Free money awaits, island agencies told

Published 11:00 am Saturday, November 26, 2005

But just like the lottery, you can’t win if you don’t buy a

ticket, a lobbyist says.

There are pots of gold at the end of the state grant rainbow, but to get some you have to apply for it – and be a little creative.

“Getting a grant, your chances are better than hitting the lottery,” islander and longtime Olympia lobbyist Mike Ryherd said. “But if you don’t apply, you won’t get money.”

Ryherd, a former Bainbridge Island Land Trust board president, illuminated the workings of state grant programs in a workshop Tuesday at City Hall.

The audience represented more than 20 island organizations covering city public works, arts, historic preservation, music, theater, environmental conservation, elder care, youth programs, affordable housing and farming.

Grants are open to local government entities and nonprofit organizations, Ryherd said. The state usually looks for capital projects with long-term value to communities, but with creativity a wide variety of projects can get funding.

High on the list for funding are projects for clean water and storm water management, open space, housing, buildings for the arts, community development, infrastructure and economic development, habitat conservation and mostly outdoor recreational opportunities.

Funded biennially, state clean water-related grants alone total over $300 million, with a state loan program at $289 million. Grants for recreation, such as boating, trails and aquatic lands offer grants totaling over $75 million; salmon recovery tops $65 million.

More categories of grants continue to be added, Ryherd said. Where before many projects had to affect salmon enhancement, now two new categories cover riparian projects and farmland conservation.

If a project doesn’t easily fit a category, it can be creatively piggybacked onto one that does get a lot of funding.

“It’s taking a project and looking at the opportunities,” Ryherd said.

In Bremerton, one of the four cities for which he lobbies, a successful application proposed a walkway and road for maintenance vehicles over a sewer line along the waterfront. The path created a pedestrian and bicycle route linking downtown Bremerton to a nearby park, and provided water views, bird watching and fishing opportunities.

On Bainbridge, the Winslow Tomorrow downtown plans have the potential to tie several elements together, Ryherd said. One state fund with $50 million to distribute biennially looks for infrastructure and economic revitalization projects.

“It’s for remaking older cities that have to come out of the 1930s and ’50s model into the 21st century,” Ryherd said.

A parking garage with a park on top could qualify for open space grants, he suggested.

Those vetting applications look for projects that are in the public interest, Ryherd said. That is, those that will create or maintain jobs and improve the quality of life and send sales tax back to the state. Unified community support is a hallmark of successful and strong applications.

“Lack of community support will lose you points,” he said. “In building consensus, you’re trying to get to the place where people’s ultimate goals are served, not necessarily serving how they think they need to get there.”

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Grows on trees

A reference CD with information about applying for grant money and an index of available funds is available at City Hall, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust and the Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District.