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In 2003, Audubon Washington, Woodland Park Zoo, Environmental Education Association of Washington, Forest Protection Association, the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and the Governor's Council on Environmental Education advocated to create the partnership fund, which passed the state legislature with bi-partisan support. Though unfunded its first year, the fund carries the potential to:

• Enable teachers to partner with other professionals to create successful outdoor educational experiences; and
• Leverage resources – funding, in-kind services, and volunteers – from non-profit organizations to support environmental education programs.

Also in 2003 a broad-based coalition began working on EE evaluation, public perception, and planning in Washington, resulting in 2004 in three major developments:

1. Publication of the Report Card on the Status of Environmental Education in Washington (2MB),
2. Completion of Evergreen College research on environmental education, and
3. Appropriation of $75,000 in seed money by the legislature for competitive grants for quality EE programming.

Grant funds may be awarded to schools and non-profit organizations working together on quality, learning requirement-aligned EE programs. Funds may be used for costs such as school bus rentals, scientific equipment, teacher training, and field trips to forests, wetlands, or farms.

In addition work began on a comprehensive statewide plan to develop a unified vision and approach to environmental education in Washington; to address the needs of EE beneficiaries; and to identify policies, revenue, and structures that can strengthen EE in Washington.

The Washington state’s environmental education partnership fund legislation was signed into law in 2003.