Apply for a Whidbey Climate Fund Grant

What is a Whidbey Climate Fund Grant?

Whidbey Climate ACTION is soliciting proposals to fund local projects that reduce greenhouse gases and enhance sustainability in our community. Successful projects will help reduce our carbon footprint and make Whidbey Island more livable and sustainable for future generations. Grants of up to $5,000 will be funded by the Whidbey Climate Fund, administered via a partnership with Whidbey Community Foundation. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of local volunteers with climate expertise. For more information about the fund visit www.whidbeyclimate.org/fund.

Watch the recording of the 2025 Whidbey Climate Fund Grant Opportunities Webinar, where we will provide updates about this year’s grant program. This webinar is designed to help prospective applicants better understand available grant programs. During the webinar, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the grant program, including details about funding priorities, application timelines, and key changes from previous years. We will also walk through the eligibility requirements to ensure you can determine which opportunities are the right fit for your organization. In addition, we will introduce updates and improvements to our grant management systems, offering guidance on how to navigate the new features and streamline the application process. Watch the webinar recording.

Whidbey Climate Fund Goals

The Whidbey Climate Fund supports climate change mitigation and resilience projects on Whidbey Island. Project outcomes might include but are not limited to the following: 

  • Educates community & decision makers on how to live more lightly (e.g., lessening ecological footprint)
  • Reduces carbon pollution from local sources – transportation, buildings, etc.
  • Reduces/reuses our “waste”
  • Benefits a marginalized community living with a greater burden from climate impacts
  • Builds community around environmental health
  • Improves our local food system
  • Improves our aquifer health
  • Regenerates soil and sequesters carbon
  • Protects & restores ecosystem health

We expect projects to be:

  • Credible (e.g. achieved with sound methodologies and practices),
  • Additional (e.g. made possible because of the fund),
  • Quantifiable (e.g. resulting in measurable carbon reductions or other ecosystem improvements),
  • Permanent (e.g. the effects will not be easily undone)

Eligibility to Apply for a Whidbey Climate Fund Grant

Submitting a proposal begins with reviewing your eligibility and the Whidbey Climate Fund’s Goals to determine if the Fund aligns with your needs. By submitting a proposal, you give us permission to share your information with other interested individual donors.

The following are eligible to apply:

  • Non-profits that propose a project on Whidbey Island
  • Governmental entities based on Whidbey Island
  • Individuals or businesses, with a non-profit fiscal sponsor*

*If you are an individual or a for-profit business you will need a non-profit fiscal sponsor.  If you have one, great!  If not, we will explore possibilities with you if your proposal meets all our other criteria. Please contact info@whidbeyfoundation.org or call 360-660-5041 for more questions.

All applicants must be in good standing with the Washington Secretary of State and Office of the Attorney General, and be current with all state and federal reporting requirements.

All applicants must adhere to WCF’s Nondiscrimination Policy.

Scope of Funding

All grants will be one year in length. Project funds should be expended within a year of award.

Types of Grants

Program/Project-based Grants
Whidbey Community Foundation considers requests for Program/Project-based Grants to be awarded as restricted grants. For program/project grants, we require a separate program/project-specific budget to be submitted alongside the organization’s annual budget.

Scoring

All eligible grant applications are scored by an Advisory Committee of climate scientists, clean energy engineers and professionals, all climate activists with deep connections to the Whidbey community. All funding recommendations must be approved by the Whidbey Community Foundation Board of Directors.

Points are awarded for being:

  • Credible (e.g. a compelling local story achieved with sound methodologies and practices),
  • Additional (e.g. made possible because of the fund),
  • Quantifiable (e.g. resulting in measurable carbon reductions or other ecosystem improvements),
  • Permanent (e.g. the effects will not be easily undone)

Bonus Points are awarded for projects that are:

  • Visible (e.g. the project will raise the profile of the Whidbey Climate Fund and encourage future donors)
  • Equitable (e.g. the project will benefit overburdened communities and alleviate impacts of climate change for those most exposed)
  • Achieving multiple outcomes (e.g. carbon reduction and community building; aquifer protection and education) 

Reporting and Learning

Grant periods will run for one year. We will ask all grantees to send a brief report (1 – 2 paragraphs) at the end of the grant period explaining the result of your grant from Whidbey Community Foundation.  We are especially interested in hearing about:

  • The use of the funds – what the grant money was able to pay for
  • Specific challenges or unexpected changes
  • Specific successes
  • If available, a picture of your completed grant project (digital format) that we could use in future publicity about Whidbey Climate Fund grants, in order to help us promote your work and raise even more funds to support climate change mitigation and resilience on Whidbey Island.
  • Additionally, Whidbey Climate Fund Advisory Committee members will follow up with your organization via email and/or phone halfway through the grant term to understand progress to-date, and any stories to share with our broader Island network.

Timeline

  • September 15, 2025: Application Opens
  • October 15, 2025, 11:59 PST: Application Deadline
  • November 21, 2025: Anticipated Grant Notification
  • December 1, 2025: Anticipated Grant Start Date (for awardees)

Be creative and send us your ideas!

Apply for a Whidbey Climate Fund Grant

We are moving to an online application through the Grant Lifecycle Manager (GLM) program by Foundant. We encourage you to watch a tutorial about the new GLM system online to learn more. This tutorial will explain how the new system works and will provide step by step instructions for how to create your account. For questions, please contact us at info@whidbeyfoundation.org or 360-660-5041.

Create/Log in to Your GLM Account to Apply for a Whidbey Climate Fund Grant

Interested in Donating?

Great! We are only able to provide grants like these with broad support from our community. If you are a donor interested in supporting the Whidbey Climate Fund, please visit www.whidbeyclimate.org/fund. WCF is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to Whidbey Island; all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Learn about different ways to make a charitable contribution here.

Updated August 2025