Translate
Partners in Water Program
Learn how the Partners in Water (PiW) Program facilitates collaboration between the Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to advance equity and improve access, operations, and services.
Partners in Water is a WTD program that brings together local CBOs and internal WTD project teams to center community priorities and perspectives in decision-making, strengthen partnerships, and improve environmental and social outcomes for all.
Partners in Water was codesigned by community representatives and WTD staff and allows us to move beyond traditional partnership models and improve the way WTD engages with the communities it serves. We do this through ongoing collaboration and co-creation that will lead to more equitable and inclusive water infrastructure services.
Now accepting applications to join the Career Pathways Project
WTD is offering a total of $75,000 in funding for PiW collaboration grants.
The King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is pleased to announce it is accepting applications for Partners in Water (PiW) collaboration grants to work with the division’s Human Resources (HR) team. Partners in Water is a program that connects WTD work groups with community organizations to advance mutually beneficial goals related to WTD operations and services.
WTD’s HR team is especially interested in partnering with organizations who have trusted relationships with historically and currently marginalized communities. Three $25,000 grants (a total of $75,000) are available to support the involvement of three organizations in year 2 of our Career Pathways Project.
Applications must be received by February 20, 2026, at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov.
Who can apply
Organizations/collectives or community groups applying for a PiW collaboration grant must
- be located in and serve WTD’s service area (use this hyperlink to access an interactive service area map);
- have 501(c)3 nonprofit status, a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)3 nonprofit status, or be willing and able to secure a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)3 nonprofit status by January 31, 2026, if awarded a grant; and
- serve communities that face historic and current inequities and have limited resources and/or capacity; this includes Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, immigrants and refugees, people living with low incomes, women and gender nonconforming, LGBTQIA+ people, people who live and/or work outside, people with limited English skills, and people with disabilities.
About the Career Pathways Project
The PiW Career Pathways Project is a collaboration between WTD and community-based organizations (CBOs) serving immigrant, refugee, and underrepresented communities. The project aims to expand equitable access to WTD career pathways by strengthening cross-sector partnerships, improving human resources systems and communications, and centering community voice in recruitment and hiring practices.
In our pilot year, the Career Pathways Project focused on three core goals: building strong partnerships, improving HR strategies and communications, and increasing equitable access to career opportunities for youth and community members. In 2026, or year 2, the project will expand to include representation from three local CBO grantees and focus on a range of identified opportunities, including working closely with WTD’s HR project team to codevelop a plan for sharing WTD opportunities with a wide range of CBOs across King County, testing community-based career pathway focused programming, and supporting division-wide strategic workforce development planning.
Through this 2026 collaboration with CBO grantees, WTD’s HR team aims to reach a diverse pool of candidates to ensure that job opportunities and career resources are accessible to all members of our community.
Details
- Three $25,000 grants will be allocated to 3 separate community organizations for this project in 2026 ($75,000 in total).
Application process and timeline
Interested parties are encouraged to apply using the 2026 Grant Application (including a narrative section and a proposed budget). Alternative application formats, such as interviews, are available upon request. Applications must be received by February 20, 2026, at partnersinwater@kingcounty.gov.
Applications will be scored and reviewed by a selection committee comprised of a team of WTD staff who will be directly involved in the project. Applicants may be asked for additional information and/or an interview before finalists are chosen.
Application and reference materials
- 2026 Career Pathways Project — Grant Advertisement
- Download Career Pathways Project - 2026 Grant Application (MS Word doc)
Project launch timeline
- Grant Application Posted: 2/2/26
- Grant Application Period: 2/2–2/20/26
- Informational Online Webinar: 2/6 11am–noon
- Application Review: 2/23–2/26
- Notification of Awardees: 2/27
- Contract Negotiation: 3/2–3/6
- Project Launch: March/April 2026 (tentative)
- Project Period: March 2026–March 2027 (tentative)
Who we partner with
Partners in Water works with CBOs rooted in the diverse communities across King County. Our partners are committed to environmental and social equity, and they help ensure that public programs and infrastructure serve communities in ways that are culturally responsive, accessible, and inclusive.
Rooted in King County’s Equity Race and Social Justice values, our PiW Grant Program provides fair compensation to CBOs who are selected to participate in each yearlong project.
Current Partners in Water projects
Career pathways in wastewater
In 2025, we partnered with Kandelia and Villa Comunitaria to co-design a new Career Pathways Project. This initiative is focused on how WTD can update current recruiting processes to increase equitable access and can connect young people and others from underrepresented communities to careers in wastewater and environmental fields.
Project goals:
- Build and strengthen partnerships between WTD Human Resources and CBOs.
- Improve WTD Human Resources strategies and communications to reduce barriers to employment at WTD.
- Expand equitable access to education and career opportunities for youth and community.
2025 highlights/impacts include:
- Reshaping WTD job postings to be clearer, inclusive, and easier to navigate through workshops with community partners and a focus group with multilingual learners.
- Increasing access to education and resources about careers in clean water for youth and adults from immigrant and refugee communities.
Continuing this work in 2026:
- We are expanding the project group for additional CBO partners to join us.
- Please read the full project and grant announcement here.
- Applications are currently open through February 20, 2026.
Read our blogpost to learn more about how the Career Pathways Project was formed.
Community partnerships in infrastructure
We are collaborating with Living Well Kent, Mother Africa, and Villa Comunitaria to rethink how WTD involves communities in planning for capital projects and co-create a toolkit that will help WTD more effectively engage and involve communities in future infrastructure planning and construction.
Together, we are
- documenting best practices for building trust and sharing power with CBOs in community engagement efforts,
- identifying strategies to involve communities early and more effectively in capital projects, and
- developing tools and recommendations for future WTD work.
Stay connected
We believe long-term community partnerships are essential to making our work stronger, more just, and more effective. If you’re a CBO interested in working with us through a future PiW project or have questions, we’d love to connect!
Contact: Eli Weiss, Partners in Water Program Manager, at eli.weiss@kingcounty.gov.
