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Partners in Water Program
Learn how the Partners in Water (PiW) Program facilitates collaboration between the Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to advance equity and improve access, operations, and services.
Partners in Water is a WTD program that brings together local CBOs and internal WTD project teams to center community priorities and perspectives in decision-making, strengthen partnerships, and improve environmental and social outcomes for all.
Partners in Water was codesigned by community representatives and WTD staff and allows us to move beyond traditional partnership models and improve the way WTD engages with the communities it serves. We do this through ongoing collaboration and co-creation that will lead to more equitable and inclusive water infrastructure services.
Now accepting applications to join the PiW Loop Compost Project
WTD is offering a total of $75,000 in funding for PiW collaboration grants.
The King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for a Partners in Water (PiW) collaboration grant to work with the division’s Resource Recovery (RR)/ Biosolids team. Partners in Water is a program that connects WTD work groups with community-based organizations to advance mutually beneficial goals related to WTD operations and services.
WTD’s Resource Recovery team is especially interested in partnering with organizations who have trusted relationships with historically and currently marginalized communities, and who are working on food justice, community food production and local conservation efforts in King County. Three $25,000 grants (a total of $75,000) are available to support the involvement of three organizations in year one of our Loop Compost Project.
Applications must be received by April 13, 2026, at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov.
About the Loop Compost Project
Loop Compost is a high-quality compost made from Loop® a fertilizer replacement and soil builder produced by treating, recycling, and transforming 100% of the organic material that goes down drains. To learn more about Loop Compost visit our webpage, Loop Compost - Loop® Biosolids.
The PiW Loop Compost Project is a collaboration between WTD and community-based organizations (CBOs) serving underrepresented communities in King County. The project aims to expand equitable access to Loop Compost through this collaboration grant by a facilitated yearlong process in which staff from CBOs and WTD will work together on developing and testing a plan for strategic and equitable distribution of loop compost across King County and the WTD service area.
Who can apply for grants?
Organizations/collectives or community groups applying for a PiW collaboration grant must
- be located in and serve WTD’s service area (use this hyperlink to access an interactive service area map);
- have 501(c)3 nonprofit status, a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)3 nonprofit status, or be willing and able to secure a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)3 nonprofit status by April 31, 2026, if awarded a grant; and
- serve communities that face historic and current inequities and have limited resources and/or capacity; this includes Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants and refugees, people living with low incomes, women and gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+ people, people who live and/or work outside, people with limited English skills, and people with disabilities.
- Ideal applicants are CBOs that have expertise and experience working with local community on local food production, sustainable gardening, and conservation efforts and have access to gardens, farms, and landscapes where Loop Compost could be used
Application process and timeline
Interested parties are encouraged to apply using the application template (including a narrative section and a proposed budget). Alternative application formats, such as interviews, are available upon request. Applications must be received by April 13, 2026, at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov.
Applications will be scored and reviewed by a selection committee comprised of a team of WTD staff who will be directly involved in the project. Applicants may be asked for additional information and/or an interview before finalists are chosen.
Application and reference materials
- PiW Loop Compost Project — Grant Advertisement
- Download PiW Loop Compost Project - Grant Application (MS Word doc)
Project launch timeline
- Grant Application Posted: March 30, 2026
- Grant Application Period: March 30 to April 13
- Informational Online Webinar: April 7
- Application Review: April 14 to 17
- Notification of Awardees: Week of April 20
- Contract Negotiation: April 27 to May 1
- Project Launch: May 2026
- Project Period: May 2026 to April 2027
Q&A information session webinar
Join a virtual information session to learn more about the PiW Grant Program and qualities of a strong grant proposal. Registration for the event is required. The session will be recorded and posted on the PiW webpage.
Date: April 7, 2026
Time: 11 am to noon
Who we partner with
Partners in Water works with CBOs rooted in the diverse communities across King County. Our partners are committed to environmental and social equity, and they help ensure that public programs and infrastructure serve communities in ways that are culturally responsive, accessible, and inclusive.
Rooted in King County’s Equity Race and Social Justice values, our PiW Grant Program provides fair compensation to CBOs who are selected to participate in each yearlong project.
Current Partners in Water projects
Career pathways in wastewater
In 2025, we partnered with Kandelia and Villa Comunitaria to co-design a new Career Pathways Project. This initiative is focused on how WTD can update current recruiting processes to increase equitable access and can connect young people and others from underrepresented communities to careers in wastewater and environmental fields.
Project goals:
- Build and strengthen partnerships between WTD Human Resources and CBOs.
- Improve WTD Human Resources strategies and communications to reduce barriers to employment at WTD.
- Expand equitable access to education and career opportunities for youth and community.
2025 highlights/impacts include:
- Reshaping WTD job postings to be clearer, inclusive, and easier to navigate through workshops with community partners and a focus group with multilingual learners.
- Increasing access to education and resources about careers in clean water for youth and adults from immigrant and refugee communities.
Read our blogpost to learn more about how the Career Pathways Project was formed.
Community partnerships in infrastructure
We are collaborating with Living Well Kent, Mother Africa, and Villa Comunitaria to rethink how WTD involves communities in planning for capital projects and co-create a toolkit that will help WTD more effectively engage and involve communities in future infrastructure planning and construction.
Together, we are
- documenting best practices for building trust and sharing power with CBOs in community engagement efforts,
- identifying strategies to involve communities early and more effectively in capital projects, and
- developing tools and recommendations for future WTD work.
Stay connected
We believe long-term community partnerships are essential to making our work stronger, more just, and more effective. If you’re a CBO interested in working with us through a future PiW project or have questions, we’d love to connect!
Contact: Eli Weiss, Partners in Water Program Manager, at eli.weiss@kingcounty.gov.
