King Conservation District’s Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program funds projects that incorporate both natural resource improvement and environmental equity goals. The program advances the City of Seattle’s Equity and Environment Initiative and KCD’s natural resource priorities by funding projects that build community awareness about environmental issues, manage stormwater with green infrastructure, protect and restore water bodies, build healthy soil, support the urban forest and a sustainable local food system.
In 2018, the program received 26 letters of intent requesting $1,619,967. Sixteen applicants were invited to submit full proposals and six grants were awarded totaling $395,458. All proposals went through a rigorous review and scoring process by the City of Seattle. The following proposals were recommended to KCD’s Board of Supervisors for funding. The grants were awarded by KCD’s Board of Supervisors October 15, 2018. For more information contact, Jessica Saavedra, KCD-Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program Manager, at jessica.saavedra@kingcd.org or 425-282-1906.
iUrban Teen: Yesler Terrace Goes Green
iUrban Teen (iUT) is an African-American led organization focused on career pathways for low-income youth of color. iUT’s project will create a durable, cooperative urban farm in the Yesler Terrace community. The overarching goal is to improve human and environmental health and promote environmental stewardship in the Yesler Terrace neighborhood through the establishment of a cooperative farm and planting trees, using community engagement strategies, sponsoring an Environmental Career Summit for youth of color and creating a digital toolkit.
Na’ah lllahee Fund: Seattle Urban Native Community Indigenous Foods and Ecological Knowledge Project
The Yalwwt program: Indigenous leaders for a Sustainable World has been developing the leadership of a cohort of Native women and girls in Permaculture Design, increasing traditional knowledge, and implementing ecological restoration projects on public lands. This project will support the next phase of the Permaculture Cohort- guided by the Native community- to work with NIF staff, a graphic designer, and an environmental services consultant to create a comprehensive plan to be approved by Seattle Parks as a part of the Discovery Park Master Plan. The project also will recruit volunteers to implement elements of the plan in a series of work days to enrich the ponds and surrounding wetlands, remove invasives, amend soils, and plant native plants.
Young Women Empowered: Y-WE Nature Connections
Program will serve 70 young women (ages 13·18), and 20 adult women mentors. Of these young women, 20 will participate in an Environmental Leadership Council focused on environmental justice and healthy food; workshops and food production will benefit an additional 90 community members. With their mentors, participants engage in environmental learning to become environmental stewards. Through urban farming and habitat protection, the program integrates STEM learning in real-world contexts. In a partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Urban Food Systems Program, youth in the Environmental Leadership Council will be at Marra Farm in South Park to learn about food systems, fruit tree maintenance, gardening for food production, care of chickens, food preservation and distribution, and environmental justice. Youth will prepare food in South Park Community Center‘s kitchen and teach healthy meal preparation to local youth and adults.
Zero Waste Washington: Youth Green Jobs
This project is a partnership with the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps in a project for youth to assess litter in the community and then conduct outreach and engagement with local small businesses for waste prevention in order to reduce plastic pollution In our waters and create youth green job pathways. This project expands the reach of a current Waterworks plastic pollution grant by creating a job program for youth who have recently graduated from the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps and creating new activities for Youth Corps members. They will conduct youth-led litter assessment in business area ROWs in the Duwamish Valley and beyond; conduct youth-to-business outreach; provide education about ways businesses can reduce plastic sources and encourage alternatives; identify barriers related to litter and pollution prevention; and, create recommendations generated by the youth to the City and others about strategies to reduce plastic pollution at the community level.
Delridge Neighborhood Development Association: Delridge Wetlands Restoration & Stewardship Project
This project restores and improves wetland functionality and substantially improves wetland hydrology and the quality of water entering Longfellow Creek. It would construct a bio-filtration swale on the perimeter of the wetland to pre- treat stormwater before it enters the wetland. It proposes to collaborate with SDOT and SPU in the design and construction of a series of bioswales, as well as provide opportunities for local area schools to participate in the design of the Delridge Wetland Park. It would support teachers in developing Next Generation Learning Standards, by bringing classrooms to the project site and having students take specific measurements of water, soil, plants and to record their samples. The Park will be designed with garden beds and an orchard and partner with Tilth Alliance to grow and distribute food through programs that serve low-income households.
The Common Acre: The Green line
The Green Line project is the next phase of a pollinator conservation project along Seattle City Light‘s Creston-Duwamish transmission corridor, to be developed and managed by The Common Acre and local partners. Restoring native plants and pollinators, this project will create a demonstration site for native pollinators and plant conservation that models how communities may re-purpose inactive public space. The Green Line will involve partnerships with Rainier Beach Action Coalition, Unkitawa (a Native coalition founded as a result of the Standing Rock movement) , and the former director of Red Eagle Native Youth Theater, as well as residents of south Seattle.