2024 Legacy Grant Program

The Washington State Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the Puget Sound National Estuary Program and Stormwater and Habitat strategic initiative leads, is offering salmon recovery planning grants to local governments and federally recognized tribes. This grant program aims to advance the Governor’s statewide salmon recovery strategy and align with the Puget Sound National Estuary Partnership’s investment priorities. The overall mission alignment is centered on protecting and restoring salmon habitat through long-range planning objectives, directly supporting environmental conservation and the ecological health of Washington State, particularly the Puget Sound. Target beneficiaries for these grants include towns, cities, and counties (both fully and partially planned under the Growth Management Act) and federally recognized tribes in Washington State. The primary impact goal is to enhance salmon recovery efforts through improved planning and habitat protection. By empowering local entities and tribes with funding for strategic planning, the program seeks to create a broader, more consistent approach to critical areas protection and habitat restoration. The program prioritizes applications that focus on protecting and restoring salmon habitat with long-range planning objectives. This includes promoting monitoring and adaptive management practices to improve implementation, consistency, and effectiveness of permitting for critical areas protection in the Puget Sound. Approximately $3.2 million in funding is available from the Department of Commerce, with an additional $2 million potentially provided and administered by the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), layering to support these objectives. Expected outcomes include more effective and consistent implementation of critical area permitting, enhanced salmon habitat protection and restoration, and improved long-range planning capabilities within eligible communities and tribes. Measurable results could include the number of revised or new habitat protection plans, acres of habitat protected or restored, improvements in permitting processes, and ultimately, positive trends in salmon populations. The theory of change suggests that by investing in local planning and adaptive management, the state can achieve more robust and sustainable salmon recovery across the region.