COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          8m 
ACTION ITEM                                 Date of Meeting   November 9, 2021 
DATE:     November 1, 2021 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Bookda Gheisar , Senior Director, Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Pearse Edwards, Senior Director, External Relations 
SUBJECT:  Multi -Year Program Authorization Increase Request for the South King County Fund
Amount of this request:           $2.0 million 
Total requested authorization:    $4.0 million 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission to delegate authority to the Executive Director to execute agreements for
the  South  King  County  Fund  Environmental  Grants  Program  and  Economic  Recovery
procurements in an amount not-to-exceed $4.0 million, a $2.0 million increase from the prior
authorization on July 27, 2021. 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The South King County Fund (SKCF) program was created in November 2018 to provide $10
million in resources to near-airport communities. A successful first cycle of the SKCF was launched
in the summer of 2020 awarding $250,000 in support for Women and Minority Business
Enterprise (WMBE) small business development; $981,881 for Economic Recovery Programs; and
$217,000 for Environmental programs.  It resulted in awarding 29 contracts between all three
programs. 
In  2021,  staff  received  Commission authorization  for funding not-to-exceed  $2.0  million
to implement the SKCF program. However, due to the high quality of applicants for this year's
funding cycle, and due to the addition of multi-year funding, staff believe that there is the
opportunity to not only increase the impact of the SKCF, but also provide longer-term certainty
for contracting organizations as well as reduce future administrative burdens on both staff and
applicants. These outcomes would be achieved by committing to multi-year contracts with
awardees, adding approximately $2.0 million over the life of the contracts.
JUSTIFICATION 
In 2020, after conducting community engagement with several multicultural stakeholders in
South King County, it was clear that economic development was a priority for these communities.
Hearing this community feedback and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing
economic crisis, in April 2020, the Commission added "Economic Development" as an approved
use of the fund. 

Template revised January 10, 2019.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8m                                 Page 2 of 4 
Meeting Date: November 9, 2021 
South King County is one of the most diverse areas in King County, with over 95 languages spoken
by families in the Highline school district alone. These communities, however, are vulnerable
because of a myriad of existing structural and social inequities that disproportionately impact
many populations across this area: people of color, women, immigrants, and people with low
incomes. These community members have long dealt with issues that challenge their well-being,
from poorer health outcomes to lack of access to educational attainment and, consequently,
higher-paying jobs. 
The global health and economic crisis that has risen from the spread of the coronavirus has hit
vulnerable communities like these the hardest. The Commission's decision to use the South King
County Fund to also address economic recovery has been timely and critical. 
For the last few years, staff have been working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary team, led
by External Relations and OEDI, which has included representatives from Legal, Central
Procurement Office, Finance and Budget, Commission Staff, as well as outside consultants hired
for their expertise in multicultural engagement and developing equity-based grant making
processes. 
In 2020, the fund awarded over a $1 million within the following three programs: 
$981,881 for the new Economic Recovery program with funds supporting non-profit
organizations conducting projects in the following four categories: 
o  Small Business Assistance 
o  Workforce Development 
o  Job Creation 
o  Ideation, Network building, Development of New, Innovative Economic Recovery
Strategies 
$217,000 for a new Environmental Grants Program built from the ACE model which
services Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila. 
$250,000 for Port Gen (program of Diversity in Contracting). The Port expanded existing
contracts with organizations that support WMBE businesses in South King County as part
of the overall Economic Recovery Strategy. 
In April 2021, the staff presented to the Commission several recommendations and insights into
the program. After multiple meetings with the inter-departmental team, it was recommended to
get authorization from the Commission to execute the contracts prior to advertising all requests
for proposals. Getting authorization allows staff to effectively fulfill the vision of being an equitydriven
, community-centered program for the community  removing some of the time delays
and barriers that occurred during the first cycle of the SKCF. That authorization was approved in
July, and thePort of Seattlelaunched thesecondcycle of theSouth King County FundEconomic
Recovery Grants in September with an October 25 deadline for applications. 
Thanks to a combination of increased need due to the COVID-19 pandemic and enhanced
outreach over the last two years, especially through the Port's community liaisons, the Port saw

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8m                                 Page 3 of 4 
Meeting Date: November 9, 2021 
a significant increase in the number of organizations applying, with several of them requesting
multi-year funding for a number of multi-phased and thoughtful projects. The projects are wide
ranging, with a significant number of applications from South King County communities of color
that are leaning into this opportunity to engage their community and emphasize environmental
stewardship. Below is a table demonstrating the total project budgets forecast for 2022-2024 for
Environmental Grant and Economic Recovery requests received in this round: 
Environmental Grants 
Year 1                  Year 2                  Year 3                  Total 
$343,000              $190,000              $195,000              $728,000 

Economic Recovery Grants 
Year 1                  Year 2                  Year 3                Total 
$1,500,000             $750,000               $ 750,000            $ 2,500,000 

If the Commission approves this increased authorization, the Port will be able to fund many of
the eligible projects. In addition, because multi-year commitments now mean a reduction in need
for those organizations to apply in the future, this approach has administrative and logistical
benefits both to the applicants as well as the Port staff who administer the program. CPO notes
that funding additional contracts may add time to the procurement. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
The Port of Seattle South King County Fund program funding source is tax levy. The program is
still anticipated for five years for $10 million in resources for near-airport communities, and this
increased authorization does not increase the total budget for the program; rather, it simply
allows staff to commit multi-year resources to deserving applicants. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
1)  Presentation Slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
1)  July 27, 2021  The Commission authorized $2 million for the South King County Fund for
2021. 
2)  April  28,  2020    The  Commission  approved  Motion  2020-10  to  add  economic
development to the permissible uses for the South King County Fund, in support of local
recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 


Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

COMMISSION AGENDA  Action Item No. 8m                                 Page 4 of 4 
Meeting Date: November 9, 2021 
3)  June 25, 2019  The Commission approved Motion 2019-10, adopting principals to guide
outreach and development of the South King County policy. 
4)  November 27, 2018  The Commission approved Motion 2018-14, establishing the South
King County Fund. 
















Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).