Funding for Salmon Habitat
This opportunity is now CLOSED. Please visit us December 2023.
For any questions or to discuss your proposal, please get in touch with Suzanna Smith at 206-477-4641 or susmith@kingcounty.gov.
ReGreen the Green Grants
This fund supports projects that enhance riparian shade to improve conditions for salmon and meet water quality standards that support aquatic life. There is a need to restore trees and native vegetation on all land use types, urban and rural, along the entire length of the Green River and its tributaries. Riparian revegetation projects improve water quality, salmon habitat, and contribute to the urban tree canopy. WRIA 9’s 2016 Re-Green the Green: Riparian Revegetation Strategy for the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed provides important background, scientific basis, and priorities for revegetation projects, including the banks of the rivers and streams mapped as high shade priority based on their solar sun angle or aspect.
For more information and how to apply, please see the Request for Proposal (PDF).
Monitoring and Research Grants
The WRIA 9 Monitoring and Research grant program supports enhanced effectiveness monitoring and ongoing research and data gap projects within WRIA 9.
- Enhanced Effectiveness Monitoring: Enhanced monitoring is focused on understanding how Chinook are using restoration projects. Unlike routine project monitoring, which asks whether a certain type of habitat was created and sustained, enhanced monitoring is meant to determine how fish use the habitat, and which restoration and enhancement/improvement techniques work best.
- Ongoing Research and Data Gaps: In 2004 the WRIA 9 Technical Committee created the WRIA 9 Chinook Salmon Research Framework to "provide guidance about which research efforts should be implemented in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed to inform recovery planning". Existing information was used to create a conceptual model of how Chinook salmon use the watershed to help organize and prioritize data and knowledge gaps for future research. You can find more detailed information in the RFP below.
For more information and how to apply, please see the Request for Proposal (PDF).
For those interested in the Stewardship, Engagement, and Learning (SEaL) Grants, the opportunity opens again next year for 2024 funding. Please check back in December 2023.
These programs are supported by Cooperative Watershed Management grant funding through the King County Flood Control District. Please see each Request for Proposal (RFP) linked above for more detailed information on each grant program. All proposals are due by close of business March 3, 2023.
How to Apply
If you are interested in applying for one of these grant programs, please follow guidelines in the above RFPs and when you are ready, submit your grant application and all supporting materials via the online portal (external link) by close of business on Monday, March 3, 2023.
An overview of the 2023 grant round timeline is available here (PDF).
Grant Applicant Workshops
Please join us for our upcoming grant applicant workshops! These workshops provide an overview of the two competitive grant programs available through the WRIA in 2023, including a demonstration of how to navigate the new online application system and upload your application materials.
Register for workshops using this link below:
- Wednesday January 11, 2023 from 2 – 4 pm – View the Powerpoint or View the recording.
- Tuesday February 7, 2023 from 9 – 11 am – CANCELLED
Past Funding Packages:
Below are the final funding packages approved by the Watershed Ecosystem Forum. These demonstrate the projects that received funding for the grant opportunities above, as well as for the High Priority Capital Grants and Stewardship, Engagement, and Learning Grants (starting in 2021).
High Priority Capital Projects
The WRIA 9 6-year Habitat Project Capital Investment Plan (HPCIP) outlines anticipated capital funding investments for 2022-2027. The 2019-2025 HPCIP is available for reference. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for High Priority Capital Grants (restoration, acquisition, or enhancement project(s) within the Salmon Habitat Plan), please get in touch with Suzanna Smith at 206-477-4641 or susmith@kingcounty.gov.
Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) Grant Program
In 2012 the King County Flood Control District (FCD) agreed to provide funding to support watershed salmon recovery projects and activities in King County watersheds through a Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) Grant Program. The WRIA 9 Forum makes recommendations about how to use the approximate $3.9 million in CWM funds annually to support habitat protection and restoration projects, stewardship projects and programs, and essential technical assessments.
To learn more about funding through the WRIA 9 Forum, contact Suzanna Smith, Habitat Projects Coordinator, 206-477-4641.
Additional Funding Sources through WRIA 9
Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) Grant Program
Since 1999, the Watershed Ecosystem Forum (Forum) has annually solicited, reviewed and ranked applications for state and federal funding administered through the state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB).
For each SRFB funding round, the WRIA 9 Forum seeks proposals for habitat projects that contribute to Chinook salmon recovery in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed. Restoration, acquisition, and assessment projects that benefit Chinook salmon, and the habitat and ecosystem functions on which they depend are eligible. Proposals must have strong technical merit, meet SRFB requirements, and be recommended in or consistent with the Salmon Habitat Plan. Cities, King County, Tribes, non-profit groups, conservation districts, regional fisheries enhancement groups, and special purpose districts all are eligible to apply.
For more information on the SRFB process, please visit the RCO website. To determine your eligibility, please consult Manual 18 for all projects and Manual 3 for projects that include an acquisition.
Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) Grant Program
The Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) fund supports projects that recover salmon and protect and recover salmon habitat in Puget Sound. The state legislature appropriates money for PSAR every two years in the Capital Budget. PSAR is co-managed by the Puget Sound Partnership and the Recreation and Conservation Office. Local entities identify and propose priority PSAR projects. The Salmon Recovery Funding Board approves projects for funding.
The PSAR Large Capital Program funds projects that are above the traditional funding amounts awarded to any lead entity. This competitive grant round is every two years (on even years) in the same cycle as traditional (regular) PSAR funding. The minimum funding amount for any WRIA 9 large capital project is $1,000,000 with no maximum.
For more information on the PSAR program, please visit the Puget Sound Partnership website.