Seattle Announces $3.5M in Grants to Help Under-Resourced Buildings Reduce GHG Emissions and Plan for Transition to Clean Energy

Today, the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) announced eight new grant awards, totaling $3.5 million, to help building owners install decarbonizing retrofits, such as replacing fossil gas furnaces with electric heat pumps, or conduct engineering and technical analyses ahead of future Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) target deadlines. Adopted in 2023, BEPS requires buildings to reach net zero carbon by 2050 and is projected to reduce building sector emissions by 27 percent.

"Decarbonizing existing buildings is critical for Seattle to meet our climate goals, which is why I signed the Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) into law last year," Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said. "We know from years of outreach that under-resourced buildings, like affordable housing, nonprofits, or community buildings, need support to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Seattle is committed to a just and fair shift to a more sustainable future, and this $3.5 million in investments is part of that commitment by helping key community buildings make progress toward meeting future BEPS emissions targets."

The recipient buildings are located throughout the city and include affordable and senior housing, community resource buildings, places of worship, and a community college campus. In some cases, the grants will enable the owners to conduct studies of multiple buildings. Many emissions-reducing retrofits provide significant comfort and health benefits to building occupants, such as better heating and cooling control and air quality improvements.

Grantees and Project Details

• Brighton Communities (formerly Southeast Seattle Senior Foundation) ($170k): Engineering analysis for retrofit of gas heat and hot water systems, as well as pilot installations, at Brighton Communities senior apartments.
• Holy Rosary Parish ($35k): Engineering analysis for gas heating system retrofit at Holy Rosary School.
• Horizon House ($250k): Retrofit of gas heating system to electric heat pumps at Horizon House senior apartments.
• Low Income Housing Institute ($1.3M): Retrofit of gas heating system to electric heat pumps at Denny Park Apartments.
• The Mountaineers ($150k): Retrofit of gas furnace with a heat pump at Magnuson Bldg 67.
• North Seattle College ($50k): Engineering analysis of the campus's district heating system.
• Seattle Housing Authority ($440k): Engineering analysis for at least three affordable housing facilities (Jefferson Terrace, Lake City Court, Verse Seattle).
• Trinity Parish Episcopal Church ($1.1M): Engineering analysis and retrofit from district steam to heat pump(s) for historic church (1892) and parish hall (1929).

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The $3.5M grant awards come as part of the Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator program, which provides no-cost technical support and training program for building owners and managers to meet the decarbonization targets over time. These grants follow the nearly $1M the City of Seattle committed to Office of Housing earlier this year to decarbonize several affordable housing facilities.

"In addition to helping under-resourced buildings transition to clean energy, these investments will also generate green, good-paying job opportunities for local residents and help building owners save money and energy in the long term," said Jessyn Farrell, Director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. "These grants are absolutely critical to ensuring frontline community buildings - particularly affordable housing, senior housing, and nonprofits - are resilient and long-lasting so they can continue serving their communities in a cleaner, more sustainable Seattle.

OSE expects to issue a call for more building owners and managers to apply for grant funds after the 2025 budget has been passed. The Mayor's proposed 2025-2026 budget includes continued funding ($4.5M/year) for the Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator program to help buildings owned by or serving frontline communities (like community centers, low-income housing facilities, and non-profits) implement capital projects to reduce energy and emissions.

What Grantees Are Saying:

"This grant will enable North Seattle College to further our campus-wide commitment to sustainability. Our community at North has been committed to sustainable and environmentally responsible practices for nearly two decades, and this new funding provides our campus an exciting opportunity to further this commitment by contributing to decarbonization efforts."

-Kristin A. Burton, ED of Campus Operations, North Seattle College

"LIHI is delighted to have this support for Denny Park Apartments. We need a [heating] system that is cost effective to run and simple to maintain. We need a system that keeps our tenants comfortable. A changing climate and changing building codes make this an increasingly difficult wish list to fulfill. We look forward to participating in this initiative to help provide a template for other affordable housing providers to follow."

-Jill Davies, Asset Manager, Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI)

"Electrifying domestic hot water systems in older multifamily buildings will be one of the most effective strategies for Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) to decarbonize our portfolio of buildings. However, centralized domestic hot water heat pumps can be a challenging retrofit. The feasibility and design studies awarded by this grant will help SHA prepare for potential retrofits for some of our larger buildings."

-Jennifer Pritchard, Sustainable Buildings Advisor, Seattle Housing Authority

"The Mountaineers is thrilled to have been awarded a grant for heat pump retrofits at our Seattle Program Center (SPC) in Magnuson Park. We have been implementing sustainability projects at the SPC since 2019 and this grant brings us a step closer to our vision of becoming a net-zero facility."

-Tom Vogl, CEO, The Mountaineers

"This grant enables us to advance the design of our [school's] 100-year-old boiler replacement project, ensuring forward momentum for a successful transition to a more stable and sustainable heating system. It is a critical step toward improving our infrastructure and reducing our environmental footprint."

-Jen King, Business Manager, Holy Rosary Parish

"Trinity Parish is deeply grateful to be selected for this grant to convert a 100-year-old steam heat system to greener, more-efficient heat pump technology. Improving our building creates sustainability for Trinity's ministries that welcome, feed, shelter, support, and bring joy to our First Hill neighbors. Thank you for partnering with us to build a supportive First Hill community that promotes justice and compassion for all people and creation."

-The Rev. Sabeth Fitzgibbons, Rector, Trinity Parish Seattle

"Brighton Communities is deeply grateful for the City of Seattle's support in funding our degasification efforts, which will ensure healthier living environments for our low-income, BIPOC senior residents-who are too often left behind in the green revolution. This partnership helps us continue our mission of creating safe, environmentally sound, and community-driven housing for those most in need. We would not have been able to do this without your investment."

-Curtis Brown, Executive Director, Brighton Communities

"As with many older buildings in the downtown area, Horizon House is heated using steam. To comply with BEPS, we are making strategic capital investments in our current buildings to reduce emissions. We'll do this by retrofitting HVAC equipment with heat pumps, as well as leveraging opportunities to recover heat rather than reject it to minimize our reliance on high-carbon-emitting forms of heat. This grant will make it possible for Horizon House to have an accelerated decarbonization plan resulting in significant reductions to our overall emissions."

-Sean McMahan, Chief Engineer, Horizon House

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