The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program provides funding for a broad range of land conservation efforts, from conserving natural areas near big cities to protecting the most pristine and unique collections of plants in the state, including some of last remaining plant species in the world.
Donor Name: Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/30/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program was envisioned as a way for the state to accomplish two goals: acquire valuable recreation and habitat lands before they were lost to other uses and develop recreation areas for a growing population.
Funding Categories
- Critical Habitat
- The program provides grants to conserve areas important for the protection, management, or public enjoyment of wildlife.
- Natural Areas
- The program provides grants to conserve areas that have retained their natural character and are important in preserving rare or vanishing wildlife, geological, natural, historical, or similar features of scientific or educational value.
- Riparian Protection
- The program provides grants to conserve land along the water, as well as submerged land such as streambeds, which can provide functional habitat for salmon and other wildlife
- State Lands Restoration and Enhancement
- The program provides grants to restore or enhance land owned by the State of Washington or held in trust by the State
- Urban Wildlife Habitat
- The program provides grants to conserve areas near cities important for the protection or public enjoyment of wildlife.
Funding Information
- Riparian Protection: Minimum request of $25,000, no cap
- State Lands Restoration and Enhancement: Minimum request of $25,000. Maximum request of $1 million for a single-site project and $500,000 for a multi-site project.
Eligible Projects
- Land Acquisition
- Acquisition includes the purchase of perpetual interest in real property or non-perpetual interests such as leases and easements. Acquisition of non perpetual interests must be for at least fifty years and may not be revocable at will.
- Incidental costs related to acquisition are eligible. The Riparian Protection Category provides funds for acquisition of lease extensions under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which must be for a minimum of twenty-five years.
- Development
- Benches, tables
- Interpretive kiosks, signs
- Paths, roads, parking
- Restrooms
- Viewing shelters
- The State Lands Restoration and Enhancement category also allows for habitat creation and enhancement.
- The Riparian Protection Category allows for site stewardship plans.
- Restoration and Enhancement
- Animal watering stations
- Ecological restoration
- Estuary and shoreline restoration
- Fencing, gates,and signs
- In-stream habitat such as bank stabilization, channel reconfiguration, and woody materials placement
- In-stream passage improvements
- Habitat enhancement such as native plantings and invasive plant removal
- Removal of structures like bulkheads, dikes, levees, tide gates, and impervious surfaces
- Site augmentation to establish restoration elements
- Transplanting and re-vegetation
- Upland stewardship.
Eligibility Criteria
- Critical Habitat, Riparian Protection, and Urban Wildlife Habitat Categories
- Cities, counties, towns
- Federally recognized Native American tribes
- Nonprofit nature conservancies
- Special purpose districts, port districts, or other political subdivisions of the state that provide services to less than the entire state
- State agencies (Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Washington Departments of Enterprise Services, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources).
- Natural Areas Category
- Nonprofit nature conservancies
- State agencies (Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Washington Departments of Enterprise Services, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources)
- State Lands Restoration and Enhancement Category
- State agencies (Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Washington State Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources).
For more information, visit WSRCO.
