Pledging to support community efforts in unincorporated areas, King County is taking applications for the first round of its Community Engagement Grants.

The grants come as part of the county’s new Community Service Area (CSA) program, which was implemented this year as a new model for engaging residents of Vashon and the rest of unincorporated King County. The $60,000 in annual funds that was once directed to six Unincorporated Area Councils will now fund at least a dozen grants of up to $5,000 each throughout unincorporated King County.

“We’re taking those funds and making them available more broadly,” said Alan Painter, the CSA program manager.

Examples of projects the county has said it may fund include community events, beautification projects and educational newsletters.

“Basically it’s trying to stimulate as broad of activity in the unincorporated county as possible,” Painter said.

Tim Johnson, president of the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council, said the council would likely apply for a grant, as he imagined many Vashon organizations would. He said the community council board would discuss the opportunity at its next meeting

Such a grant, Johnson said, could either support VMICC’s continued operations or it could support a specific community council project.

“Any form of potential funding is a good opportunity,” he said.

Applications for Community Engagement Grants are due Sept. 14. For more information, see www.kingcounty.gov/exec/community-service-areas.