Washington employers and worker organizations with an idea for preventing workplace injuries have until Nov. 13 to apply for the current round of state Safety & Health Investment Projects grants.
The Department of Labor & Industries' SHIP program is accepting safety-and-health proposals requesting up to $175,000. Projects can develop training, practical safety resources or technical solutions that help protect workers.
For a local business association, labor group or eligible employer, it is an opportunity to turn a safety problem into a project others can learn from and use.
Check who and what qualifies
Under L&I's eligibility guidelines, employers can apply to address the safety and health of their own workers insured through the state workers' compensation fund. Associations, unions and other representative groups can propose projects benefiting workers in the area they represent who are primarily covered through L&I.
Educational institutions and third-party training or consulting organizations need an eligible partner. Self-insured businesses also need a qualifying state-fund employer partner. If your organization does not fit a listed category, ask SHIP staff about eligibility before developing the application.
Funding supports prevention projects. L&I's guidelines exclude using it to bring a workplace into legal compliance, and say equipment purchases should not be a project's main purpose. Grant-funded products must be available for public use under the program's terms.
Use the current application
The current request for proposals requires the August 2026 application form. Projects should last no longer than 18 months, with funding decisions expected to begin in January 2027.
Start with the application and instruction manual on L&I's SHIP page. Allow time to assemble the work plan, budget, team information and required signatures. L&I says completed applications must reach the program by the deadline; late applications are not considered.
Questions about eligibility or submission can go to invest@lni.wa.gov or 360-902-5588.
SHIP also offers a separate return-to-work grant route. Its webpage currently lists that application period as open until further notice; the Nov. 13 deadline and $175,000 limit above concern this safety-and-health round.
Information checked Nov. 5, 2026. Source: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
