The grants, announced Monday, Oct. 19, by the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, will support work on heating, cooling and hot water systems in apartment buildings, a community center, two churches and a research laboratory. Some awards fund engineering plans, while others support construction and equipment replacement.

Buildings account for 41% of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the city. The funding is intended to help building owners prepare for city emissions standards requiring most large buildings to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The largest award, $2 million, goes to Plymouth Housing Group for engineering and retrofit work at Plymouth Place in Belltown. The project will replace gas-powered heating and hot water systems with a central heat pump plant. Plymouth Place provides permanent housing and support services to people experiencing homelessness.

Other awards include $540,000 for Brighton Communities to replace gas heating, cooking and hot water equipment in all 124 apartments at Brighton Apartments, an affordable senior housing building in Rainier Valley; and $450,000 for the Interim Community Development Association to replace gas boilers with a central heat pump at Nihonmachi Terrace, a 50-unit affordable housing building in the Chinatown-International District.

The Downtown Emergency Service Center will receive $300,000 to install heat pumps for ventilation in 190 apartments and corridors at the Morrison Hotel in Pioneer Square, and to prepare its common laundry equipment for a switch from gas. The Gables Cooperative Association received $160,000 to develop an engineering plan for heat-pump replacements for hot water and space heating in its 34-unit Capitol Hill building.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Family, Arts, Mentoring and Enrichment Community Center was awarded $218,734 for an engineering plan covering heat pumps, electric kitchen ranges and upgrades to heating in corridors and the gym. Saint Mark’s Cathedral received $148,000 to replace a gas boiler with electric in-floor heating and add energy-recovery systems for heating, cooling and ventilation.

Seattle Children’s Research Institute will use its $500,000 grant to replace two gas boilers with a heat pump system at the Jack R. MacDonald Building, a downtown laboratory. The University Congregational United Church of Christ received $292,000 to install a heat pump and upgrade heating, ventilation and air-conditioning controls at its University District building.

The city received 53 applications seeking nearly $26 million in this funding round. That was about $8 million more than applicants sought in 2025. The grants are funded by Seattle’s JumpStart payroll expense tax, and the mayor’s proposed budget includes money for another round in 2027.