The Partnership’s operating budget comes from state and federal sources. Our state budget consists of funds from the following accounts: General Fund, Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account, and the Model Toxics Control Operating Account. The agency primarily uses these funds as match to federal grants provided by the EPA. State appropriations have not been made directly to two dedicated accounts established by the State Legislature to support Puget Sound recovery (RCW 90.71.110 and RCW 90.71.400). However, the 2023-25 biennial budget included $17.4 million from the State General Fund for the Partnership to fund research projects designed to advance scientific understanding of Puget Sound recovery. This appropriation is closely linked to the intent of Puget Sound Scientific Research Account (RCW 90.71.110) and is ongoing.

Other new funding that was specifically itemized in the 2023-25 biennial budget includes:

• $14,000 for climate change response strategy.
• $700,000 for the Partnership to implement shipping noise-reduction initiatives and monitoring programs in Puget Sound, in coordination with Canadian and United States authorities, to establish and administer the Quiet Sound Program to better understand and reduce the cumulative effects of acoustic and physical disturbance from large commercial vessels on Southern Resident orcas.

As shown in figure 17, in the 2023-25 biennium, the Partnership’s operating budget totaled $21.3 million in state funds and $26.7 million in federal U.S. EPA funds. The Partnership also received $1.4 million from the NOAA Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) to continue to serve as the regional salmon recovery organization for Puget Sound. The Partnership also received $300,000 from the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) fund through an interagency agreement with the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) to co-manage PSAR project prioritization, monitoring, and investments.

For the 2025-27 biennium the State Legislature has so far appropriated $19.5 million in state funds to the Partnership’s operating budget, including $700,000 in continued funding for the Quiet Sound Program, and the Partnership has budgeted $40.1 million in federal U.S. EPA funds. The Partnership also received $1.4 million NOAA PCSRF funds and $250,000 PSAR program funds. The Partnership was able to carry forward unspent PSAR program funds into the 2025-27 biennium, which explains the increased size of the PSAR budget when compared to the 2023-25 biennium.

It is notable that the Partnership’s state funding represents an overall decrease of $1.8 million compared to the 2023-25 biennium. Federal funding has increased sharply by 1.5 times due to increases in funding allocations for U.S. EPA’s National Estuary and Puget Sound Geographic programs and receiving a new 4-year EPA’s National Estuary and Puget Sound Geographic grant in the amount of $32 million

Last updated: 10/2/25