Motion 2020-14 – Environmental Grant Program Page 1 of 2
MOTION 2020-14:
A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
authorizing the Executive Director to execute up to
$1,500,000 (one million and five hundred thousand) dollars
in contracts under the South King County Fund.
ADOPTED
JUNE 9, 2020
INTRODUCTION
The South King County Fund was created in November 2018 to provide $10 million in resources
to near-airport communities for projects that address airport noise, environmental health, and
sustainability. In June 2019, the Port Commission approved eight guiding principles to further
shape the fund. In April 2020, “Economic Development” was added as an approved use of the
fund in response to community input asking for economic investments in the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis. This motion also supports the creation of
an Environmental Grant Program modeled on the Airport Community Ecology (ACE) Fund, and
supports Women and Minority-owned Business Enterprises (WMBE) in South King County.
The South King County Fund will award $1.5 million to support recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic. These funds will be divided into the following three programs for 2020:
1) Economic Recovery and Workforce Development Grant Program that service one of
the following Port-related industries: Aviation, Maritime, Construction, or Green Jobs.
Funds will support non-profit organizations in South King County that are conducting
projects in the following four categories: Small Business Assistance, Workforce
Development, Job Creation, and Development of New, Innovative Economic Recovery
Strategies.
2) Environmental Grant Program built off the ACE model. The new program will increase
the per project cap to $20,000 and utilize the Equity Index to prioritize projects in the
most vulnerable and impacted communities that are within the geographic boundaries
of the South King County Fund.
3) Support for WMBE the Diversity in Contracting department will expand existing
contracts with organizations that support WMBE businesses in South King County.
Motion 2020-14 – Environmental Grant Program Page 2 of 2
TEXT OF THE MOTION
The Commission hereby authorizes the Executive Director to execute up to $1,500,000 (one
million and five hundred thousand dollars) in contracts under the South King County Fund to
support economic development and workforce development grants, an environmental program
grant, and WMBE economic recovery.
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION
The Port of Seattle has been working to develop a collaborative and interdisciplinary team, led
by External Relations and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OEDI) and includes
representatives from Legal, Central Purchasing Office, Aviation Environmental, Budget and
Finance, and Commission Staff, as well deep multicultural engagement with the community to
develop an equity-based grant making process under the South King County Fund.
The result of this planning, vetting, and program development is a South King County Fund that
is can be activated in June of 2020 which is responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable and
impacted communities in South King County, establishes new practices and norms within the
Port for equity-based decision making, operates within the Port’s statutory authority, and is
poised to launch in the top eight spoken languages in the county.
