Search Through Grants for Environmental Projects in Washington in the U.S.

Overview

Founded in 2007 by Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer, Beneficial State Bank is a B Corp Certified community development bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. One hundred percent of the economic rights of Beneficial State Bank are owned not by private shareholders, but by nonprofit organizations, including Beneficial State Foundation. As nonprofit shareholders, we reinvest all distributed bank profit back into communities to promote thriving people, a healthy economy and a prosperous planet. This ownership structure allows us to learn and develop new metrics and standards as Beneficial State Bank tests and implements equitable banking products and practices.

As of 2023, Beneficial State Bank is a $1.7 billion asset state-chartered, federally insured bank with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. Learn more about the origins of Beneficial State Bank.

Supporting Our Communities With Sponsorships

From day one, Beneficial State Bank has been committed to supporting our community above and beyond our lending by providing sponsorships to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations each year. We provide sponsorships to 501(c)(3) organizations in California, Oregon, and Washington that are engaged in transformative social justice and environmental work in our target sectors:

Social:

• Affordable and Multi-family Housing
• Arts, Culture and Community Building
• Education and Youth Development
• Beneficial Financial Services
• Economic, Business and Job Development
• Making, Manufacturing and Production
• Social Justice

Environmental:

• Environmental Sustainability
• Health and Well-being (non-food)
• Healthy Food
• Other Mission Categories (Business Ownership, Structures and Practices)

Beneficial State Bank has a unique business model compared to other banks. As a mission-driven bank majority-owned by the nonprofit Beneficial State Foundation, we work to maximize prosperity for our communities and our customers instead of working to maximize shareholder profits. We structure our business practices to benefit our stakeholders, not just our shareholders, so our total sponsorship budget is smaller than what you’ll find at a large, national bank. Therefore, we are limited in the number of sponsorships we can approve each year.

The Community Response Fund (CRF) distributes funds in response to needs and requests from the community. The CRF complements the board-directed grants which are the core grantmaking strategy for the NWFE. CRF grants provide short-term funding for a specific project or need which has arisen from an eligible organization. CRF funding is for work being done that advances the objectives of our Growth Management and Aquatic Ecosystems programs. We also welcome proposals that will grow the base of environmental advocates and empower communities of color working on solutions to local environmental issues. The Community Response Fund serves two main goals: Grassroots Engagement: We invest in local organizations that are often the first to see, experience and understand environmental needs, threats and trends, but they may lack the resources of larger organizations to respond.  Environmental Movement Building: We support efforts to bring new voices into the environmental movement and encourage proposals that will grow the base of environmental advocates beyond those historically involved.In both cases, sample activities may look like:

• Lead community engagement on a proposed plan, vision or process. 
• File lawsuits or comments to stop proposed projects or activities that violate local, state or federal environmental regulations pertaining to aquatic ecosystems, land use or native species.
• Support leadership development and organizing capacity, particularly in under-resourced communities.
• Support for: trainings, list-building, canvassing and developing and implementing communications needs.

Likely Candidates:

• Community-based, locally-focused organizations 
• Applicants with a need for one-time funds for a discrete project
• Organizations piloting new projects, seeking small start-up funds

Growth ManagementThe goal of the Growth Management Program is to promote smart growth land use policies and to prevent damage to environmentally sensitive areas that are threatened by development, climate change impacts and the weakening of existing environmental laws and regulations. The Northwest Fund seeks to fund work advancing these objectives:

• Encourage transparent, sustainable, inclusive, community-driven land use planning and management within the State of Washington.
• Promote land use practices and policies which seek to reduce impacts, such as carbon emissions, that contribute to climate change.
• Increase the effectiveness of citizen advocates and nonprofit organizations to implement and maintain smart growth land use policies.
• Support compliance with and enforcement of growth management laws and regulations that result in long-term, statewide net benefits for the natural resources of Washington State.

We place emphasis on these strategies to advance our objectives:

•  Use litigation, mediation and other legal tools to enforce and monitor compliance with existing growth management laws.
•  Educate, organize and engage the public in land use planning processes and management that is consistent with smart growth.
•  Promote and defend the use of best available science to achieve growth management objectives.

Aquatic EcosystemsThe goal of the Aquatic Ecosystem program of the Northwest Fund for the Environment is to protect and restore the extensive network of fresh and saltwater ecosystems in the State of Washington and the native species that inhabit these ecosystems. Our program is divided into two areas of emphasis:

• Freshwater ecosystems including rivers, streams, wetlands, and riparian areas. We are concerned with water quality, water quantity and connectivity issues as they affect aquatic ecosystems.
• Saltwater ecosystems of Puget Sound and the Washington Coast, including estuaries and saltwater shoreline areas.

The NWFE seeks to fund work advancing these objectives:

Freshwater Ecosystems

• Improve implementation of water quality standards throughout Washington State, including the protection of waterways  from both point and non-point sources or the weakening of existing environmental regulations.
• Establish and protect adequate instream flow levels statewide to provide healthy habitat for native species.
• Enhance connectivity of freshwater systems – both instream and with other functioning water bodies and sources.
• Prepare and plan for changes in water availability attributed to climate change.

Saltwater Ecosystems

• Reduce and respond to threats to marine resources from external harms such as oil spills, invasive species and climate change impacts.
• Protect marine and estuarine habitat and native species from pollution or weakening of existing environmental regulations.
• Support and promote marine resource management that is sustainable, transparent, community-driven and ecosystem-based in its approach.

The NWFE places emphasis on these strategies to advance our objectives:

• Monitor the implementation and application of existing laws.
• Promote public policies that enhance, protect or restore aquatic ecosystems.
• Litigate to enforce and defend key laws e.g., Clean Water Act (CWA), Shoreline Management Act (SMA), and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as they apply to these areas.
• Participate in ongoing public processes and negotiations.
• Inform and engage the public in the stewardship and protection of aquatic ecosystems and resources

Laird Norton Family Foundation

The Laird Norton Family Foundation (LNFF) is a private family foundation in Seattle, Washington, with a mission to honor and reflect the family’s shared values through giving and engage the family in philanthropy as a platform for strengthening family connections.

Primary Grantmaking Programs  

Our grantmaking reflects the values of the Laird Norton family. We give in program areas that reflect the family's shared interests:

Arts in Education

Our Arts in Education grantmaking program supports equitable educational opportunities for students using arts integrated and culturally informed instruction, including sustained professional development for public school teachers. Funding will be directed toward programs that seek to enhance students’ educational outcomes in public Pre-K through grade 12 classrooms rather than to simply increase participation in, or appreciation for, the arts.

• Our current support focuses on organizations that provide: long-term, push-in, professional development opportunities for public Pre-K through grade 12 teachers and schools; programs that aim to serve students furthest from educational justice; and programs with culturally relevant instruction and are focused on the whole child.

Climate Change

Climate change is a global, complex challenge facing our world. The goal of our Climate Change program is to help the planet heal and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change for all people, communities, and the natural world. Grantmaking is centered around carbon sequestration work and recognizes organizations as the experts and stewards to advance climate and environmental justice. Grantmaking is focused in the West Coast of the US.

•  We are focused on supporting work that increased the abilities of forests, coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands to sequester carbon. Through projects involving healthy forests, blue carbon, and regenerative agriculture, we seek to learn from and follow the lead of communities impacted first and worst as our planet changes. 

Human Services

• Our Human Services grantmaking program supports organizations working directly with youth and young adults (age 12-25) who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, and/or involved with child welfare, juvenile legal or behavioral health systems. Grantmaking is currently only with organizations in King County, WA. 

• Our current support prioritizes organizations that are created and led by the communities they seek to serve, that acknowledge and seek to address racial and social injustice in their work, and that offer programming with the aim of preventing youth and young adult homelessness and creating systems change.

Watershed Stewardship

​Watersheds have social, ecological, and economic significance. The goal of the Watershed Stewardship program is to create enabling conditions for long-term social and ecological health and resilience in places of importance to the Laird Norton Family. Currently, we prioritize work in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as a few key watersheds in the Western United States, consistent with the Laird Norton family's priorities.

We take a long-term view on healthy watersheds and invest in organizational capacity with an eye to future resilience. We encourage our partners to focus not on single-species recovery or restoration to historical conditions as a primary end-goal, but to also consider the potential value of significantly altered — but functioning — ecosystems as we continue to face the impacts of climate change and other natural and human-caused changes into the future.

​We believe the wellbeing of the people who live in a place must be considered alongside ecological goals; understanding the diverse interests and values of a watershed’s human inhabitants is an important component of long-term success. ​

Background

Established in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union has become Oregon’s largest credit union with over 500,000 members. As we have grown, so has our commitment to community engagement, from the volunteerism encouraged among employees to direct financial support of schools and nonprofits.

Through an inclusive and equitable approach, OnPoint supports organizations in our membership area that align with our core impact values. We offer funding for community grants, sponsorships, and schools making a positive impact.

Focus Areas

All three potential funding tracks fall under OnPoint’s focus areas of Economic Opportunity and Community Vitality.

Economic Opportunity

• Financial Education and Programming
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering youth and adults through educational programming that connects them to all aspects of personal finance in order to make informed financial decisions
• Access to Capital
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses with education on accessing capital, technical assistance, etc.
• Workforce Development
  • Organizations dedicated to creating pathways to career building, job training education, etc.

Community Vitality

• Hunger and Shelter
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting individuals/communities facing food and housing insecurity including, but not limited to food banks, rent assistance, etc.
• Education
  • Schools, school-adjacent, and other organizations dedicated to informing and educating individuals or the general public and providing teachers, parents and students with products and services that improve learning and decisions about opportunities.
• Community Development
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting and revitalizing communities through behavioral health, arts & culture, etc.
• Sustainability and Environmental Health
  • Organizations dedicated to sustainability efforts and projects.

Events & Sponsorships

OnPoint sponsors events and other activities for nonprofit, community-based organizations delivering programs that align with OnPoint’s key focus areas.

Funding

While we will consider all eligible requests, our average contribution ranges from $100 to $10,000.

Background

Established in 1932, OnPoint Community Credit Union has become Oregon’s largest credit union with over 500,000 members. As we have grown, so has our commitment to community engagement, from the volunteerism encouraged among employees to direct financial support of schools and nonprofits.

Through an inclusive and equitable approach, OnPoint supports organizations in our membership area that align with our core impact values. We offer funding for community grants, sponsorships, and schools making a positive impact.

Focus Areas

All three potential funding tracks fall under OnPoint’s focus areas of Economic Opportunity and Community Vitality.

Economic Opportunity

• Financial Education and Programming
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering youth and adults through educational programming that connects them to all aspects of personal finance in order to make informed financial decisions
• Access to Capital
  • Organizations dedicated to empowering and supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses with education on accessing capital, technical assistance, etc.
• Workforce Development
  • Organizations dedicated to creating pathways to career building, job training education, etc.

Community Vitality

• Hunger and Shelter
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting individuals/communities facing food and housing insecurity including, but not limited to food banks, rent assistance, etc.
• Education
  • Schools, school-adjacent, and other organizations dedicated to informing and educating individuals or the general public and providing teachers, parents and students with products and services that improve learning and decisions about opportunities.
• Community Development
  • Organizations dedicated to supporting and revitalizing communities through behavioral health, arts & culture, etc.
• Sustainability and Environmental Health
  • Organizations dedicated to sustainability efforts and projects.

Support for Schools

OnPoint was founded in 1932 by a group of schoolteachers, and our commitment to education remains central to who we are. In addition to funding educational programs delivered by 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations through our charitable grants program, we are proud to support public education through direct contributions to:

• Public Schools and School Districts
• PTAs and Parent Organizations
• Alumni and School-Based Associations

Funding

While we will consider all eligible requests, our average contribution ranges from $250 to $2,500 for support for schools.

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission's No Child Left Inside (NCLI) grant program provides quality opportunities for underserved, underrepresented, and historically excluded youth to learn, play, and experience the outdoors. The Washington State Legislature established the program in 2007 with two primary goals: to improve the overall academic performance, self-esteem, health, community involvement, and connection to nature for youth; and to empower local communities to engage youth in outdoor education and recreation experiences.

Research has shown that spending time outdoors produces powerful benefits for youth, including reduced depression and anxiety, improved focus, better social connections, and enhanced learning and creativity. NCLI supports essential youth outdoor programs across the state and helps to remove barriers for youth to access the outdoors.

NCLI provides grants for a wide range of outdoor education and recreation activities including environmental education, leadership development, outdoor recreation and adventure, stewardship activities, and camp programs. RCO administers NCLI for the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Typical Projects

• Water activities such as kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, boating, fishing, and rafting
• Winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowboarding, and snow camping
• Overnight and day camp activities such as environmental education, outdoor skills development, hiking, and camping
• Outdoor adventure activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, backpacking, and archery
• Other activities such as outdoor cooking, survival skills, wilderness medicine, foraging, and culturally informed activities such as sense of place or nature scavenger hunts

Grant Limits

There are three funding categories for this grant program

• Tier 1 Projects: $5,000-$25,000 for each project
• Tier 2 Projects: $5,000-$75,000 for each project
• Tier 3 Projects: $75,000-$150,000 for each project

Match Details

A match of 25 percent is required for Tier 2 and Tier 3 projects.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide matching resources to demonstrate a local commitment to the project and to make state funds available to more projects. To qualify, a match must be composed of elements that would be eligible in the No Child Left Inside program. Match may include the following:

• Appropriations and cash
• Donations of cash, materials, or the value of labor, equipment use, or services
• Applicant’s labor, equipment use, and materials
• Other grants

Mission

The mission of Burning Foundation is to protect our region’s rivers, forest, native fish and land.

Environmental Programs:

We supply financial assistance to organizations that engage in the preservation of habitat that supports biodiversity and quiet remote recreation in Washington or Oregon. We believe that it is most important to preserve habitat that is part of a larger functioning ecosystem. 

Funding

Grants range from $5,000 to $15,000. Approximately $650,000 is granted each year.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Capital Grants

Is capital growth or expansion important to your nonprofit’s vision for long-term growth and success? The Murdock Trust regularly makes grants that support construction, renovation, land purchase and other capital projects. In most cases, we prefer to receive requests for these types of projects once your organization has raised a portion of the needed funds.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Equipment & Technology Grants

Best practices suggest that a healthy equipment and supporting technology infrastructure is essential. Please note that with these grants, recipient organizations are responsible for 50% or greater of the purchase cost.

Grant Opportunities

Communities need nonprofits to thrive

We believe in transformational ideas that help individuals, families and communities flourish—and since 1975, the Murdock Trust has invested more than $1.4 billion into nonprofit organizations that share our commitment to thinking bigger, challenging problems and making a true difference.

Strategic Project Grants

Capacity-building awards for mission-focused projects and infrastructure investment

Program & Staff

Expanding programs and adding staff are important markers of nonprofit success. Murdock Trust grants help fund both new programs and the expansion of existing programs and may be used to cover start-up costs and/or related staff member additions. Typically, we fund program and staff grants on a declining basis over three years (100/67/33%). 

Background

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) is a modern Tribal Government representing the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla people, who have lived in this region for thousands of years. Traditional games of skill and games of chance have always been part of their tribal culture.

In 1988 the United States Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), which provided a basis for Indian Tribes in the US to enter into modern forms of gaming for the purpose of supplementing revenue for tribal nations. IGRA requires tribes to negotiate with states on the types of games to be played and how it will be regulated, while ensuring that tribal governments are the sole owners and primary beneficiaries of gaming, and legislatively recognizing tribal gaming as a way of promoting economic development for tribes. In March, 1995 the CTUIR opened the Wildhorse Resort & Casino for this purpose (a temporary casino facility was opened by CTUIR in November, 1994).

Under the IGRA, tribes use their gaming revenue:

• To fund tribal government operations or programs – examples include Tribal Court, child welfare, building inspection, natural resources protection, police, fire and ambulance. 
• To provide for the general welfare of the Tribe and its members – activities dealing with the long-term security and enhancement of assets of the Tribe and its members, such as investments, scholarships, burial expense assistance, elders group, land acquisition, housing improvements, native language program, summer youth employment, emergency housing assistance, and many others.
• To promote tribal economic development – development of new and expanded economic development projects such as resort management, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, Business Service Center, Coyote Business Park and Indian Lake.
• To share earnings in the form of dividends (paid to each Tribal Member) – the dividends are based on actual earnings, but the amounts have varied from around $500 per year in the first few years the casino opened to around $1,700 in recent years.
• To donate to charitable organizations — The CTUIR is committed to honoring our tribal traditions of sharing and giving back to the communities in which we live and work. The formation of Wildhorse Foundation in 2001 was for the purpose of formalizing the charitable giving on behalf of the CTUIR and its Wildhorse Casino.

The Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla. Our homeland is the area now known as northeastern Oregon and southeastern Washington.

Focus Areas

Today, the Wildhorse Foundation donates over $1,000,000 every year to local programs and services that benefit our giving area. We fund projects in the areas of:

• Arts; 
• Cultural Activities;
• Education;
• Environmental Protection;
• Gambling Addiction Prevention Education and Treatment;
• Historic Preservation;
• Public Health;
• Public Safety;
• Salmon Restoration.

The purpose of the Bamford Foundation is to improve the quality of life of individuals and to strengthen their communities, primarily in Tacoma, Washington and the South Puget Sound area of the Pacific Northwest.

History

The Bamford Foundation was established in 1990 by Calvin D. Bamford, Jr. and Joanne Bamford with the intent of supporting their home community of Tacoma, Washington. As long-time President of Globe Machine Manufacturing Company, founded in 1917 and located on Tacoma’s tide-flats, Calvin has demonstrated his commitment to give back to the Tacoma community through this foundation and through his membership on boards and in a variety of community organizations. Likewise, Joanne, having moved to the area in 1967 when she married Cal, has led a number of boards and has worked with many charitable organizations in the areas of education, human services and the arts, in order to improve the quality of life of families in Tacoma. The Bamford Foundation embodies the values that Joanne and Calvin instilled in their children and hope to instill in future generations. These values include the importance of family, life-long education, involvement in one's community, and generosity.

What We Support

Over the past 12 years, the Bamford Foundation has continued to make grants aligned with our four priority giving areas, primarily within greater Tacoma and Pierce County, in the spirit of our founders' mission to improve the quality of life of individuals and families and to strengthen their communities. The foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, which include operational funds, capacity building funds, program funds, partnerships, and capital projects that are evidence-based; innovative; that promote equity, diversity, access and inclusion; and that invite individuals and families to use their voices and resources to strengthen their communities. We support efforts that represent collaboration with partners in the greater community for the most impact. The foundation's giving priorities reflect the board's value of the transformative role of lifelong education for individuals, families and communities:

Basic Needs (access to food, physical and mental/behavioral health care, housing and shelter, clothing and other basic needs, financial stability)

We support organizations that promote self-sufficiency through enabling individuals to meet their basic needs.

Early Learning and Parent support

We promote the healthy development and learning of young children 0-8 though our support of organizations, programs and initiatives/partnerships which improve access to and quality of early learning experiences including child care, support parents and primary caregivers as their children's first teachers, and enhance professional development and support of those who work with and care for young children.

Expanded Learning Opportunities

We support access to expanded learning opportunities for all of our community members, but in particular for children and youth preschool- grade 12, which includes participation in education-related programs in arts, cultural understanding and civic engagement; in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math); social-emotional learning; environmental education; and learning support programs (supporting different pathways to learning).

Access to Higher Education and Job training opportunities

We support programs, initiatives, and organizations that improve access for people to opportunities in postsecondary education, job training, apprenticeships and career pathways, including programs that support students to complete their degrees, and to identify and reach their educational, career and life goals.

Climate change and floodplains

Floodplains by Design (FbD) is an ambitious public-private partnership led by Ecology, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and Puget Sound Partnership. FbD works to accelerate integrated efforts to reduce flood risks and restore habitat along Washington's major river corridors. Its goal is to improve the resiliency of floodplains to protect local communities and the health of the environment. FbD also supports important Washington values, such as agriculture, clean water, and outdoor recreation. By working together, organizations can align state and federal investments with locally-driven solutions that address floodplain management challenges and create a more sustainable future.

Floodplains by design grant program

Floodplains by Design (FbD) is our primary grant program for projects that help communities live better in their floodplain. This competitive grant program is a component of a public-private partnership led by Ecology, The Nature Conservancy, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Puget Sound Partnership. It is focused on re-establishing floodplain functions in Washington’s major river corridors, as well as reducing flood risk.

Floodplains provide important habitat for salmon, rich soil for farms, and beautiful backdrops for residents and visitors to Washington. In the past, attempts were made to control rivers, thinking flooding could be stopped by walling off rivers with levees, straightening them, and laying a grid of commercial and residential development across them. Now, salmon runs are disappearing, and more people live in the path of dangerous floodwaters.

Local and Tribal governments, along with nonprofit organizations, are using FbD grants across Washington to complete multi-benefit projects that reduce flood hazards to communities and restore the natural functions of rivers and their floodplains. These FbD projects bring together many different stakeholders in the floodplain to:

• Improve flood protection for communities that live and work in floodplains.
• Conserve and restore habitat for salmon and other important aquatic species.
• Preserve farmland to keep agriculture viable for future generations.
• Improve water quality.
• Enhance outdoor recreation.

Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program aims to make it easier for community-based organizations to access federal environmental justice funding. The program was created to respond to feedback from communities about the need to reduce barriers to federal funds and improve the efficiency of the awards process to ensure underinvested communities can access the grants.

On December 19, 2023, Philanthropy Northwest, in partnership with an extensive network of regional partners across EPA Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and tribal communities), was selected as the Region 10 Grantmaker for the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program ("Thriving Communities Program"). Philanthropy Northwest’s goals are to distribute resources to historically underinvested communities by leveraging powerful partnerships, facilitating participatory grantmaking and designing a simplified application process. As a regional grantmaker, Philanthropy Northwest stands alongside other leaders selected to steer these funds effectively to where they can make the greatest difference, distributing $40 million in Region 10 over three years.

Funding

Estimated Funding Range per Award: $150,000-$350,000 

• Type 1 (Assessment): up to $150,000
  •  (1-year project period): grants focused on gathering information, assessing and understanding the problem(s) before developing a plan.
• Type 2 (Planning): up to $250,000
  • (1- to 2-year project period): grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues and are ready to formulate a community-wide plan to address those issues.
• Type 3 (Development): up to $350,000
  • (2-year project period): grants for those who already have a strong understanding of the local environmental and/or public health issues, have already formulated a community-wide plan addressing those issues, and/or are now ready to develop the technical aspects of the project (i.e., implement the project on the ground).

A limited number of $75,000 non-competitive fixed-amount subawards will be available for severely capacity-constrained community-based organizations.

The Foundation offers a competitive grant program to qualifying conservation-focused non-profit organizations whose programs and activities preserve and protect environments and living organisms of the Salish Sea region. By helping others fulfill their conservation missions, we support the health of the Salish Sea region.

The Salish Sea region is the intricate network of coastal mountains, land, and waterways that include the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of British Columbia and the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Washington. Its major bodies of water are the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound.

Our funding criteria for these conservation education grants are based on our by-laws, articles of incorporation, status as an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organization, and the wishes of Paul Wiseman, founding member of The Foundation.

Level 1: Community Conservation Education Grants

Community Conservation Education Grants are limited to no more than $5000 and are meant to support modest, short-term projects related to conservation education and consistent with our vision and mission. 

Projects may include

• direct educational programs and materials related to environmental conservation
• lectures, conferences, seminars
• written or audiovisual awareness materials
• curriculum or other instructional materials

Environmental Justice Giving Project Grant

What We Will Fund

The Giving Project will focus on Environmental Justice, making grants to support organizing work that aims to achieve equitable access to a clean and healthy environment for frontline communities most impacted by the climate crisis, environmental racism, and environmental injustice.

The “environment” in the context of the environmental justice movement is defined as the spaces where we live, work, learn, play, pray, and heal. This grant will fund rural and urban organizations working at the intersection of environmental, racial, and economic justice to create sustainable, self-determined and just communities.

We will prioritize funding organizations with Black, Indigenous, and/or POC leadership, and/or who conduct most of their work in reservation communities, and/or rural, small town communities.

Some examples of organizing work that is eligible for this grant include:

• Resource mobilization for affordable and healthy housing
• Organizing efforts supporting access to clean and healthy food, water, and air
• Leadership development programs for environmental justice and health equity
• Facilitating just transition and climate resilience work
• Developing community processes, practices, or civic engagement addressing neighborhood blight

Funding

Grant amount: 2-year grants of $50,000 ($25K/year)

Community Forests Program

The Community Forests Program gives communities a way to preserve their working forest heritage. The grant program balances the many benefits forests provide – from providing money from use of the land, to safeguarding against climate and other environmental changes, to providing opportunities for recreation, education, and cultural enrichment. As Washington's population continues to grow and forestlands are increasingly threatened by development, the Community Forests Program is a valuable tool for preserving working lands for the benefit of Washingtonians now and into the future.

Typical Projects

• Buying land to conserve working forests (required for all projects).
• On purchased land, projects also may restore forest and habitat health and develop recreational facilities.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in community learning centers that

• provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging state academic standards.
• offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students.
• offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

Funding

OSPI anticipates awarding approximately $6.5 million to support the implementation of 21st CCLC

programs in high-poverty, low-performing communities, providing services consistent with the

intent and purpose of the federal 21st CCLC statute and guidance. Prospective applicants are

encouraged to attend a Bidders Conference for guidance and technical assistance on developing

and submitting a program proposal. The 21st CCLC grant awards are up to five years §4203(a)(8)(A)

contingent upon federal funding. Programs must show progress in implementing the project goals

and activities as approved in their original grant proposal. No grant is less than $100,000 and will

not exceed $500,000. OSPI reserves the right to increase and/or decrease a grant award in

subsequent years of funding. OSPI may exceed a grant award of $500,000 to accommodate future

program requirements, cost of living increases, proposed program amendments, and/or any other

implemented policies by OSPI §4203(a)(5)(A)-(B) and §4204(h). 

.ORG Impact Awards

The .ORG Impact Awards is a global awards program hosted by the Public Interest Registry to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations that have a connection to a registered .ORG domain for their contributions, achievements, and impact they have made in their communities.

Category Descriptions

• Health and Healing: Recognizes an organization or individual who is dedicated to providing health and wellness resources to the community including education and awareness, vaccine development, equitable distribution of medical supplies, and mental health resources.
• Quality Education for All: Recognizes an organization or individual for contributions in providing education for all, without regard to race, gender, or financial status.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Recognizes an organization or individual for efforts toward furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion in society through creation of policies, programs, and initiatives that address systemic challenges and historic injustices.
• Environmental Stewardship: Recognizes an organization or individual that works to combat the increased threats to our environment and promotes responsible consumption and environmental sustainability in communities around the world.
• Hunger and Poverty: Recognizes an organization or individual who has made significant contributions and innovations in the fight to end hunger, alleviate poverty, and reduce resource inequalities on a local, national, or global scale.
• Community Building: Recognizes an organization or individual whose efforts have contributed to changing or enhancing the lives of those in the community the nominee serves, whether on a local, national, or global level.
• Rising Star: Recognizes an individual under the age of 25 by December 31, 2023, who has created a positive impact in their community through leadership on a project, platform, task, or campaign.

What's In It For You?

Become part of the growing .ORG Impact Awards Community - there are so many reasons to enter! Here's a few:

• Receive a Significant Cash Donation
  • Selected individuals and organizations are eligible to receive up to a $50,000 USD donation to the non-profit of their choice, including our outstanding finalists.
• Drive Community Reach and Support
  • Show the world how your .ORG is impacting the community! Build support, generate funding, and rally others to your cause. Serve as a shining example to others, striving to make a better world for us all.
• Achieve a Meaningful Award
  • Display your custom .ORG Impact Award to let the world know that your organization is achieving amazing results and making a difference. Finalists will be invited to attend our in-person gala in Washington DC (including travel and accommodations)!
• Raise Awareness and Personal Profile
  • Finalists and winners will be featured across a variety of .ORG platforms throughout the year, including videos, articles, social posts, and more! We’ve expanded our programs to focus more attention on finalists and winners than ever before!

Pacific Power Foundation

The Pacific Power Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Pacific Power. Its mission, through charitable investments, is to support the growth and vitality of local communities.

Together with our foundation and employees, we've given $13 million to local communities since 2019 to lend a helping hand and spur economic development.

Grant Focus

The foundation manages its grants in four cycles. This helps the foundation carefully review similar requests to ensure maximum benefit.

Community Enhancement

Affordable housing, community resilience, community and recreation centers, economic development, libraries, monuments, memorials and science centers.

Environmental Respect

Animal and wildlife biodiversity; carbon and methane emissions; conservation of natural resources; environmental management systems; parks, trails and gardens; resource stewardship; waste management reduction, and water usage management.

Mission

Our mission is to provide a forum for gardeners and plant lovers in the Pacific Northwest to expand opportunities, share interests, and learn about horticulture.

NHS provides grants projects that benefit horticultural education in the Northwest.2024 NHS Grants OfferedThe Northwest Horticultural Society (NHS) provides grants to community-focused organizations in the region, in alignment with its mission to educate and enhance the practice of horticulture in the Pacific Northwest. The NHS Board has allocated $15,000 for grants in 2024 and is currently accepting applications for consideration. While grants typically range from $1,000 to $6,000, requests for other amounts will also be considered.Selection CriteriaThe NHS Grants Committee invites applications for horticulture projects and/or programs which further one or a combination of the following objectives:

• Provide horticultural education to a local community
• Increase community participation in horticultural activities
• Implement environmental cleanup and/or restoration benefiting a community
• Serve historically marginalized communities through horticulture: including indigenous peoples of the Salish Sea region, people of color, and people living in low-income neighborhoods
• Expand community access to any of the following areas: natural spaces, gardens, and community vegetable gardens
• Promote the creation of horticultural beauty and biodiversity in publicly accessible spaces

Tourism Regeneration Grant

Tourism Regeneration Grants will foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences across the state and drive overnight visitation to rural and underserved communities. Project eligibility for Tourism Regeneration Grants ranges from visitor education campaigns to disaster and climate adaptation planning. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for projects that include but are not limited to tourism infrastructure, outdoor recreation, festivals and events, and training programs for visitor/customer services.

Funding

SWT has allocated $780,000 to this grant program.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to match a portion of their grant request with cash or in-kind contributions.

Examples of Grant Projects

• Safety lighting, hand/guard rails, ramps, and elevator repairs/maintenance for infrastructure linked to the tourism sector
• Trail and tourism ambassador programs
• Environmental sustainability efforts at large festivals and events
• Accessibility efforts for people living with disabilities to recreate outdoors
• Cycling infrastructure (includes bike lanes, repair stations, restrooms, etc.)
• Parking/transportation strategies and solutions to discourage single-occupancy vehicles
• Wayfinding enhancements and downtown beautification
• Recreate responsibility messaging, incentives that change visitor behavior 

Tourism Regeneration Grant

Tourism Regeneration Grants will foster safer, more inclusive, and sustainable visitor experiences across the state and drive overnight visitation to rural and underserved communities. Project eligibility for Tourism Regeneration Grants ranges from visitor education campaigns to disaster and climate adaptation planning. Tourism stakeholders may request up to $50,000 in grant funding for projects that include but are not limited to tourism infrastructure, outdoor recreation, festivals and events, and training programs for visitor/customer services.

Funding

SWT has allocated $780,000 to this grant program.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to match a portion of their grant request with cash or in-kind contributions.

Examples of Grant Projects

• Safety lighting, hand/guard rails, ramps, and elevator repairs/maintenance for infrastructure linked to the tourism sector
• Trail and tourism ambassador programs
• Environmental sustainability efforts at large festivals and events
• Accessibility efforts for people living with disabilities to recreate outdoors
• Cycling infrastructure (includes bike lanes, repair stations, restrooms, etc.)
• Parking/transportation strategies and solutions to discourage single-occupancy vehicles
• Wayfinding enhancements and downtown beautification
• Recreate responsibility messaging, incentives that change visitor behavior 

Under the Farm Bill, WSDA receives grant funding from USDA to enhance the competitiveness of Washington's specialty crops. WSDA conducts an annual competitive application process to award grant funds.

Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops. Eligible plants must be intensively cultivated and used by people for food, medicinal purposes, and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops.

Funding Categories

Environmental Stewardship, Conservation, and Climate Smart Agriculture

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that enhance soil health, conservation of agricultural land and water, and address specialty crops contribution to adaptation and/or mitigation of climate change, as well as any other projects that demonstrate environmental stewardship.

Pest Management

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address pests that affect the production of Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted to the Pest Management category should include applied research related to the probability and impact of invasive pests, and threats to specialty crops, and research to develop tools to detect, eradicate, and control pests.

Plant Health

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address plant diseases that affect the production of Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted to the Plant Health category should include applied research related to the probability and impact of invasive disease, and weed threats to specialty crops, and research to develop tools to detect, and control plant diseases.

Food Safety Research

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address food safety for specialty crops. Such projects might include applied research projects that address "real world" food safety issues related to food and agricultural practices in the specialty crop industry, the impact of agricultural practices on subsequent specialty crop food processing; sciencebased practical and transferrable research projects that focus on food safety issues related to food-borne pathogen detection

Innovative Technologies

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address any innovative technology that will increase the competitiveness of specialty crops.

Training and Education

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address training and/or education that will increase the competitiveness for Washington’s specialty crop industry. Projects might include food safety education and outreach projects to help compliance with the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Domestic Marketing

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that address domestic marketing for Washington’s specialty crops. Projects submitted can pertain to any type of domestic marketing project. 

International Marketing

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that will enhance or increase the opportunity for the exports of Washington’s specialty crops to foreign markets, increasing the competitiveness of specialty crops. 

Small Farm/Regional Marketing

In this Review Category, WSDA will consider projects that enhance and develop small farm/regional markets for Washington’s specialty crop industry. 

KLF offers a competitive grant program to qualifying conservation-focused non-profit organizations whose programs and activities preserve and protect environments and living organisms of the Salish Sea region. By helping others fulfill their conservation missions, we support the health of the Salish Sea region.

The Salish Sea region is the intricate network of coastal mountains, land, and waterways that include the southwestern portion of the Canadian province of British Columbia and the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Washington. Its major bodies of water are the Strait of Georgia, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Puget Sound.

Level 2: The Paul Wiseman Conservation Education Grant

We will offer two grants during this round with a $15,000 limit for each.

We welcome substantial conservation education projects with carefully articulated goals and outcomes. We also welcome restoration projects with a strong educational component.

Mission

RCO is an exemplary partner that provides statewide leadership and funding to protect and improve the best of Washington’s natural and outdoor recreation resources, now and for future generations.

Vision

Washington State has abundant outdoor recreation spaces, healthy habitats, and working farms and forests that support people, fish, and wildlife.

Education and Enforcement-Nonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities Program

The Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities program provides funding to develop and manage recreation opportunities for such activities as cross-country skiing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain bicycling, hunting, fishing, sightseeing, motorcycling, and riding all-terrain and four-wheel drive vehicles.

A portion of the funding also is available for education and enforcement programs that encourage environmentally responsible use of the outdoors and for helping to minimize conflict between visitors through positive management techniques.

Except for off-road vehicle facilities, activities supported by this program must be accessed via a non-highway road, which is a public road that was not built or maintained with gasoline tax funding. Non-highway roads are found most often in state and national forests and national parks.

Typical Projects

• Building, renovating, and rerouting trails
• Maintaining trails and associated campgrounds and trailheads
• Operating off-road vehicle parks
• Education of trail users

Funding

Funding is awarded every other year and comes from a portion of the state gasoline tax and off-road vehicle use permits.

Match Details

Match is not required but additional points are awarded during evaluation for projects with match contributions. Examples of match include the following:

• Appropriations or cash
• Bonds
• Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
• Federal, state, local, and private grants
• Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials