public participation grants

Application Period Opens July 1: Starting Wednesday, July 1, the Washington Department of Ecology will accept applications for public participation grants. The application period closes Monday, August 31, 1998. Groups of three or more unrelated individuals and not-for-profit, public interest organizations can qualify for a ranging from $1,000 to $60,000. Businesses and government departments, including universities, do not qualify.

Grants Pay for Public Involvement: The grants make it easier for people to be involved in two types of waste issues:

The cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

Carrying out the state's solid and hazardous waste management priorities. The highest priority is reducing the amount of waste created.

Ecology's highest interest is in projects that prevent pollution and produce measurable benefits to the environment.

Not-for-profit groups are encouraged to apply. These include environmental coalitions, community clubs, neighborhood associations, environmental education groups, business and trade associations, labor or worker health/safety organizations, groups who live in the path of potential contamination from hazardous waste cleanup sites, ethnic or minority societies, outdoor enthusiasts, professional or fraternal societies, and service clubs.

Your Application Must be at Ecology by 5 p.m. Monday, August 31, 1998: Applications must be received by close of business Monday, August 31, 1998. This means your application must be received in the Solid Waste and Financial Assistance Office in the Department of Ecology headquarters building by 5 p.m. The headquarters building is at 300 Desmond Drive in Lacey. Postmarks do not qualify. Call (360) 407-6095 for directions to the building.

How to Apply: If your group has a project that might be eligible, request an application packet from Department of Ecology, Solid Waste and Financial Assistance, P. O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600, phone 1-800-RECYCLE.  

© Washington State Code Reviser's Office