Growth Management Grants

Growth Management Services often has opportunities to fund community planning and development. This page contains information on open grants and current funding cycles for local governments. 

Zoning schematic of Seattle waterfront

Climate Planning Grants

The 2023-2025 biennial operating budget (SB 5187 (Section 130)(21)) directs Commerce to administer grants and provide technical assistance to cities and counties to plan for climate change. Commerce will make approximately $30 million available in statewide grants for the 2023-2025 biennium with an expectation that additional resources will be appropriated through the current periodic update. The application window closes on October 31, 2023.

Funding is available under the following formula

While funding is available under a formula, cities and counties with a 2025 or 2026 comprehensive plan update due, will receive priority for the current biennium’s available funding. Certain jurisdictions are required to update their comprehensive plan with both a Greenhouse Gas Reduction sub-element and Resilience sub-element. Grant amounts and distribution details are available in the grant instructions. 

Fully Planning Counties

  • $300,000 – $800,000 based on population 

Fully Planning Cities

  • $100,000 – $700,000 based on population

Grant Requirements

Each fully planning city and county is eligible for funding based on applicability (RCW 36.70A.040 (4)). These grants support implementation of HB 1181 (2023). Funding allocation is based on both population and required updates to the comprehensive plan for each jurisdiction.

The following climate planning related activities are eligible for funding:

  • Adopting comprehensive plan policy and development regulation amendments to implement HB 1181 (2023) as applicable.
  • Other planning activities related to implementing HB 1181: A jurisdiction could propose both to adopt a climate element and conduct an implementation activity related to the adopted plan. Implementation activities must be climate planning related and not capital or infrastructure projects. Examples of implementation activities include (but not limited to): development of EV infrastructure plan; municipal building decarbonization plan; urban heat resilience strategy; or, native & climate-resilient planting plans for municipal projects.

Grant Materials

Grant workshop materials

Housing Grants

Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP)

Overview

The CHIP grant helps local governments reduce per unit connection fees, which are used to pay for area-wide improvements to water or wastewater systems. When utilities reduce these connection fees for affordable, multifamily, or infill projects, it can help encourage development of more of these housing options, which tend to be more affordable and make more efficient use of costly infrastructure. Currently, there is $55 million in available funding for the 2023-2025 biennium. The application period is open through October 31, 2023 and project requests are limited to $2 million. For more information, visit our CHIP webpage. 

Grant requirements

The applicant must be a city, county or public utility district in partnership with an affordable housing project, and must meet the following requirements:

  • The city or county must have imposed a sales and use tax for affordable housing.
  • The new housing development must include at least 25% affordable units at or under 80% area median income (AMI), with a strong probability of serving the target group for at least 25 years.
  • Affordable housing must begin construction within 24 months of the grant award.

Application Materials

Grant workshop materials

Middle Housing Grant 2023-2025

Overview

The 2023-2025 State Operating Budget (Senate Bill 5187) directs Commerce to administer grants and provide technical assistance to cities or counties for actions relating to adopting ordinances that plan for and accommodate housing. Commerce will make approximately $4.5 million available in statewide grants to implement House Bill 1110 (2023) supporting the development of middle housing. The grant window is currently open and will close on Friday, September 15, 2023 at 5 PM. Completed applications must be submitted to gmsgrants@commerce.wa.gov. 

Commerce hosted a pre-application workshop on August 17, 2023. Please see the following materials and video recording of the workshop.

Grant requirements

Grants are available to local governments across the state that are subject to the requirements of HB 1110 during their next periodic review update cycle (2024-2027). Local governments not subject to HB 1110 may also apply for activities related to implementing middle housing. However, priority for grant funding will go to those local governments required to implement HB 1110. Funding will also be prioritized to local governments that did not receive funding under the Middle Housing grant program provided during the 2021-2023 biennium. Maximum grant amounts are available in the grant instructions. Check out our Middle Housing webpage for more information and additional support for implementing these housing goals in your community. 

Application Materials

Comprehensive Plan – Periodic Update Grants

The Governor and the Legislature made a historic investment in Growth Management Act planning during the 2022 Legislative Session and have continued that into the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium. As a result, we expect to provide grant funding to all counties, and cities within those counties, in advance of their upcoming comprehensive plan and development regulation “periodic updates,” required under RCW 36.70A.130(5). 

Funding is Available Under the Following Formula

Grants are available to counties and cities based on fully planning or partially planning status under the GMA, as well as population:

Fully Planning

  • Counties with 100,000 population and over:        $700,000
  • Counties under 100,000 population:                      $350,000
  • Cities with 100,000 population and over:              $325,000
  • Cities with 50,000 to 99,999 population:               $175,000
  • Cities with 3,000 to 49,999 population:                 $125,000
  • Cities under 3,000 population:                                $100,000

Partially Planning

  • Counties with 10,000 population and over:          $150,000
  • Counties under 10,000 population:                        $100,000
  • Cities (No population limits):                                  $20,000

Starting July 1, 2023, counties and cities with a 2025 deadline are eligible to receive the first half of their grant, with the second half coming the following year. Commerce intends to provide these same grant amounts to all counties and cities throughout the update cycle, with due dates from 2024 through 2027, under RCW 36.70A.130(5)(a)-(d). Grants should be available for all jurisdictions starting two years before the statutory deadlines for review and revision, established under RCW 36.70A.130(5).

Grant Requirements

Periodic update grant award notifications and instructions have been distributed to counties and cities with 2024 updates. Counties and cities with 2025 update should expect to receive similar notification this summer, and Commerce will work with you to finalize grant agreements. Jurisdictions are eligible to request grant reimbursement for all periodic update grant work, defined in the grant agreements, beginning July 1, 2023. 

Application Materials

Local agency representatives can select the following links based on their periodic update due date:

Note: Buildable Land Reports & GMA Implementation Reports

In addition to the required periodic update, seven counties (Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston and Whatcom), and the cities within these counties, must also complete a review and evaluation program for buildable lands (i.e. the Buildable Lands Report) every eight years under RCW 36.70A.215.  Adding a new requirement in 2022, HB 1241 requires certain jurisdictions to complete an implementation progress report five years after the end of their periodic update.

Funding is expected to be available to meet those responsibilities in later years. Grants may be used for planning work in need of review, or revised for your comprehensive plan and development regulations as required to meet your periodic updates. If all of the funding is not needed to meet the update requirement, a jurisdiction can use their remaining funds for other planning work beyond the minimum requirements.

Quick Links

Contact

Periodic Update Grants:
Dave Andersen, AICP Managing Director
Email: Dave.Andersen@Commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 509-434-4491

Paul Johnson, Operations Support Manager
Email: Paul.Johnson@Commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-3048