The mission of the Maritime Washington Grant Program is to support work that strengthens, maintains, and shares maritime heritage in Washington. We define “maritime heritage” broadly as the history and connection that people have with the marine environment. It includes tangible and intangible resources and encompasses cultural, historical, and natural resources.
Below are answers to frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered here, we encourage you to check out the detailed Program Guide, join Maritime Washington staff for virtual office hours on Wednesday, April 3 at 12:00 pm (Register Here), or contact us at [email protected].
General
How do I apply for a grant?
All applications must be submitted through our online form. Please plan to submit your application in one sitting. We strongly recommend downloading a copy of the application questions and preparing your answers in a separate document in advance of completing this form. Download a copy of the application questions here.
How do I know if my project is eligible?
A few key elements of eligibility are listed below. For more information on eligibility requirements for the Maritime Washington Grant Program, be sure to check out our Program Guide.
- All applicants must be located within one of the 13 counties within the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area.
- Applicants do not need to be within the National Heritage Area’s boundary (one-quarter mile inland from the mean high tide line) to be eligible; however, projects must directly connect to Washington’s maritime heritage and/or resources located within the bounds of the National Heritage Area.
- Projects should relate to the mission of the Maritime Washington Grant Program and goals of Maritime Washington.
- Grant funds may be used for a wide range of project types connected to maritime heritage; however, they may not be used for capital projects, lobbying, or operational expenses (with the exception of staff time).
When can I start my project?
Expenses that you would like to have reimbursed through your Maritime Washington grant cannot begin until after your grant contract has been executed. We anticipate that grant contracts will be distributed in July 2024. Phases of your project can already be underway, but only post-contract expenses are eligible for reimbursement.
Finances, Matching, and Reimbursements
What does a grant match mean and what is the match requirement for this program?
A grant match means that the grantee must also contribute funds of their own—either cash expenditures or in-kind donations—towards the project.
The Maritime Washington Grant Program has a 1:1 (e.g., one-to-one or 50%) matching component, meaning that for every grant dollar awarded, the grantee will need to match it with a dollar of their own money or with the equivalent value of donated goods, services, or volunteer labor. This includes any time that your staff members (including full-time employees) spend on the project. In other words, applicants may request up to 50% of their overall project expenses in grant funding. Please note that grantees cannot use federal funding as the source of their matching expenses. You must demonstrate your intended match in your grant application.
For example: If an applicant is planning to implement a $10,000 project, they would apply for $5,000 from the Maritime Washington Grant Program and plan to use at least $5,000 of their own funds or in-kind donations.
Grantees will allow Maritime Washington National Heritage Area to use all non-federal project expenses (cash or in-kind), including those beyond the amount of the required match, as project match unless they are otherwise committed elsewhere.
Can I use volunteer time to match grant funds?
Yes! You can and should include the value of volunteer time in your budget. General volunteer labor is valued at $37.63/hour for the State of Washington by IndependentSector.org. If someone volunteers their professional services towards your project, you can value their time using the hourly rate they would charge a paying client and/or the appropriate professional rate.
Can my match for this grant program be a retroactive expense?
Expenses that you would like to have reimbursed through your Maritime Washington grant cannot begin until after your grant contract has been executed. However, retroactive expenses can count towards your match as long as the following conditions are met:
- The retroactive expense occurred within the same federal fiscal year of the grant cycle. For our current grant cycle (2024), you can count any project-related expenses that occurred after October 1, 2023.
- The retroactive expense must be directly related to the proposed project.
What is the process for receiving the grant money? How does reimbursement work?
Maritime Washington Grants are reimbursement grants, which means that projects must be financed up front and grant awards are only distributed on a reimbursement basis. Grantees may submit for reimbursement after their scope of work is complete. They may also choose to submit one midway reimbursement request following the completion of a progress report. Please note:
- Grant recipients must submit all invoices and itemized receipts, along with all proofs of payment, for both grant expenses and matching funds to receive grant funds.
- Invoices and itemized receipts must detail the items purchased and/or work to be done.
- For projects that include multiple work elements within the overall scope of work, invoices and receipts must be organized according to the relevant work elements.
- Proofs of payment must show how the items or work was paid for, either with credit card receipts, canceled/cashed checks, or in the case of paying in cash, a receipt indicating cash payment.
- If a credit card receipt is lost or an image of a canceled/cashed check is not available, bank statements (with private/unrelated information redacted as needed) can be submitted as proof of payment.
- If the grant recipient is requesting reimbursement for staff time and/or using staff time as match, they will be asked to submit signed timesheets using forms provided by Maritime Washington.
As you are planning your finances, please allow about six weeks for reimbursements to be processed.
Can I pay for staff time using grant funds?
Yes! Your project budget can and should include staff time, including the time of full-time salaried employees. This staff time should be related to the project for which you are applying, which may include protected staff time for relationship-building or community outreach.
Will the Maritime Washington Grant Program award partial funding?
Maritime Washington prefers not to award partial funding. However, if your project is scalable, has several discrete parts, or you would otherwise wish for it to be considered for partial funding if full funding is not awarded, please note this in your application—particularly in the budget worksheet.
Where does this funding come from?
The Maritime Washington Grant Program is federally funded, with funding from the Heritage Partnership Program via the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area.
Eligibility and Multiple Applicants
Can an organization submit more than one application?
No, organizations are only allowed to submit one application for this grant cycle.
My organization/institution is not near the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, but I want to do an eligible activity. Am I still eligible?
Yes, but only if you are located in the eligible counties and your project involves resources and/or events that happen within the heritage area.
My organization/institution currently has a grant open with the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. Can I apply for another?
No, organizations may only have one grant open with the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area at a time. You will be able to apply for another grant with us only after your current grant project concludes.
Does maintenance or restoration of a vessel count as a capital project?
Restoration or maintenance work on historic vessels is considered a capital project. Capital projects are not eligible for funding through this grant program. Reach out to program staff with any questions about how this might apply to your specific project.
My organization/institution is not an official partner of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. Will this affect my application?
No, this grant program is open to everyone regardless of their partnership status. That said, becoming an official partner allows you to connect with additional resources that can support your organization. If you are interested in learning more about the partner network, we encourage you to check it out here.
The mission of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area is to support a network that strengthens the maritime community and connects people with the stories, experiences, resources, and cultures of our state’s saltwater shores and waterways. The Maritime Washington Grant Program is one of the ways in which we are working to achieve this mission. To learn more about the other ways in which we are working to achieve this mission, please explore our website: www.maritimewa.org/who-we-are.