Lake Forest Park seeks applicants for the Environmental/Legacy Grant Program

Lake Forest Park Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) and Community Service Commission (CSC) encourage residents to apply for funding under the Commissions’ jointly-sponsored Environmental/Legacy Grant Program. 

Lake Forest Park provides grants to individual property owners, groups of property owners or community organizations to encourage small-scale environmental improvements. 

Grants reimburse a portion of expenses on projects in two categories:

• Local ecosystem enhancement - restoration projects that return wetlands, streams, and lakeshore areas to more natural conditions. Ecosystem enhancement projects can be undertaken by individuals or groups.
• Legacy Vision implementation - projects that contribute to the 100-Year Legacy Vision: healthy connections, natural drainage, healthy habitat, and people places. Legacy Vision projects must be group projects.

The program provides 50% reimbursement, up to $500, for projects carried out by individual property owners, and 50% reimbursement, up to $1500, for projects carried out by groups of property owners or community organizations. Some examples of projects eligible for funding include:

• Creating a community garden
• Creating a rain garden
• Creating native buffers between lawns and wetlands, streams, or Lake Washington
• Replacing lawns or non-native vegetation with native species
• Other projects that meet Legacy guidelines.

Any Lake Forest Park landowner or community group is eligible to apply. Applications and more detailed information may be obtained from Aaron Halverson, Environmental Programs Manager, at City Hall. Applications are reviewed by members of the two Commissions, and selected projects are sent to the Mayor for funding. Reviews are conducted on a monthly basis; there is no deadline for applications.