King Conservation District’s Regional Food System Program was established in 2015 to support the action plans of King County’s Local Food Initiative and the Puget Sound Regional Food Policy Council. Based on input from a wide range of local food system advisors, KCD implemented a series of initiatives to strengthen our local food economy. Program components include Regional Food System Grants and Strategic Initiative Grants. King Conservation District is seeking the services of a qualified consultant or team of consultants to lead and manage a comprehensive farmland access program in King County.
The 2026 Farmland Access Strategic Initiative is a countywide program that aims to expand equitable and strategic access to farmland and provide comprehensive, relationship-based services by collaborating with the King County Farmland Access Team to:
- Identify strategically significant farmlands
- Continue building trusted relationships with farmland owners
- Develop mechanisms that support land transitions which retain land in active agricultural use
- Strengthen regional coordination among nonprofit and community partners
This work supports the goals of the King County Local Food Initiative and leverages data from the forthcoming 2026 King County Agriculture Land Use Survey, which will identify farmable but unfarmed acreage to prioritize engagement with farmland owners, farmers, and agricultural communities.
The initiative is supported by up to $150,000 per year in funding. Initial proposal timeline should be for one year. Awarded proposals may be renewed for a total of 5 consecutive years at KCD’s discretion. Awards will support a dedicated contractor or organization to carry out the tasks outlined in the RFP and in coordination with King Conservation District and King County.
Please reach out to KCD’s grants manager with questions regarding applications and eligibility: Jessica Saavedra – jessica.saavedra@kingcd.org
View full Regional Food System Farmland Access Strategic Initiative RFP
Download and fill out these documents to submit through our grant application portal:
| Regional Food System Farmland Access Strategic Initiative
2026 Process Timeline |
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| Request for Proposals Released
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March 25th, 2026 |
| Proposal submittal deadline (4 weeks) | April 22nd, 2026, by 5 pm |
| Proposal review period | April 23rd – May 22th, 2026
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| RFP Respondents notified of decision by email | By May 29th by 5 pm |