Seattle Historic Waterfront Grants
The Washington Trust is pleased to announce the release of the Seattle Historic Waterfront Grant application! This one-time grant opportunity will support either seismic retrofit planning or facade improvements for historic buildings along Seattle’s waterfront.
This grant program is funded by mitigation money set aside as a result of the need to replace the historic Alaskan Way Seawall which was built in 1934. The seawall was in danger of collapse in the event of a major earthquake and was replaced in 2017 in conjunction with the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal.
Starting May 2023, we are accepting applications until the fund is fully awarded. Apply as soon as possible!
Grant Guidelines
The subject property must be an identified historic resource located within the Area of Potential Effects (APE), and properties that are historically designated will receive priority consideration.
Grant projects must contribute to the preservation of the property through “bricks-and-mortar” facade improvements or seismic retrofitting design and planning; all proposed projects must comply with the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Each applicant is permitted to request up to $50,000 in grant funds and must match at least 50% of the grant amount requested by contributing cash and/or donated labor or materials to the project. Grant funds will be distributed on a reimbursement basis only.
Seattle Historic Waterfront Grant applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Historic/Community Significance of Resource (20%)
- Degree of Project Urgency (20%)
- Project Adherence to Secretary of the Interior’s Standards (20%)
- Project/Applicant Readiness (10%)
- Level of Community/Visual Impact (10%)
- General Quality/Completeness of Application (10%)
- City of Seattle Landmark or National Register listed (or contributing in a district) (10%)
For more information and the full application, please download a copy of the grant application:
Questions? Please contact us via email.
Application Submission
Applications are accepted via email to on a rolling basis, meaning while you can submit at any time, the program will close once the funds have been fully awarded. In other words, you should apply as soon as you have an eligible and viable project. Digital materials should include a digital/fillable copy of the grant application, digital copies/scans of all applicable attachments, high-resolution digital images, and an image captions document. All digital materials should be uploaded to a single online storage platform like Google Drive or Dropbox with a shared link – or to our upload portal below.