About the Fund
The Columbia River is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest and has the greatest flow of any North American river draining into the Pacific. The Columbia River watershed extends from the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. Historically, the Columbia River supported one of the greatest salmon and steelhead runs on Earth, and through 1840, up to16 million salmon and steelhead returned to the Columbia River to spawn each year. These massive salmon runs, along with other fish and wildlife populations, historically supported, and continue to sustain, rich Native American cultures and traditions across the entire Columbia River Basin. For more than five years, the Columbia River Fund, funded through settlements of legal actions as part of the Columbia Riverkeeper’s Clean Water Act enforcement program, has awarded over $800,000 in grants to support community-based water quality stewardship projects along the Columbia River.
Deadlines
- Applications are due September 1, 2020. The application process will open in late July
- Grant awards will be announced December 2020.
Click here to receive notification of future grant opportunities.
ELIGIBILITY AND PRIORITIES
The Columbia River Fund supports projects designed to improve or protect clean water and aquatic habitat, and benefit the Columbia River Basin. To be eligible for a grant, we are encouraging projects in:
- the main stem of the Columbia River from Richland downstream to its mouth at Astoria; and
- reaches upstream from Richland in the general vicinity of Malaga in Chelan County, and tributaries north of Wentachee including the Wentachee River, Entiat River, the Chelan River, the Methow River, and the Okanogan River.
Please understand that this funding process is very competitive, and most grants are awarded to well-established organizations with a strong track record of community-based water quality stewardship. Click here for more on eligibility and priorities.
HOW TO APPLY
In this grant opportunity through the Columbia River Fund, we encourage grant proposals of up to $40,000.
Note: the Rose Foundation strictly limits university overhead to 5% of the total requested amount.
Please check all eligibility requirements before starting the online application. Click here to read the instructions on how to use our online system.
GRANT REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS
If your group is awarded a grant, you must provide a final grant report within one year of receiving the money, or before your group can receive additional funding. Click here for the full grant reporting instructions.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Laura Fernandez, Program Officer
Email: lfernandez-at-rosefdn.org (please replace at with @)
