Estuary and Salmon
Restoration Program (ESRP)

The Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program provides grants to protect and restore the Puget Sound near-shore. The program was created by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to support the emerging priorities of the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Program. All phases of project development from feasibility through monitoring are eligible for funding. For details, visit the Puget Sound Nearshore Project Web site at www.pugetsoundnearshore.org/esrp.htm.

Typical Projects

Typical projects include near-shore restoration and protection activities that restore natural ecosystem processes and functions. Examples of previously funded projects include:

• Protection of near-shore and wetland habitat
• Restoration of salmon habiat and estuaries
• Removing or breaching dikes
• Removing bulkheads to restore sediment supply and transport to beaches
• Feasbility and design
• Decommissioning roads and removing fill

Funding Source

Funding comes the State Building Construction Fund. Federal funding also has been received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Community Based Restoration Program and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Who can apply?

• Local agencies
• State agencies
• Federal agencies
• Native American tribes
• Academic institutions
• Private institutions
• Nonprofit organizations

Match requirements

A match of cash or in-kind services equaling 33 percent of the grant is required. This match must be incurred during the award period. Some of this match must be non-state funds. Match requirements are typically consistent with RCO definitions; however, match eligibility is determined case-by-case.

Grant Caps

None. 

Funding Anticipated (Average)

$10 million biennially

Eligible Projects

Program priorities steer funding toward projects focused on restoring physical ecological processes.

• Acquisition

• Restoration

• Feasibility

• Design

• Monitoring

• Outreach

Ineligible Projects

Projects with the primary objective of providing recreational access or remediating chemical contamination are not eligible as stand-alone projects; however these activities may be eligible components of larger efforts. Grants will not be awarded for work that relieves obligatory payment or mitigation requirements.

Grant Application Schedule

Grant funds are distributed through a competitive process. Applications are accepted annually pending availability of funding and release of a Request for Proposals. To check the schedule, visit the Puget Sound Nearshore Project Web site at www.pugetsoundnearshore.org/esrp.htm.

Grant Evaluation Process (9 months)

Previous grant application cycles have begun with a spring release of a request for proposals, late summer application deadline, and a year-end funding decision.

Project proposals are evaluated based on their cost and likelihood of addressing high priority ecosystem impairment. Proposals are ranked by a technical review committee resulting in ranked project list.

Long-term Commitments for Funded Projects

Any properties acquired with these grants must be managed for the purposes stated in the grant agreement for the life of the grant agreement. Grant recipients must submit a stewardship plan that identifies how the site and restoration investment is to be protected over time.