Washington State Public Works Board opens application cycle for $15.8 million in broadband funding

Washington State Public Works Board opens application cycle for $15.8 million in broadband funding

Grants and low-interest loans available for broadband construction projects OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Public Works Board today opened applications for broadband funding, offering $15.8 million in grants and low-interest loans for broadband construction projects. Projects in distressed counties are eligible for 30% grant and 70% loan funding, until funds are exhausted. Local governments, tribes, nonprofit organizations, cooperative associations, multiparty entities, limited liability corporations (LLC), and incorporated businesses or…

2023  Washington Governor’s Smart Communities Award recipients announced

2023 Washington Governor’s Smart Communities Award recipients announced

Annual awards recognize excellence, creativity, collaboration in land use planning and development OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce is pleased to announce the 11 winners of the 2023 Governor’s Smart Communities Awards. Presented annually since 2006, the Smart Communities Awards program recognizes local governments and their partners for exceptional land use planning and development. The awards showcase effective implementation of the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA). The honored…

Commerce releases plan to invest $200 million to address disparities created by the war on drugs

Commerce releases plan to invest $200 million to address disparities created by the war on drugs

Comprehensive Community Reinvestment Plan details 17 grant programs addressing economic development, legal assistance, violence reduction and reentry services OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce  today released a Community Reinvestment Plan (Box PDF) identifying a comprehensive set of actions to distribute $200 million to address racial, economic, and social disparities in Washington communities and to individuals disproportionately harmed by the historical design and enforcement of state and federal…

Public Works Board approves $4.3 million in broadband and emergency construction grants and loans

Public Works Board approves $4.3 million in broadband and emergency construction grants and loans

Funds will repair emergency water projects in Chelan and Douglas counties, and connect nearly 600 unserved locations to high-speed internet OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) recently approved $4.3 million in critical infrastructure projects in three communities. They include $575,000 in emergency construction projects and $3.7 million in broadband funding. At its Oct. 19 special meeting called to address an emergency funding request, the PWB approved $400,000 for…

Washington receives $2.2 million federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant

Washington receives $2.2 million federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant

Funding will lower energy use, reduce emissions, promote energy efficiency in communities OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Department of Commerce was awarded a $2.2 million grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, a funding opportunity from the Office of State and Community Energy Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The state plans to use this funding to lower energy use, reduce emissions, and promote…

American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center in Spokane designated one of nation’s 31 inaugural Tech Hubs

American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center in Spokane designated one of nation’s 31 inaugural Tech Hubs

Led by Gonzaga University, AAMMC Tech Hub brings together some 50 public and private partners primed for innovation and job creation in development and manufacturing of composite materials for the future of lightweight, sustainable aircraft. OLYMPIA, WA — The American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center located in Spokane, WA today was designated as one of the 31 inaugural Tech Hubs across the nation by the Biden-Harris administration through the U.S. Department of…

Commerce funds four more innovative projects seeking to repurpose industrial and agricultural waste

Commerce funds four more innovative projects seeking to repurpose industrial and agricultural waste

Industrial Symbiosis grants advance the idea that growth does not have to equal waste; one company’s waste is another’s resource OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced $850,000 in grants to four projects that support efforts to develop beneficial uses for industrial waste. In this second year of the Industrial Symbiosis Program, funded projects range from research and development to implementation. The program seeks to go beyond…

US Dept. of Energy Selects Pacific Northwest for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub

US Dept. of Energy Selects Pacific Northwest for Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub

Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association’s PNWH2 Hub enters negotiations with DOE for initial hydrogen hub federal funding  OLYMPIA, WA – The Pacific Northwest will continue to lead the way in building a clean energy future as a network of clean hydrogen suppliers and end-users to decarbonize some of the hardest-to-abate sectors of the region’s economy is one step closer to reality. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today selected the Pacific…

Commerce receives $1 million SBA grant to boost small business exports

Commerce receives $1 million SBA grant to boost small business exports

More than $600 million in sales attributed to Washington’s State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) since inception OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce again tops the list of states awarded funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to help state small businesses grow through exporting. Washington’s $1 million State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant is the largest awarded from a total $20 million to 49 states in…

U District Partnership and Department of Commerce announce $5 million investment in U District small businesses

U District Partnership and Department of Commerce announce $5 million investment in U District small businesses

We’re pleased to share this announcement from the U District Partnership: Announcement unveiled over 140 small business facade and facility improvements in the U District. Seattle – This morning, The U District Partnership and Washington State Department of Commerce unveiled an unprecedented series of investments in Seattle’s University District. Small businesses up and down University Way NE and across the neighborhood have received a total of $5 million in funding,…