Green Grants for Air & Water Quality Improvement and Salmon Habitat Restoration

Overview

Grant funding is available for community-based projects to restore air and water quality, reduce runoff and recover fish and wildlife habitat. King County Wastewater Treatment Division and the WRIA 9 Forum are eager to assist community groups, local government, schools, and non-profit organizations to fund projects and activities in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9). Three different grant opportunities are available. Feel free to apply for one or more grant programs if your project qualifies. You can apply for all three!

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 serve as a guide as you develop your proposal, may give you ideas that improve your proposal, and may help 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.

Grant Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on June 7, 2013. Staff are available to answer your questions at GreenGrants@kingcounty.gov or by telephone at 206-296-8383.

Three Grant Programs Available

Grants selected for the Air & Water Quality Improvement Fund (grant #1 below) will be selected and administered by King County Wastewater Treatment Division. Grants selected through the other two programs (grants #2 and 3) will be recommended by the WRIA 9 Forum for approval to the King Conservation District through the Forum Grant program. These grant programs focus on salmon habitat protection and restoration, environmental education and community outreach anywhere in the Green/Duwamish watershed, including Vashon-Maury Island.

  1. Green Grants for Lower Duwamish Air and Water Quality Improvements
    These grants are to help protect public health and the environment in communities surrounding the Lower Duwamish Waterway. Community groups, non-profit organizations, schools, tribes and local governments are invited to apply for grants to fund environmental projects that align with King County Wastewater Treatment Division's goals to control combined sewer overflows, enhance air quality, curb new and ongoing sources of pollution in the Duwamish and make improvements to habitat or water quality.

    The total funding available is $108,000. There is no minimum grant award and the maximum award will be $50,000. Projects must be located within the Duwamish Water Quality Grant Area:

    map

    Examples of projects within this category include:

    • Stormwater controls and practices that prevent contaminated stormwater from entering local waterways;
    • Enhancing shoreline habitat through plantings of native vegetation;
    • Outreach to local businesses and community to promote air and water quality goals; and
    • Air quality improvements to sources of air pollution or projects that help solve air pollution.
    For Green Grants for Lower Duwamish Air and Water Quality Improvement Funds, please use the Water Quality Grant application.
  1. Small Grant Fund for Salmon Habitat and Restoration Projects

    2. 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 $50,000 with no minimum grant award 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; and
    • Stream, lake, wetland, and shoreline restoration.
    For Salmon Habitat and Restoration projects, please use the KCD Grant Application.
  1. Education/Stewardship Fund for Salmon Habitat

    2. 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 $50,000 is available with no minimum award 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 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; and
    • Livestock management, such as fencing.
    For Salmon Habitat and Restoration projects, please use the KCD Grant Application.

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:

Grant Policies

Requests should be consistent with the following policies:

  1. Grants are within the designated funding amounts and have 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 or in combination with other funds.
  1. 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.
  2. The projects must not be required as mitigation for other activities.
  3. The Small Grant and Education/Stewardship fund applications must be consistent with the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan.
  4. Projects should be completed within one year of award.

Who Can Apply

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

How to Apply

You are welcome to apply for all three grant programs if your project(s) meet the criteria. If you are interested in submitting a grant for consideration, please e-mail a copy of the grant application and supporting documentation to GreenGrants@kingcounty.gov. Proposals submitted by email must be less than 10MB (megabytes). Please indicate in the subject line the grant program you are seeking for funding.

For Green Grants for Lower Duwamish Air and Water Quality Improvements, please use the Water Quality Grant application.

For Salmon Habitat and Restoration or Education and Stewardship for Salmon Habitat projects, please use the KCD Grant Application.

Be sure to include in your project description the following items:

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.