Partners in Water

How to apply for a grant

WTD is pleased to announce the opportunity to apply for a PiW collaboration grants. A total of $160,000 in grant funding is available for this effort. Applications must be received by 11:59pm on September 30, 2024, at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov.

WTD’s Human Resources and Community Services teams are each offering an opportunity to collaborate with their teams and other awarded organizations to accomplish goals of interest for both community organizations and WTD. Interested parties are asked to complete and submit an application template comprising of a narrative section and a proposed budget. Alternative application formats, such as an interview, are available upon request.

Who can apply

Organizations/collectives or community groups applying must

• be located in and serve King County Wastewater Treatment Division services 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 December 31, 2024 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.

Pilot Project 1: Career Pathways Program

Human Resources is seeking to collaborate with community organizations and/or nonprofits to co-create a career development program that builds better communication and education about available careers within our organization. Through this collaboration, we aim to reach a diverse pool of candidates to ensure that job opportunities and career resources are accessible to all members of the community. Human Resources is especially interested in partnering with organizations who have trusted relationships with historically and currently marginalized communities.

Details

• Two $25,000 grants will be allocated to 2 separate community organizations for this project ($50,000 total).
• Grants may be renewed for more than 1 year dependent on successful outcomes predetermined by the partners.
• Download Grant Advertisement to learn more about scope of work, tentative project timeline in Year 1, and grantee expectations.

Pilot Project 2: Guidance Toolkit for Community Partnerships in Infrastructure Projects

Community Services is seeking to collaborate with community organizations and/or nonprofits to develop comprehensive guidance for community partnerships engaged in wastewater infrastructure projects. The pilot portion of the project will last for 1 year, during which we will work together to define and refine a toolkit and develop a training to meet the interests of those involved. Community organizations selected as grant recipients will work together as a team in collaboration with WTD staff to create deliverables and success measures during the contract negotiation phase.

Details

• Four grants of $27,500 each will be distributed among 4 separate community organizations that serve different communities ($110,000 total).
• Grants may be renewed for more than 1 year depending on successful outcomes predetermined by the partners.
• Download Grant Advertisement to learn more about scope of work, tentative project timeline in Year 1, and grantee expectations.

Application process

Interested parties are asked to complete and submit an application template comprising of a narrative section and a proposed budget. Applications must be received by 11:59pm on September 30, 2024. They will be scored and reviewed by a selection committee comprised of a team of King County 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/budget worksheets

• Career Pathways Program (MS Word doc)
• Guidance Toolkit for Community Partnerships in Infrastructure Projects (MS Word doc)

Application timeline

• Grant Application Schedule: Advertisement posted on September 3
• Informational Online Webinar 1: September 9, 9:30–11:00am
• Informational Online Webinar 2: September 12, 2:30–4:00pm
• Grant Application Period: Due 11:59pm, September 30
• Notification of Awardees: October 25
• Contract Negotiation: November 1–December 31
• Project Begins: Estimated January 2, 2025