The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible applicants that are interested in acting as “Strategic Implementation Leads” (SILs), in coordination with the Puget Sound Partnership, EPA, and other relevant parties.
Donor Name: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/11/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 5-10 Years
Details:
The overarching goal of the Puget Sound Action Agenda is to restore and protect the Puget Sound ecosystem and its beneficial uses for the public good. The purpose and top priority of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to support a funding model that allows the EPA Puget Sound Recovery National Program to provide a predictable, transparent, and collaborative local/regional funding system with a strategic focus of investments. This funding model would support activities, broadened collaborations, and communications to increase the Puget Sound National Estuary Program Management Conference’s capacity to successfully implement the EPA approved Action Agenda, and to inform future modifications to that plan. Applicants should demonstrate in their applications how they will approach implementation of the 2026- 2030 Action Agenda, and how they will make measurable progress toward the Vital Sign Targets, Progress Measures, and National Estuary Program Reporting Measures in addition to any relevant priority Outputs and Outcomes described in the Action Agenda. The three focus areas of this NOFO are Habitat/Marine, Shellfish, and Stormwater.
Goals and Objectives
The activities to be funded under this funding announcement Assistance, support Pillar 1: Clean Air, Land, and Water for Every American and Pillar 3: Permitting Reform, Cooperative Federalism, and Cross-Agency Partnership of Administrator Zeldin’s Five Pillars.
Successful applicants will:
- Meet Puget Sound Recovery National Program high-level goals of managing resources efficiently and appropriately, emphasizing collaboration with partners, and identifying opportunities to address emerging issues through new or existing efforts.
- Comply with the EPA Grants Competition Policy as well as all other applicable Federal Government, EPA and National Estuary Program grant and other regulations and policies, and efficient and effective administrative processes.
- Address priority gaps identified within and across Implementation Strategies and other priority efforts recognized by the Action Agenda that do not have other sources of funding, while being careful not to duplicate efforts by others.
- Improve integration across Puget Sound ecosystem recovery initiatives to take advantage of opportunities to leverage federal, state, tribal, and local efforts and synergies, as well as for EPA Puget Sound awards to serve as a catalyst for transformational investments and planning decisions. Desired outcomes of this would be multi-benefit and cross-cutting investments.
- Integrate resilience, human well-being, and support of communities into ecological components in the EPA approved Action Agenda through the funding model.
- Recognize and support the role of all partners at all geographic scales, including transboundary partners, and their coordination of efforts to achieve priority outcomes.
- Include Puget Sound Partnership staff as an adjunct member for each SIL. This will include regular meetings between the Puget Sound Partnership and each SIL, helping SILs develop investment strategies and related Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to competitively solicit projects that implement the Action Agenda, Salmon Addendum, and LIO Action Plans, and helping to align SIL work with opportunities preparing for or arising from the Puget Sound Partnership’s Boards forums and recovery plans and local needs named in LIO Action Plans.
- Allow Puget Sound Partnership staff to develop and facilitate processes and meeting structures that encourage cross-SIL and cross-Topic coordination, as well as conduct the assessment of ongoing programs (e.g., Growth Management Act, Shoreline Management Act, State Shellfish Program, Addressing Total Maximum Daily Loads).
- Work with Puget Sound Partnership staff to address barriers to implementation.
- Actively participate in the Puget Sound Partnership’s accountability, reporting systems, and adaptive management processes.
The three SILs which EPA is seeking under this NOFO are:
- Habitat/Marine: protect and restore watersheds and marine habitats.
- Shellfish: prevent and reduce fecal pollution to protect and increase harvestable shellfish bed acreage.
- Stormwater: decrease pollutant concentrations, including toxics, and improve management of stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces.
Funding Information
- Funding Available: Up to $120 million.
- Awards funded under this opportunity are expected to have up to a seven year project period.
Eligibility Criteria
Only these types of organizations may apply:
- Washington State & Local Governments organized under Washington State law and located within the Greater Puget Sound basin.
- Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) located in the United States.
- Federally recognized Indian Tribes located within the greater Puget Sound basin and any consortium of these eligible Tribes.
- Nonprofit organizations.
- Special purpose districts, as defined by Washington State law at RCW 36.93.020 within the greater Puget Sound Basin.
- Watershed planning units formed under RCW 90.82.040 and RCW 90.82.060, local management boards organized under RCW 90.88.030, salmon recovery lead entities organized pursuant to RCW 77.85, regional fisheries enhancement groups organized pursuant to RCW 77.95.060 and Marine Resource Committees organized pursuant to RCW 36.125.010 and RCW 36.125.020 if they are located within or their jurisdictions include waters and/or lands within the greater Puget Sound basin.
Applications must meet the following threshold criteria to be considered eligible:
- Applications must include activities taking place within the greater Puget Sound basin.
- Applications must not request more than:
- Habitat/Marine: $48 million
- Shellfish: $30 million
- Stormwater: $42 million
- Applicants may only submit 1 application under this opportunity. Applicants that submit more than 1 application will be contacted to determine which application to evaluate. The remaining application(s) will be deemed ineligible.
- Applications must address only 1 program priority Program Description. Applications that include more than one priority will be deemed ineligible.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
