Affordable Housing Planning Grants

The Affordable Housing Planning Grants are administered by the Washington State Department of Ecology through its Toxics Cleanup Program as part of the broader Affordable Housing Cleanup Grant Program. This program was developed to address the intersection of environmental remediation and housing affordability by supporting the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties into sites suitable for affordable housing. The initiative stems from state policy under the Model Toxics Control Act, which provides funding mechanisms to remediate hazardous waste sites while promoting public health and equitable community development. The purpose of the Affordable Housing Planning Grants is to provide financial support for early-stage activities that assess and prepare contaminated properties for redevelopment. These grants focus on planning and investigative work, including environmental site assessments, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and community engagement planning. The program aims to reduce uncertainty around contamination, evaluate project viability, and facilitate informed decision-making for affordable housing development projects. By funding these preparatory steps, the program seeks to accelerate eventual cleanup and construction while reducing the financial burden associated with environmental remediation. Eligible uses of funding include a wide range of technical and planning activities necessary to determine whether a contaminated site can be feasibly redeveloped. These activities include due diligence investigations, environmental sampling and analysis, feasibility studies, and the development of community outreach plans. The program also allows for project planning activities that address environmental justice concerns and ensure that community input is incorporated into redevelopment strategies. However, funding is limited to planning-related activities and does not cover property acquisition or full-scale cleanup construction. The grant is available to a broad set of applicants, including public entities, private developers, and nonprofit organizations, provided they are pursuing the redevelopment of contaminated sites for affordable housing. Applicants must demonstrate an interest in the property, such as ownership or intent to acquire, and must ensure that the site meets specific eligibility criteria, including zoning requirements and proximity to essential community services. The program also requires that projects include a community engagement component to ensure transparency and local participation in planning decisions. Applications for these grants were accepted during funding cycles aligned with Washington State’s biennial budget periods. For the 2023–2025 biennium, Ecology conducted solicitations and awarded multiple grants. However, applications are not currently being accepted, and the program is not being offered for the 2025–2027 biennium due to limited funding. Future availability is uncertain but may resume in the 2027–2029 biennium, at which point updated eligibility and evaluation criteria would be released for public comment prior to solicitation. Grant awards are capped at $400,000 per project, with a total program funding pool of approximately $1.6 million for the referenced cycle. Matching requirements vary by applicant type: local governments and nonprofit organizations may receive full funding without a match, while private developers are required to contribute a 25 percent match. The program operates on a competitive basis, with applications evaluated using criteria related to project readiness, environmental impact, community benefit, and equity considerations. Applications are submitted through Ecology’s Administration of Grants and Loans system, and applicants must provide detailed project scopes, supporting documentation, and evidence of eligibility. Evaluation criteria include environmental health considerations, proximity to community services, and alignment with local housing needs. Program oversight includes grant management, reporting requirements, and compliance with state environmental and cultural resource review processes. Contact for program inquiries is Laurie Dahmen, Competitive Grant Program Supervisor at the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Emphasize project readiness, environmental justice considerations, and strong community engagement planning to improve scoring outcomes