About the Fund
The Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund was created by a record legal settlement between the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance (Soundkeeper) and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, and has since been supplemented by several other pollution mitigation payments involving Soundkeeper and other Clean Water Act enforcers. More recently we received two large mitigation payments, one from Total Terminals International LLC and another one from Waste Action Project v. Port of Olympia.
The Fund’s goal is to mitigate past pollution runoff by supporting community-based efforts to protect or improve the water quality of Puget Sound. Since inception in 2012, almost $6M in grants have been awarded for projects in Puget Sound related to conservation, restoration, citizen science, environmental justice, shoreline access, and environmental education.
The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance’s Clean Water Act enforcement program enforces federal water quality laws against serious violators. Lawsuits are brought on behalf of Soundkeeper’s citizen members, each of whom has a legal right to swimmable and fishable waterways. In bringing pollution-related lawsuits, Soundkeeper’s goal is to achieve negotiated settlements that bring polluters into compliance with the law and the permitting system. Settlement funds are then donated to local environmental groups to help them repair damage done to the Sound. The $1.5 million BNSF Balmer Yard settlement which launched the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund is one of the largest ever in a citizen enforcement action involving stormwater discharges. Click here to read more about how citizen enforcement of the Clean Water Act created this funding opportunity.
DEADLINES
Fall Round
- Applications are due September 28, 2023.
- Grant awards will be announced by late November 2023.
Watch our recent How to Apply workshop intended for first time applicants and small organizations who do not directly engage in water quality efforts, but are invested in environmental justice work impacting communities in Puget Sound. Smaller groups should also refer to our Pacific Northwest Grassroots Fund for further grant opportunities.
Please sign up here to receive notifications of future grant opportunities.
Eligibility and Priorities
The funding process is competitive, and most grants are awarded to organizations with a strong community-based water quality stewardship. For a deeper look at our eligibility criteria for the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, please click here.
*First time applicants and organizations who do not directly engage in water quality efforts, but are invested in environmental justice work impacting communities in Puget Sound are encourage to watch How to Apply Workshop.
How To Apply
Grants will be awarded up to a maximum amount of $40,000. Please check all eligibility requirements before starting the online application. Click here to read the instructions on how to use our online system.
- Review eligibility requirement.
- Complete the application form using our online grant application portal. If you are new to our online grants software, you must first register with your organization’s name, tax ID number, website address, telephone numbers, email address, mailing address, contact person’s name, and position. Your email address will be your logon ID and you will set up a password. Click here to read the instructions on how to use our online system.
Please sign up here to receive notifications of future grant opportunities.
GRANT REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS
Organizations that have been funded may re-apply in the next cycle after their grant report has been submitted. After three consecutive years of funding, groups must wait two years before reapplying. Click here for the full grant reporting instructions.
Any signage or publicly distributed materials related to a funded project must display the following acknowledgement:
Support for (Project Name) was provided by the Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund, a grantmaking fund created by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and administered by the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment.
- Rose Foundation logo: www.rosefdn.org/logo.
- To download Puget Soundkeeper Alliance logo click here.
Funding Board
The Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund is advised by a local funding board of individuals with deep knowledge of Puget Sound issues. Meet the Board Members here.
For More Information
Jodene Isaacs, Mitigation Funds Director
jisaacs@rosefdn.org
Tim Bell, PNW Program Officer
tbell@rosefdn.org
