WRIA 8 Funding for Salmon Conservation

riverbend The WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council (SRC) annually seeks grant proposals for salmon habitat restoration and protection projects, salmon-focused outreach and education programs, and priority monitoring and assessment activities occurring within the WRIA 8 watershed boundaries.

Grant funds are available to implement priority projects and programs identified in the WRIA 8 Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan. WRIA 8 reviews and recommends awards for the following funding sources:

Salmon Recovery Funding Board(SRFB) and Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) (only available in even-numbered years)
Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Large Capital Grant Program - Sponsors of large-scale salmon habitat acquisition and restoration projects seeking funding should reach out to Carrie Byron about applying to this regional large capital grant program managed by the Puget Sound Partnership.
King County Flood Control District Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program (CWM)
Salmon Recovery Project Innovation and Community Grants (not currently available, will be opened as funding becomes available)

Past Funding Packages:

Below are the final funding packages approved by the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council. These demonstrate the projects that received funding for the grant opportunities above.

2025 WRIA 8 Grant Funding Opportunities

Overview

The below table lists broad information about available WRIA 8 grant funds in 2025. For more details, please see information on each grant category that follows this table.

Funding Program	Amount Available	Project Types	NOI Deadline	Full Application Deadline
SRFB - Habitat	$526,634 (estimate - depends on legislative appropriation)	Restoration and Acquisition	January 15, 2025	March 14, 2025
SRFB - Riparian	TBD (depending on legislative appropriation)	Riparian habitat and stewardship	January 15, 2025	March 14, 2025
CWM	$4,363,028	Restoration and Acquisition, Outreach and Education, Monitoring and Assessment	January 15, 2025	March 7, 2025

Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB)

Background:

The SRFB program primarily funds habitat restoration and protection projects, including project design. Eligible projects must be focused on Chinook salmon recovery in WRIA 8, and all proposed projects must be represented on the WRIA 8 Four-Year Work Plan and have a clear link to one or more of WRIA 8's priority recovery strategies.

Proposals for SRFB are evaluated and ranked by WRIA 8, and funding recommendations approved by the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council are forwarded to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for final approval. Grants are administered by the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), and projects proposed for funding must meet the criteria and policies outlined in RCO's Manual 18 (Salmon Recovery Grants).

*Riparian Funding through SRFB. In 2025, The Washington State Legislature will consider appropriating funding to RCO to support riparian-specific habitat restoration statewide. If funding is approved, WRIA 8 anticipates receiving a one-time allocation to support priority riparian restoration projects through our SRFB allocation this year. Sponsors may be encouraged to submit riparian restoration projects to both SRFB and Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) funding rounds to ensure that WRIA 8 projects have the best chance of being funded in statewide grant programs. Contact Carrie Byron to discuss your proposal and which funding source may be most appropriate.

RCO and the Puget Sound Partnership also manage other large capital grant programs for habitat projects that support regionally prioritized salmon recovery projects, fish passage barrier correction, and estuary restoration. If you are interested in more information about these programs, please reach out to Carrie Byron.

*Note: If you are interested in more information about this funding source or applying for funding for a project not represented on the current WRIA 8 Four-Year Work Plan, please contact Carrie Byron.

Eligible Activities:

Habitat acquisition and restoration projects located within WRIA 8, planning activities (including project design and assessments and studies that generate at least a conceptual design), and riaparian restoration and stewardship. See RCO Manual 18 for more detail.

Eligible Applicants:

Cities, counties, tribes, non-profit organizations, special purpose districts, private landowners, and state agencies.

Funding Availability and Match:

Exact amount of funding remains to be determined, pending state and federal budget processes. We anticipate the amount of funding for each category will be:

SRFB: $526,634
SRFB - Riparian: $561,748

The WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council will approve SRFB grant funding recommendations in May and send to the SRFB for final approval in September 2025. Grant awards will be available at the time of final approval.

A matching share of 15% of the grant request is expected to be required for SRFB awards.

Application Process:

In 2025, WRIA 8 uses King County's online Foundant system for Notices of Intent for all grant programs. Full SRFB applications will be completed in the state's PRISM system. Applicants are encouraged to register with the Foundant system early to familiarize themselves with the system ahead of the application deadline.

The grant cycle opens on December 10, 2024. Complete the notice of intent web form in the Foundant Portal (also linked below under CWM Grant Resources) by 5:00 p.m. on January 15, 2025.

WRIA 8 will conduct a pre-proposal review process using notices of intent to ensure alignment with WRIA 8 Recovery Strategies. Notices of Intent will be compared with recovery strategies to ensure alignment, and sponsors of proposals that are well aligned will be invited to submit full applications for funding.

Sponsors will be notified whether they have been invited to move forward with a full application by January 24, 2025. Upon approving a sponsor to move ahead with a project application, WRIA 8 will create application records for project sponsors in the PRISM Online system and will provide sponsors with their PRISM project number. Applicants must access PRISM through the Secure Access Washington (SAW) system. If you have not done so already, please sign up for a SAW account. Contact Chantell Krider if you need assistance establishing a SAW account. Applicants must submit complete applications, as defined by Manual 18, in RCO's PRISM Online application program by 5:00 p.m. on March 14, 2025.

Project site visits with the state Technical Review Panel and WRIA 8 Grant Review Committee will take place during the firts week of April 2025. We are awaiting confirmation of the site visit date from RCO. WRIA 8 staff are available to support applicants during the application process, contact Carrie Byron for more information.

NOTE: The full SRFB review timeline has not yet been published by RCO. This site will be updated as soon as that schedule is released.

SRFB Grant Resources:

Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program

Background:

The King County Flood Control District (FCD) Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) Grant Program supports priority salmon recovery activities within King County watersheds. Proposals submitted to WRIA 8 for CWM funding are evaluated and ranked by WRIA 8, and funding recommendations approved by the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council are forwarded to the FCD Board of Supervisors for consideration and final approval.

Successful proposals for CWM grants are administered by King County. All proposals must be represented on the WRIA 8 Four-Year Work Plan * and have a clear link to one or more of WRIA 8's priority recovery strategies.

*Note: If you are interested in applying for funding for a project not represented on the WRIA 8 Four-Year Work Plan, please contact Carrie Byron.

Eligible Activities:

Habitat restoration and acquisition projects (including riparian projects), monitoring and assessment activities, and education and outreach programs. All activities must be clearly connected to WRIA 8 priorities and be located within the King County portion of WRIA 8.

Important information about proposals for monitoring and assessment activities and education and outreach:

Monitoring and assessment proposals-The WRIA 8 Technical Committee (TC) prioritizes monitoring and assessment activities for Chinook salmon recovery in WRIA 8, and the TC's monitoring principles and priorities inform CWM monitoring awards. Applicants interested in submitting a monitoring proposal should consult the WRIA 8 monitoring and assessment funding prioritization to determine alignment with WRIA 8's objectives for these funds. The TC invites investigators to consult with WRIA 8 staff and the TC when preparing proposals for monitoring and assessment funds. Note that as of the 2023 grant round we have introduced several new required deliverables for these projects including a communications plan that incorporates an interim and final report and a presentation of results.

Education and outreach proposals-The WRIA 8 Communications and Outreach Framework identifies communications, education, and outreach priorities, and the framework will inform how CWM education and outreach resources are awarded. Applicants interested in submitting education and outreach proposals should consult the framework to determine alignment with priority WRIA 8 audiences and activities. WRIA 8 staff invites questions and inquiries from prospective sponsors.

Eligible Applicants:

Cities, towns, special purpose districts, public schools, King County, tribes, federal agencies, state agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Available Funding:

In 2025, WRIA 8 will have approximately $4.36 million in CWM funds to allocate to eligible activities. Approximate funding amounts available for each activity category are as follows:

Habitat acquisition and restoration projects	$3,272,271 (approx. 75% of available funding, 15% of this allocation is set aside for riparian projects)
Monitoring and assessment	$872,606 (approx. 20% of available funding)
Outreach and education	$218,151 (approx. 5% of available funding)

Matching funds are not required, although they are encouraged.

Application Process:

WRIA 8 uses King County's online Foundant system for Cooperative Watershed Management applications. WRIA 8 will use this system for both Notice of Intent and full application submission for CWM applications. Applicants are encouraged to register with the Foundant system early to familiarize themselves with the system ahead of the application deadline.

The grant cycle opens on December 10, 2024. Complete the notice of intent web form in the Foundant Portal (also linked below under CWM Grant Resources) by 5:00 p.m. on January 15, 2025.

Sponsors of habitat projects will be notified whether they have been invited to move forward with a full application by January 24, 2025, and sponsors of monitoring and assessment and outreach and education proposals will be notified by January 31, 2025. Upon approving a sponsor to move ahead with an application, applicants may begin working on their proposals in Foundant. Submit complete applications by 5:00 p.m. on March 7, 2025. We will upload a full version of the 2025 CWM Grant Timeline as soon as it is finalized, shortly after the SRFB process is determined.

A complete CWM application consists of: 1) the online CWM application form, 2) the CWM budget worksheet, and additional materials such as maps, letters of support, design documents, photos, etc., which should also be submitted as needed to complement the required application materials in Foundant.

The WRIA 8 Grant Review Committee intends to hold in person site visits for restoration project proposals and view virtual presentations for acquisition, riparian, monitoring, and outreach project proposals in March. WRIA 8 staff are available to support applicants during the application process - contact Carrie Byron for more information.

CWM Grant Resources:

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