Environmental Justice Fund

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THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FUND IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2025. THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS 5 PM PT TUESDAY, JUNE 3. PLEASE SEE APPLICATION DETAILS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT WE FUND AND HOW TO APPLY.   

Overview

The Environmental Justice (EJ) Fund was established in 2018 as part of the City of Seattle’s Equity & Environment Agenda to invest in community-led projects advancing climate justice. The EJ Fund is designed to protect and strengthen Seattle communities hit first and worst by climate change, extreme weather, and environmental inequities, including Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrants, refugees, youth, elders, and low-income residents. The EJ Fund is funded through the Seattle Payroll Expense Tax, a local revenue source not connected to federal funding.

In 2025, $740,000 is available via three funding options:  

• Option 1: grants ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 
• Option 2: grants ranging from $40,001 to $90,000 
• Option 3: for projects that are led by and serve communities in the Duwamish Valley grants ranging from $10,000 to $90,000 

Selected recipients will be eligible for continuation funding in the following year.  

Projects must be completed by April 2027. 

Guiding Goals

Centering Community Community-centric grantmaking prioritizes the needs of the communities that the EJ Fund serves.	Building Trust Building trust is central to the grantmaking practices of the EJ Fund to establish strong relationships with grantees through intentional, trust-building efforts.
Growing Community Leadership  The EJ Fund seeks to deepen the bench of environmental justice leaders from our priority communities to grow representation in this work.	Strengthening Collaboration Recognizing the power of collaboration and partnerships, the EJ Fund Team seeks to strengthen collaboration between organizations and local government as well as facilitate collaboration amongst grantees.

What We Fund

We fund diverse community efforts addressing climate change and advancing environmental justice, including arts and storytelling, community education, capacity building, climate preparedness, programming related to green jobs*, and community planning and visioning.

Who We Fund

We welcome proposals from Tribes and tribal organizations, non-profit organizations and community groups whose work is led by or in partnership with Black, Indigenous, people of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, youth, and/or elders.