This page contains information about the foundation's Environmental Sustainability Program. If you have a question that is not answered here, please visit our FAQ page or contact a member of the
Environmental Sustainability Team where team affiliations are listed under staff member names.
The Environmental Sustainability Program is committed to improving the protection and restoration of Puget Sound through a three-pronged program:
- Polluted Runoff and Green Infrastructure
- Environmental Education
- Puyallup Watershed
Polluted Runoff and Green Infrastructure
A primary
threat to Puget Sound's health is polluted runoff - rainwater that carries toxic chemicals, oil, grease, pesticides, waste and other pollutants into the Sound. These pollutants come from the everyday activities of those who live and work around the Sound. We believe that this problem can be fixed by:
- Adopting building practices, regulations and codes that reduce polluted runoff.
- Making improvements to older neighborhoods that reduce polluted runoff while adding other public benefits.
- Engaging the public to understand how their activities affect Puget Sound's water quality and to change their behaviors that contribute to polluted runoff.
TRFF will consider funding projects that seek to accomplish the following objectives:
Polluted Runoff
- Improve behaviors among Puget Sound residents to reduce polluted runoff.
- Ensure compliance with regulations designed to prevent polluted runoff.
- Change individual's behaviors to reduce their impact on Puget Sound.
- Improve citizens understanding of polluted runoff.
- Improve local, state and federal policies that prevent polluted runoff.
Green Infrastructure
- Encourage and test innovations that reduce the water quality impact of both new and existing development.
- Model programs that engage citizens in creating more sustainable communities that reduce impacts on Puget Sound.
- Improve local, state and federal policies and codes.
Environmental Education
Update: TRFF has been funding Environmental Education (EE)
efforts throughout the Puget Sound region for nearly 10 years. In 2012, we
strategically refined our EE priorities to allow for improved implementation
and evaluation of this part of our program. Our new guidelines can be found
below.
New EE Guidelines (Beginning April 2012):
TRFF’s Environmental
Education funding will support programs providing outdoor educational
experiences to students in grades 5-12 with a direct focus on the health of
Puget Sound waters.
Geographically, EE funding will be awarded in two areas:
-
Puget Sound EE– directly focused on the urbanized
areas of King, Pierce, Thurston and Kitsap Counties.
Programs that connect students' understanding of their local
environments to the health of Puget Sound waters.
-
Puyallup Watershed EE – directly focused on the
Puyallup Watershed.
Programs that benefit the students, the community and
watershed health.
Through the Environmental Education Program, the outcomes we
seek are:
-
Enhanced engagement
through outdoor experiential learning opportunities
-
Increased
environmental literacy
-
Changes in behavior
to reduce impact on Puget Sound
If you have questions about this program, please contact Christina Armold - Puget Sound EE Lead () or Holly Powers - Puyallup Watershed EE Lead
().
Puyallup Watershed
TRFF has also made a long term commitment to focus a portion
of its environmental grantmaking on the Puyallup Watershed. We hope to help foster
collaboration, nurture enduring leadership and promote learning about place-based work
to benefit the entire Puget Sound basin. The decision to focus on one watershed as part of our Puget Sound work was made
for two reasons:
-
Puget Sound’s health is directly tied to the health of the
watersheds around the Sound.
-
Most of the work to restore the health of Puget Sound is
inherently local.
The Foundation is currently listening and learning about the
most important issues affecting the health of the Puyallup Watershed. These may include areas such as:
-
Farmland preservation
-
Controlling polluted runoff
-
Improved management of the
Puyallup floodplain to protect both people and the environment
-
Promoting
sustainable forest practices
-
Using water quality research as a driver for
economic development.
Please direct any questions about TRFF's Puyallup Watershed
based work to Scott Miller at .
Evaluation
We will judge our efforts by measuring progress against the following outcomes:
- Less pollution enters Puget Sound.
- Diverse constituencies find shared value in making their communities healthier and reducing their impact on the Sound.
- Strong ongoing partnerships exist among groups working on Puget Sound issues.
- Puget Sound residents develop a deeper connection to their local and regional environments.
- Enhanced engagement in Puget Sound protection is sustainable over time.
- Knowledge generated by the work of TRFF grantees is shared to leverage broader change.
Application Process
To learn about the application process for this program, please visit our How to Apply page.
Past Grantmaking
In 2010, the Environmental Sustainability Program paid out $2,733,905 in grants to 57 organizations working around Puget Sound. The average grant size was $47,963.
In 2009 the Environmental Sustainability Program paid out $2,692,141 in grants to 58 organizations working around Puget Sound. The average grant size was $46,416.
For a list of organizations that received grants from the TRFF Environmental Sustainability Program in 2011, click here. In 2010, click here. In 2009,
click here.
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