormwater controls and practices that prevent contaminated stormwater from entering the river.

Criteria for Small Grant, Stewardship, and Water Quality Applications

The following criteria will be used to guide the decision about whether to fund your proposal:

• Project technical merit (50 points; 41 points minimum required):
• Small Grant Fund: Your proposal will increase salmon habitat area or quality (0-50 points); or
• Stewardship Fund: Your proposal will result in improved stewardship in the watershed (0-50 points); or
• Duwamish Water Quality Improvement Fund: Your proposal will reduce the amount of runoff or improvement in the quality of runoff reaching the Duwamish Waterway or the combined sewer system (0-50 points).

• Certainty of Success (30 points; 25 points minimum required):
• Your proposal is important to do now (0-15 points); and
• You demonstrate you are capable of implementing the proposal (0-15 points).

• Community Support (20 points; 17 points minimum required):
• Your proposal improves community participation and support for salmon habitat protection and restoration (0-20 Points); or
• Your proposal has matching funds. Matching funds are not required; however, applications will receive additional points for providing a sponsor match (up to 5 bonus points).

Grant Policies

Requests should be consistent with the following policies:

1. Grants are greater than $5,000 and less than $25,000 and are doable with a high certainty of success:
• Targeted and preferred projects are small water quality or habitat restoration projects; and
• Projects should be able to be completed with the grant award and in combination with other funds already in hand.
2. Proposals for monitoring projects must demonstrate that all owners and local governmental authorities of monitoring sites have agreed to the monitoring effort proposed, and that the monitoring is needed and not duplicating other efforts.
3. The projects must not be required as mitigations for other activities.
4. The Small Grant and Stewardship fund applications must be consistent with the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan.

Who Can Apply

For all grant programs, the applicants must be one of the following:

• Private non-profit corporation (501(c)3 status)
• Tribe
• Local government
• Individual (Duwamish Water Quality Improvement grants only)
• Business in Duwamish area (Duwamish Water Quality Improvement grants only)
• School

How to Apply

If you are interested in making a request for a grant, please e-mail a copy of the grant application and supporting documentation to Karen Bergeron. Please put in the subject field "Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Grants". Proposals submitted by email must be less than 10MB (megabytes).

Be sure to include the following items:

• The project or program scope, budget (including any leveraged funds) and proposed schedule;
• Description of the salmon habitat, stewardship, and/or water quality improvements that will result;
• Description of your certainty that the project will be successful; and
• Reviews of the community support expressed for the project.

How We Will Evaluate Your Proposal

Your proposal will be evaluated using the criteria and grant policies listed above. Your proposal must score at least the minimum points per criterion to be eligible for funding.