Search Through Water Grants in Washington in the U.S.

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

Who We Are

The Education Foundation for Cle Elum-Roslyn is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to supporting and enhancing quality education for students in the Cle Elum-Roslyn School District. We raise funds to improve K-12 student learning and help bridge the gap between the basic funding provided by the State of Washington and what our students need to truly excel academically.

Education Foundation for Cle Elum-Roslyn Grant

The Education Foundation for Cle Elum-Roslyn (“Ed Foundation”) was established to help bridge the gap between the basic funding provided by the State of Washington and what our students need to truly excel academically.

The Education Foundation works in tandem with the Cle Elum-Roslyn school district to help meet the district’s goals and objectives. Applicants should communicate their identified need and/or program idea with building/school administration to make sure funding is not available through the District’s budget prior to completing this application.

Funding Enrichment and Innovation

The Ed Foundation funds programs that enhance education in the Cle Elum-Roslyn Public Schools, benefit the students served by the School District, and may include staff development projects. The Education Foundation encourages innovative ideas centered around out-of-the-ordinary experiences and projects that extend the regular curriculum – experiences that are impactful, last a lifetime, and take education ‘out of the box’!

What does this program do?

This program helps eligible communities prepare, or recover from, an emergency that threatens the availability of safe, reliable drinking water.

What kind of event can qualify as an emergency?

• Drought or flood
• Earthquake
• Tornado or hurricane
• Disease outbreak
• Chemical spill, leak or seepage
• Other disasters

How may the funds be used?

• Water transmission line grants up to $150,000 to construct waterline extensions, repair breaks or leaks in existing water distribution lines, and address related maintenance necessary to replenish the water supply
• Water source grants up to $1,000,000 are to construct a water source, intake or treatment facility

Why does USDA Rural Development do this?

This program helps prevent damage or restore households and business' access to clean, reliable drinking water in eligible rural areas and towns following natural disasters. Funding can improve the natural environment and encourage manufacturers and other businesses to locate or expand operations.

PNC Foundation

Strengthening and enriching the lives of our neighbors in communities where we live and work.

Vision & Mission

For decades, we have provided resources to seed ideas, foster development initiatives and encourage leadership in nonprofit organizations where imagination and determination are at work enhancing people's lives everyday.

The PNC Foundation's priority is to form partnerships with community-based nonprofit organizations in order to enhance educational opportunities, with an emphasis on early childhood education, and to promote the growth of communities through economic development initiatives.

Foundation Grant

The PNC Foundation supports a variety of nonprofit organizations with a special emphasis on those that work to achieve sustainability and touch a diverse population, in particular, those that support early childhood education and/or economic development.

Education

The PNC Foundation supports educational programs for children and youth, particularly early childhood education initiatives that meet the criteria established through PNC Grow Up Great. Specifically, PNC Grow Up Great grants must:

• Support early education initiatives that benefit children from birth to age five; and
• Serve a majority of children (>50%) from low- to moderate-income families; and
• Adhere to all other standard PNC Foundation guidelines, as outlined on the PNC Foundation website, applicant eligibility quiz, as well as the Foundation policies and procedures; and
• Include one or a combination of the following:
  • direct services/programs for children in their classroom or community;
  • professional development/workforce development for early childhood educators;
  • family and/or community engagement in children’s early learning
• Additional considerations:
  • The grant focus should include math, science, reading, vocabulary development, the arts, financial education, or social/emotional development.
  • The grant recipient, or collaborative partner, should have early childhood education as an area of focus. If the organization’s focus is beyond birth to age five, the specific grant must be earmarked for birth to age five.
  • Incorporate opportunities for PNC volunteers in classroom or non-classroom-based activities.

Economic Development

Economic development organizations, including those which enhance the quality of life through neighborhood revitalization, cultural enrichment and human services are given support. Priority is given to community development initiatives that strategically promote the growth of low-and moderate-income communities and/or provide services to these communities.

• Affordable Housing
  • The PNC Foundation understands the critical need for affordable housing for low-and moderate-income individuals.
  • We are committed to providing support to nonprofit organizations that:
    • give counseling and services to help these individuals maintain their housing stock;
    • offer transitional housing units and programs; and/or
    • offer credit counseling assistance to individuals, helping them to prepare for homeownership.
• Community Development
  • Because small businesses are often critical components of community growth and help foster business development, the PNC Foundation provides support to nonprofit organizations that
    • offer technical assistance to, or loan programs for, small businesses located in low-and moderate-income areas or
    • support small businesses that employ low-and moderate-income individuals.
• Community Services
  • Support is given to social services organizations that benefit the health, education, quality of life or provide essential services for low-and moderate-income individuals and families.
  • The PNC Foundation supports job training programs and organizations that provide essential services for their families.
• Arts & Culture
  • Support is given for cultural enrichment programs benefitting the community.
• Revitalization & Stabilization of Low-and Moderate-Income Areas
  • The PNC Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that serve low-and moderate-income neighborhoods by improving living and working conditions.
  • Support is given to organizations that help stabilize communities, eliminate blight and attract and retain businesses and residents to the community.

Mission

Driven by a philanthropic calling to support marginalized communities throughout the world, the Semnani Family Foundation partners with on-the-ground organizations and leverages its resources in a cost-effective and efficient manner that delivers the maximum benefit.

History

Guided by his grandmother Maliheh’s example and teachings, Khosrow Semnani and his wife Ghazaleh established the Semnani Family Foundation in 1993. The foundation’s first grant was issued through CARE International to an orphanage in Romania that cared for newborns affected by HIV. Over the last few decades, the foundation has continued to build upon its mission to empower the disaffected, partnering with a variety of organizations in different countries who can make the greatest impact.

In addition to its global influence, the Semnani Family Foundation established roots within the state of Utah with the founding of Maliheh Free Clinic in 2005 to provide free healthcare to thousands of uninsured people in the Salt Lake City area.

Where We Work

The Semnani Family Foundation focuses primarily on promoting health, education, and disaster relief for marginalized communities all around the world. Driven by a clear mission to adapt and serve at the global level, we have leveraged our resources to make a meaningful impact in the following countries so far:

• Afghanistan
• Bosnia
• Colombia
• England
• Ethiopia
• Ghana
• Guatemala
• India
• Iran
• Kenya
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• Romania
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Uganda
• United States
• Yemen

At the heart of the Foundation lies a fervent commitment to human welfare, always prioritizing health and the needs of society’s most vulnerable.

What does this program do?

This program provides funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and storm water drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas.

How may the funds be used?

Funds may be used to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of:

• Drinking water sourcing, treatment, storage and distribution
• Sewer collection, transmission, treatment and disposal
• Solid waste collection, disposal and closure
• Storm water collection, transmission and disposal

In some cases, funding may also be available for related activities such as:

• Legal and engineering fees
• Land acquisition, water and land rights, permits and equipment
• Start-up operations and maintenance
• Interest incurred during construction
• Purchase of facilities to improve service or prevent loss of service
• Other costs determined to be necessary for completion of the project
• See 7 CFR Part 1780.7 and 1780.9 for a complete list

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.

Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative

Coastal communities have worked for decades with limited, inconsistent funding to improve the health of the land and water. These same communities have some of the highest unemployment rates in the state. Given the urgency of needs, the Legislature created the Washington Coast Resiliency and Restoration Initiative in 2015 to provide funding and technical assistance for communities along Washington’s coast.

The grant program is aimed at proactively addressing the region’s highest priority restoration and resiliency needs and putting people to work restoring coastal lands and waters.

Projects must address the region's highest priority ecological protection and restoration needs while stimulating economic growth and creating jobs in coastal communities. In addition, projects must provide substantial protection and restoration of ecosystem functions, goods, and services through cost-effective methods.

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.

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.

Icicle Fund

Our Vision

North Central Washington is a region where nature, the arts, and the area’s natural and human history inspire an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place.

Our Mission

To support the environment, the arts, and history through collaboration in North Central Washington.

Community Grants

Community Grants are one- or two-year unrestricted grants for non-profit organizations that enhance North Central Washington as a region where nature, the arts, and the area’s natural and human history encourage appreciation, understanding and stewardship of this special place. With these unrestricted grants, nonprofits have the flexibility to do their most important work in the community in innovative and impactful ways as they invest in programs, salaries/benefits, technology, capacity-building, communications, and other efforts that strengthen the organization and its long-term mission delivery.

Funding Priorities

The Arts

The Icicle Fund envisions a culture where a diversity of the Arts is accessible and valued as a critical component of vibrant communities in North Central Washington.

We Believe That:

• The Arts nurture the human spirit, transform lives, and connect people to place
• The Arts build strong economies and cohesive communities across social, economic, and racial boundaries
• The Arts are fundamental to a well-rounded education and help all students to succeed in school and life
• Collaboration between community leaders, artists, schools, businesses, and nonprofits ensure sustainable, quality arts programs
• Everyone in NCW deserves access to, and engagement with, the Arts at levels similar to urban areas

Our grant decisions align with the beliefs and vision stated above. We fund art organizations that work towards inspiring an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of NCW.

Environment

Icicle Fund envisions a future where intact North Central Washington landscapes provide opportunities for all people to connect with land and water, fostering a long-term commitment to place.

We Believe That:

• A healthy environment supports plants, animals, and humans while driving a strong economy
• Protecting land and water sustains natural systems and species, and increases our communities’ resilience to climate change
• Environmental education deepens the appreciation, understanding and desire to care for our natural world
• Access to land and water, along with recreational opportunities, can nurture the human spirit, transform lives, and connect people to place
• Equity and inclusion throughout conservation work are critical for healthy human and natural ecosystems
• Collaboration between schools and environmental nonprofits offer a uniquely equitable opportunity to inspire all students to make a lifelong connection with the natural world

Our grant decisions align with the beliefs stated above. We support organizations that foster an appreciation, understanding and stewardship of NCW through conservation, environmental education, and access to lands and water.

History

The Icicle Fund envisions a future where North Central Washington residents and visitors appreciate, understand, and engage with the region’s rich and diverse cultural and natural history. 

We Believe That:

• Understanding and appreciation of our region’s cultural history enhances respect for the diversity of NCW
• Natural history contributes to an understanding of the relationship between the natural world and people
• History preserves our collective memory which helps communities maintain a sense of identity and connection to place
• Collaboration between community leaders, Tribal Governments, and nonprofits ensures rich and diverse cultural and history venues and experiences
• Cultural centers and museums can be places to gather, engage, and learn about the history within our communities
• Learning from cultural history, traditional knowledge, and living practices provides insight into the present and guides the future

We prioritize funding organizations that work towards inspiring an appreciation, understanding, and stewardship of NCW through engagement with the cultural and natural history of the region.

Funding

This is a competitive grant program, awarding grants to an average of 45% of submitted proposals. Grant awards have historically been between $3,000- $35,000, with most between $10,000 $15,000. The minimum grant amount is $3,000.

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP)

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program provides funding for a broad range of land conservation efforts, from conserving natural areas near big cities to protecting the most pristine and unique collections of plants in the state, including some of last remaining plant species in the world.

The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program was envisioned as a way for the state to accomplish two goals: Acquire valuable recreation and habitat lands before they were lost to other uses and develop recreation areas for a growing population. 

This landmark legislation passed in 1990 and the grant program's continued funding have come about through the support of governors, the Legislature, and groups such as the many organizations comprising the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition.

Grant Limits

Critical Habitat - None

Natural Areas - None

Riparian Protection - Minimum request of $25,000, no cap.

State Lands Restoration and Enhancement - Minimum request of $25,000. Maximum request of $1 million for a single-site project and $500,000 for a multi-site project.

Urban Wildlife Habitat - None

Match Details

Local agencies, special purpose districts, and nonprofits must provide 50 percent match and at least 10 percent of the total project cost must be from a non-state, non-federal contribution.

State agencies do not have to provide match. 

Native American tribes must provide 50 percent match. 

Match may include the following: 

• Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials 
• Appropriations or cash
• Bonds
• Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
• Other grants

Eligible Projects

Land Acquisition

Acquisition includes the purchase of perpetual interest in real property or non-perpetual interests such as leases and easements. Acquisition of non-perpetual interests must be for at least fifty years and may not be revocable at will.

Incidental costs related to acquisition are eligible. The Riparian Protection Category provides funds for acquisition of lease extensions under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which must be for a minimum of twenty-five years.

Development 

• Benches, tables
• Interpretive kiosks, signs
• Paths, roads, parking
• Restrooms
• Viewing shelters

The State Lands Restoration and Enhancement category also allows for habitat creation and enhancement.

The Riparian Protection Category allows for site stewardship plans. 

Restoration and Enhancement 

• Animal watering stations
• Ecological restoration
• Estuary and shoreline restoration
• Fencing, gates,and signs
• In-stream habitat such as bank stabilization, channel reconfiguration, and woody materials placement
• In-stream passage improvements
• Habitat enhancement such as native plantings and invasive plant removal
• Removal of structures like bulkheads, dikes, levees, tide gates, and impervious surfaces
• Site augmentation to establish restoration elements
• Transplanting and re-vegetation
• Upland stewardship

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

About our Grant Making

Ninety-nine girlfriends makes annual grants, called Impact Awards, in the Portland Metro/SW Washington region from a pool of money contributed by our members. Impact awards range from $50,000-$100,000 each year, depending on that year’s pool.

We fund equally in four focus areas, selecting nonprofits whose work is aligned with our vision of a more equitable future for all and our values of strength in diversity, collective action, and community impact.

Letters of Interest are due in early April. Then, we use our internal processes to select the ones that are most aligned with our vision and values. These organizations are invited to submit applications. During this time, our member-volunteer teams are learning about implicit bias, equity and inclusion, Trust-Based Philanthropy, and consensus building. 

Guiding Principles

In addition to our eligibility criteria, we apply the following principles and trust-based philanthropy to guide decision-making on grant applications.

Equity - Grant making must be grounded in equity.

Trust - We believe the organizations that apply for our grants are the experts in their field. We will lead with trust, respect, humility and curiosity.

Learning - At our heart, we are a learning organization. We value new approaches as much as experience, we recognize our missteps as learning opportunities, and we learn best together. 

Responsiveness and Transformative Impact - We fund organizations that respond to a critical need and/or are working to address the root causes of systemic issues.

Initiative and risk-taking - We believe that taking risks and exploring new ideas can lead to innovative solutions to complex societal problems.  

We engage women in a collaborative learning environment of inclusiveness and mutual respect, incorporating our collective voices, perspectives, talents, and skills. We educate ourselves about implicit bias, equitable grant making, and consensus-building, and we are embedding racial equity in our work. Each year is a new year of grantmaking at ninety-nine girlfriends. Community context changes as do our members, our grant review teams, and our annual Funding Priority. In the end, what we fund is determined by the votes of our members. 

Focus Areas

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our work. Our vision is a more equitable community for all, therefore we prioritize funding that supports communities that are historically and/or currently underserved with respect to socioeconomic status, race, identity, or ability.

We seek to fund organizations working to improve educational equity, opportunity, or education-related services for children and youth from pre-K through high school in the areas of:

• Early childhood education and development
• Out-of-school time and summer learning
• Programs that work to close achievement and opportunity gaps
• Career and/or college readiness tools and skills for high school students
• Arts education, cultural education, and creative expression

We seek to fund organizations working to ensure everyone has equal access to resources and safe spaces, across environmental issues in the areas of:

• Access to environmental resources - healthy food, homes, water and green space
• Countering environmental burdens - pollution in air, water, and land
• Providing educational resources around sustainability and climate change preparedness
• Advancing participation in the green workforce
• Promoting systems change that includes meaningful and inclusive participation in the environmental decision-making process, that promotes environmental justice and equitable environmental policies

We seek to fund organizations delivering trauma-informed services that focus on housing solutions and home stability for families, youth, and adults in the areas of:

• Prevention of homelessness and helping people stabilize and keep their housing
• Emergency, temporary, and transitional housing and shelters
• Housing placement
• Resources and support that help prevent adverse childhood experiences or provide healing resources for families experiencing housing/home instability
• Wrap-around services that strengthen housing/home stability including mental and physical health services, recovery support, and domestic violence advocacy

We seek to fund organizations that advance the economic security and financial well-being of women by removing barriers to work in the areas of:

• Job readiness - including skills training, trades, and education
• Adult literacy and language proficiency
• Financial literacy
• College and post-secondary success
• Accessibility to affordable and reliable childcare
• Accessibility to safe and affordable healthcare including physical, mental, dental, and reproductive health

Ninety-nine girlfriends recognizes the complexities of gender identity and gender expression, and welcome cisgender women, transgender women, and gender non-binary, gender non-conforming, or gender queer persons.

Use of Funds

Funds may be used for general operating or project support to advance your mission. Awardees may choose to have funds disbursed in one payment in 2024, or in two payments: one in 2024 and one in 2025. 

About Serve Washington

Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism, and civic engagement to improve lives, expand opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington, and strengthen community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities.

WA AmeriCorps Continuation Grants

AmeriCorps Continuation Grants are currently funded operational grants entering year two or year three of a three-year cycle.

This RFGA is for Continuation Grants only – organizations brand new to Washington AmeriCorps operational grant funding and organizations ending a three-year grant looking to recompete for another grant.

If you are an organization seeking funding for a program not previously funded by Serve Washington or restarting a three-year cycle for an established AmeriCorps program, this is NOT the appropriate RFGA.

AmeriCorps Focus Areas

The National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended by the Serve America Act, emphasizes measuring the impact of service and focusing on a core set of issue areas. To carry out Congress’s intent, maximize the impact of investment in national service, and achieve the goals laid out in the Strategic Plan (2022-2026), AmeriCorps has the following Focus Areas:

• Disaster Services: Helping individuals and communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of disasters and increase community resiliency.
• Economic Opportunity: Improving the economic well-being and security of underserved individuals.
• Education: Improving educational outcomes for underserved people, especially children. AmeriCorps is particularly interested in program designs that support youth engagement and service learning as strategies to achieve high educational outcomes.
• Environmental Stewardship: Supporting communities to become more resilient through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve land and water, increase renewable energy use and improve at-risk ecosystems, especially in underserved households and communities.
• Healthy Futures: Support for health needs within communities, including mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 and other public health crises, access to care, aging in place, and addressing childhood obesity, especially in underserved communities.
• Veterans and Military Families: Improving the quality of life of veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors. 

About Serve Washington

Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism, and civic engagement to improve lives, expand opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington, and strengthen community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities.

WA New & Recompete AmeriCorps Operational Grant

New/Recompete AmeriCorps Operational Grantsare for organizations ready to implement an AmeriCorps program and are not already funded by Serve Washington OR are for organizations that have completed a three-year operational grant and are looking to renew another three-year operational grant.

If you are a Continuation Grant entering year two or three of a current operational cycle, this is not the appropriate RFGA, please return to the Serve Washington website for the RFGA for Continuation Grants.

If you are interested in a Planning Grant to develop systems for successful implementation of an AmeriCorps operational grant application, this is not the appropriate RFGA, please return to the Serve Washington website for the RFGA for Planning Grants.

AmeriCorps Focus Areas

The National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended by the Serve America Act, emphasizes measuring the impact of service and focusing on a core set of issue areas. To carry out Congress’s intent, maximize the impact of investment in national service, and achieve the goals laid out in the Strategic Plan (2022-2026), AmeriCorps has the following Focus Areas:

• Disaster Services: Helping individuals and communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of disasters and increase community resiliency.
• Economic Opportunity: Improving the economic well-being and security of underserved individuals.
• Education: Improving educational outcomes for underserved people, especially children. AmeriCorps is particularly interested in program designs that support youth engagement and service learning as strategies to achieve high educational outcomes.
• Environmental Stewardship: Supporting communities to become more resilient through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve land and water, increase renewable energy use and improve at-risk ecosystems, especially in underserved households and communities.
• Healthy Futures: Support for health needs within communities, including mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 and other public health crises, access to care, aging in place, and addressing childhood obesity, especially in underserved communities.
• Veterans and Military Families: Improving the quality of life of veterans, military families, caregivers, and survivors. 

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)

In 1984, the Washington State Legislature created this grant program to ensure that money generated from aquatic lands was used to protect and enhance those lands.

Grants may be used for the acquisition, improvement, or protection of aquatic lands for public purposes. They also may be used to provide or improve public access to the waterfront.

Aquatic lands are all tidelands, shore lands, harbor areas, and the beds of navigable waters.

Typical Projects

• Removing bulkheads to restore natural beach functions
• Restoring an estuary
• Replacing a waterfront boardwalk
• Restoring shoreline for salmon habitat
• Developing a waterfront park

Funding

Funding generally is awarded every 2 years.

ALEA is funded almost entirely by revenue generated from aquatic lands and is used to improve those lands or access to them. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources manages the state-owned aquatic lands and generates revenue from activities such as leasing waterfront sites to marinas and selling harvest rights for geoduck clams.

Combination (acquisition and development or restoration)  up to $1 million. Not more than $500,000 may be for development or restoration.

Forestland Preservation Grant Program

The forestland preservation grant program provides funding to lease or buy voluntary land preservation agreements (also called conservation easements) for forests to ensure the lands remain available for timber production in the future.The program is part of the larger Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which was created in 1990 to buy land for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation. In 2016, the state Legislature expanded the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program to include preservation of forestland with the goal of supporting working forests that also provide connectivity, habitat enhancement, sustainable ecological benefits, and public access.Typical Projects

• Buying a conservation easement or lease for a forest threatened with development
• In conjunction with a conservation easement or lease, restoring stream corridors to support clean water and fish habitat

Funding

Grant applicants may request any amount up to $500,000.

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.

At Superfeet, our commitment to supporting people goes beyond insoles. Every year, we dedicate 1% of sales and countless volunteer hours to organizations shaping a strong foundation for a healthy future. Through our Local Grants Program, we’re honored to support non-profit organizations right here in the Pacific Northwest — the place we’ve proudly called home for over 40 years.  

2025 Local Grant Funding Priorities 

At Superfeet, we believe in investing in the well-being of our communities and the health of our planet. That’s why we offer local grants to nonprofit organizations and community projects that are creating meaningful, lasting impact where we live and work. 

To be considered for a local grant, your organization should align with one or more of the following focus areas: 

• Meeting Basic Needs: We support programs that fulfill essential needs such as food security, access to clean water, physical and mental health care, housing, education, and protection from harm or abuse. 
• Securing Outdoor Places for Recreation: We fund efforts that remove barriers and increase inclusive access to green spaces, nature, and recreational opportunities. This includes building, renovating, or improving outdoor spaces—such as parks, sports fields, turf areas, and community recreation sites—that encourage people of all ages and abilities to get outside, be active, and connect with others.
• Protecting the Planet: We support projects focused on protecting, preserving, or restoring natural environments and promoting sustainability. This includes the protection and conservation of clean air, water, and wild landscapes.
• Providing Equitable Access to the Outdoors and Recreation: We seek to empower youth, women, and underserved communities by supporting initiatives that provide equitable access to outdoor recreation and sports. We value programs that foster inclusiveness, promote diversity in the outdoors, and serve traditionally underserved populations. 

This includes sports scholarships that help remove financial barriers for individuals to participate in team or individual sports, encouraging physical activity, confidence, and long-term engagement with outdoor and recreational spaces. 

Who We Are

We are the Puget Sound chapter of a community of people who are interested in whales, dolphins, porpoises, and the marine environment.

The Society is committed to cetacean conservation, education, and research. 

We're all different - young, old, scientific, nonscientific. We're all the same - curious. We like to hang out and talk about whales and nature, about what they're doing locally, about local and international discoveries & news, whale books, whale movies; and sometimes about birds or seals or flora, and usually salmon too.

Puget Sound Chapter - Student Travel Grants

The American Cetacean Society-Puget Sound Chapter (ACS/PS) would like to once again solicit submissions for student/intern/postdoc travel grants to the Society for Marine Mammalogy's 25th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals for individuals who have an abstract accepted for presentation at the conference. 

Funding

Two student travel grants (US$750 each) will be selected from all eligible applications received by the deadline.

Whidbey Community Foundation’s (WCF) mission is to improve the quality of life on Whidbey Island. Many factors contribute to the conditions that shape a thriving, healthy community. A wide range of factors influence how long and how well we live, including opportunities for education, income and wealth, safe housing, and the right to shape policies and practices that impact our lives and futures.

Reviewed by a committee of community volunteers, these grants are awarded to projects and organizations that take action to improve health and eliminate unjust barriers to opportunity for all who call Whidbey home—now and into the future.

How the Community Health Grant Program Works

For our second year of the Community Health Grant Program, WCF will use the County Health Rankings model of health to guide our grantmaking. Organizations can request up to $10,000 for a Community Health Grant. A limited number of requests will be awarded, and some applicants can expect to receive partial funding from their requests.

Applicants may submit a proposal for a Community Health Grant in one of the four following areas:

• Health Behavior, including alcohol and drug use, diet and exercise, and tobacco use.
• Clinical Care, including healthcare access and quality.
• Social and Economic Factors, including education, employment, income, family and social support and community safety.
• Physical Environment, including air and water quality, housing, and transit.

Community Health Grant Guidelines

Submitting a proposal begins with reviewing your organization’s eligibility and WCF’s priorities to determine if the Foundation aligns with your needs. By submitting a proposal, you give the Foundation permission to share your information with other interested individual donors.

Scope of Funding

WCF is currently a short-term funder providing relatively small grants. A limited number of grants will be awarded at the $10,000 level. We anticipate that most grants will be in the $5,000 range. All grants will be one year in length.

Types of Grants

General Operating Support Grants

WCF considers requests for General Operating Support (GOS) to be awarded as core support or unrestricted grants. Organizations may use GOS grants to cover day-to-day activities or ongoing expenses.

For GOS support, WCF will consider up to 10% of the organization’s annual budget (no greater than $10,000 total). For instance, if the organization’s annual budget is $89,000, a grant award cannot be greater than $8,900.

Program/Project-based Grants

WCF considers requests for Program/Project-based Grants to be awarded as restricted grants. For program/project grants, we require a separate program/project-specific budget to be submitted alongside the organization’s annual budget.

For project/program support, WCF will consider up to 100% of the project/program’s annual budget (no greater than $10,000 total).

Future Community Health Grants

WCF intends to make funding available annually for our Community Health Grant Program. We will use our grantee reports, evaluation process, and community connections to continue refining and improving how we make Community Health Grants.

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.

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

Recreational Trails Program (RTP)

The Recreational Trails Program provides federal funds to rehabilitate and maintain trails that provide a backcountry experience.

A backcountry experience means that the user will experience nature instead of seeing or hearing human development and activity. While backcountry trails may be near cities or roads, or even offer views of cities and towns, the trail’s physical setting should be predominately natural.

This grant program invests in all types of trails, including those for riding off-road vehicles, bicycling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, hiking, horseback riding, motorcycling, water trails, and more.

Principal uses include:

• 4x4 and light truck driving
• All-terrain vehicle riding
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Equestrian or stock use
• Motorcycling
• Mountain biking
• Non-motorized snow trail activities
• Snowmobiling
• Water trails

Typical Projects

• Clearing overgrown brush and fallen trees from trails
• Repairing trail damage from floods and fires
• Replacing bridges and drainage structures

Funding Source

Funding comes from federal gasoline taxes.

Grant Caps

General projects: $150,000 for each project

Education projects: $10,000 for each project

Long-term Commitment

Grant recipients must provide the facilities developed with RTP funds for 25 years after the date of the last grant payment. Sites and trails that are maintained with RTP funding only need be open and available during the active period of the project agreement.

For maintenance projects that improve recreational trails and facilities through capital work that either constructs new or makes significant, long-term renewal improvements to existing facilities, RCO will require an ongoing compliance period of 25 years from the date of final reimbursement and acceptance.