A King County government department failed to properly oversee grants as the funding it distributed skyrocketed over the last few years, resulting in unapproved payments and possible fraud, a new report from the county auditor’s office found.

The audit, which looked at four programs within the Department of Community and Human Services, concluded that as the department dramatically expanded its grant-making, it failed to properly oversee recipients of those grants.

Organizations that received grants, across multiple programs and contracts, made improper payments, some of which may have constituted fraud, the audit found. DCHS grant disbursal increased a whopping 6,700% in six years: In 2019-2020, DCHS gave out $22 million in grants. In 2024-25 it gave out $1.5 billion in grants.

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