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Commerce News

Commerce invests $17.9 million in eight new behavioral health facility projects
Grants will fund the acquisition, renovation, and new construction of facilities in five counties OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $17.9 million in grants to fund eight projects across the state that will increase services and community-based treatment options for individuals with a wide variety of behavioral health challenges. The investments support Gov. Inslee’s five-year plan to modernize and transform Washington’s mental health system, with

New Commerce Report: Time, trust, and technology key to small business success
OLYMPIA, WA – Time, trust and technology are key to ensuring small businesses farthest from opportunity in Washington state have the right mix of technical assistance and financial resources to thrive. A groundbreaking report by the Washington State Department of Commerce found that although technical assistance providers do offer the right mix of resources, minority or women business owners and those located in rural areas often do not have access

New Industrial Symbiosis grants support collaborative projects advancing the circular economy OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $850,000 in grants to four projects in support of new and exciting efforts to find beneficial uses for industrial waste. In this first year of the Industrial Symbiosis Program, funded projects range from research and development to on-the-ground implementation. Competitive grants announced today are: Inland Empire Paper Company

Commerce seeking mentors to help prospective cannabis business owners succeed
New Social Equity in Cannabis Technical Assistance Mentorship Program designed to help communities historically impacted by high poverty and enforcement of cannabis prohibitions OLYMPIA, WA – In 2020, the Washington State Legislature determined that additional efforts are necessary to reduce barriers to entry to the cannabis industry for individuals and communities most adversely impacted by the enforcement of cannabis-related laws. As a result, the Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force

Washington Public Works Board invites public input on changes to broadband funding program
Stakeholder input from November workshops, December 27 public hearing will help inform rulemaking, set priorities for changes required by 2022 Legislature OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) is seeking public participation to help identify and prioritize issues that stakeholders believe should be addressed in the Board’s broadband funding program as a result of changes made to the program by the 2022 state Legislature. Input from two

Commerce to host open house at new Kennewick hub office Monday, Oct. 17
Kennewick Tri-City location launches “headquarters and hubs” model for increasing agency presence and access in communities across the state OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce will host an open house on Monday, Oct. 17 from 3 to 5 p.m., welcoming the public to its first regional hub office located in the Tri-Cities Business Center at 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. The agency is leasing space from

State infrastructure grants support over 1,000 new units of affordable housing across Washington
Commerce awards nearly $5 million to 12 projects through Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced a third round of Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP) grants that will help expedite construction of 1,102 affordable housing units in 12 counties statewide. The nearly $5 million in funding awarded to local governments can be used to pay for water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure

Department of Commerce offers grants to spur industrial site development
New industrial site readiness program has $2.5 million available for counties, cities, port districts and tribal governments throughout Washington state OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce has launched an Industrial Site Readiness grant program designed to support counties, cities, port districts and tribal governments with plans to develop and revitalize properties for manufacturing or other industrial uses. Eligible public entities throughout the state can apply for grants
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