The Puget Sound Stewardship and Mitigation Fund supports community-based efforts to protect and improve the water quality of Puget Sound. The Fund was established by the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and continues to be funded through citizen enforcement actions brought by Soundkeeper and Waste Action Project. These organizations work to hold polluters accountable and bring them into compliance with the Clean Water Act, with the shared goal of promoting cleaner water and healthier fisheries in the Puget Sound region.

The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment manages this Fund and encourages proposals from small grassroots conservation and environmental justice groups. Organizations that are new or very small are advised to consider applying to the California Environmental Grassroots Fund instead. The maximum funding request for this grant is $40,000. The Fund operates two grant cycles each year — one in the spring and one in the fall.

For the spring 2025 cycle, the Request for Proposals (RFP) will be announced in January 2025, with applications due by March 31, 2025. Grant awards will be announced in June 2025. For the fall 2025 cycle, the RFP will be announced in late July, with applications due by September 18, 2025, and awards announced in November 2025. Funded projects must align with the Fund’s goal of improving Puget Sound’s water quality through activities such as habitat restoration, pollution prevention, environmental monitoring, public education, or other community-based environmental efforts.

Eligibility for the Fund requires that applicants be nonprofit organizations (501c3) or have a fiscal sponsor. Projects must focus on protecting or improving the water quality of Puget Sound, which restricts eligibility geographically to Washington State. Applications must be submitted online through the Rose Foundation’s grant portal. Projects that include environmental education, public engagement, and community-led restoration are encouraged.

For assistance in preparing applications, applicants are invited to contact Timothy Bell at tbell@rosefdn.org. The Foundation also offers online resources including detailed application instructions, examples of past funded projects, and downloadable logos for use in project materials. All publicly distributed materials related to a funded project must acknowledge both the Rose Foundation and the Fund’s enforcement partners.

The Rose Foundation’s contact address is 201 4th Street, Suite 102, Oakland, CA 94607. Applicants with questions can call (510) 658-0702. This program is part of the Foundation’s broader commitment to supporting environmental stewardship, justice, and resilient communities.