
Transportation Emission Reduction Grants
Promoting electric transportation solutions in the communities
we serve.
PSE is excited to launch our Transportation Emission Reduction (TER) Grants program which will accelerate the equitable adoption of electric transportation solutions and promote a healthier environment for our communities. Three grant options are available:
- TER Project Grant: PSE can fund your transportation electrification (TE) projects
- TER Grant Matching: PSE can be your funding match for other non-PSE TE grants
- TER Grant Writing: PSE can provide funding to help you hire a grant writer for non-PSE TE grants
Why apply for the Transportation Emission Reduction Grants:

Inclusive Projects
Fund projects that advance
electrification, directly serve your
community, and fill market gaps.

Expand e-mobility
Help drive projects that provide
reliable, affordable and
environmentally friendly
transportation options.

Environmental
Pursue projects that can reduce
air pollution and provide
other transportation electrification
benefits for your community.
Eligibility Requirements
- To be eligible for the Transportation Emission Reduction Grants, applicants must either be, or formally partner with, a PSE non-residential customer.
- For projects with physical assets, such as EVSEs and EVs, project hosts must be a PSE non-residential electric customer
- Projects must advance transportation electrification, provide the majority of benefits to PSE electric residential community members, and demonstrate a need for funding.
- Projects funded by the TER Project Grant and TER Grant Matching must be implemented and functioning within approximately 18 months of receiving funding.
Please note: If your project only includes installation of EV chargers, please first visit PSE Up & Go Electric to see if your project is eligible for one of our public, workplace, multifamily, or fleet charging incentive programs.
Choose how to participate
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Transportation Emission Reduction Project Grant
Transportation Emission Reduction Project Grant
PSE will help fund projects promoting transportation electrification in our service area with preference given to projects that primarily benefit residential and designated communities
- PSE will provide one competitive grant cycle per year, with applications open for 4 months out of the year.
- Funding covers up to 100% of eligible project costs.
Overview
Deadline
Approval notice and timeline
Reporting
requirementsRecipients will receive 75% of the funds upon approval, with the remaining 25% paid once the project is implemented and functioning.
Applications accepted year-round subject to funding availability. One competitive grant cycle per year. 2025 applications will be accepted March - July.
Final award notices will be provided in December 2025. Application approval and awards are at PSE's discretion, and additional information may be requested via email and scheduled interviews.
Recipients must submit quarterly progress reports throughout project development and closeout documentation once the project is implemented and functioning.
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Transportation Emission Reduction Grant Matching
Transportation Emission Reduction Grant Matching
PSE will provide Grant Matching support to help offset transportation electrification project costs partially covered by a non-PSE grant.
- Applications accepted year-round subject to funding availability.
- PSE will match up to 100% of the eligible costs for projects that have secured or are in the process of securing a non-PSE grant.
Overview
Deadline
Approval notice and timeline
Reporting
requirementsAfter securing external funding, recipients will receive 75% of award upon approval and the remaining 25% will be paid once the project is implemented and functioning.
Applications accepted year-round subject to funding availability.
Funding award notices will be emailed within 2-3 months of completed application submission. Application approval and awards are at PSE's discretion, and additional information may be requested.
Recipients must submit quarterly progress reports throughout project development and closeout documentation once the project is implemented and functioning.
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Transportation Emission Reduction Grant Writing
Transportation Emission Reduction Grant Watching
PSE will provide Grant Writing assistance to help offset the cost of pursuing non-PSE grants.
- Applications accepted year-round subject to funding availability.
- PSE will provide up to $5,000 to help procure grant writing services.
Overview
Deadline
Approval notice and timeline
Reporting
requirementsRecipients will receive 75% of award upon approval and the remaining 25% after submitting their external grant application.
Applications accepted year-round, subject to funding availability.
Funding award notices will be provided within 2-3 months of completed application submission. All decisions are at PSE's discretion, and additional information may be requested.
Recipients must provide quarterly updates on external grant status and notify PSE within 30 days of award decisions.
TER Grants Frequently Asked Questions
Program Overview

TER Grants
How are TER Grants different from existing Up & Go Electric programs?
- There is no project cap, making it a better fit for larger projects
- Up & Go Electric programs focus on EV chargers and include one-time EV incentives covering a portion of the new vehicle costs; a broader variety of costs are eligible under TER Grants
- Up & Go Electric focuses on PSE-owned projects but also provides customer-owned incentives, while all TER Grants are for customer-owned projects
- TER Grants are ideal for innovative, community-based TE projects providing more than solely EV charging
Please note: If your project only includes installation of EV chargers, please first visit PSE Up & Go Electric to see if your project is eligible for one of our public, workplace, multifamily, or fleet charging incentive programs. Qualifying TER Grant applications that can be fully funded under Up & Go Electric will be routed to the appropriate program by PSE.
If I apply to Up & Go Electric, will I be disqualified from TER Grants?
No. However, we do recommend that applicants review the Up & Go Electric programs first if they are only seeking funding for EV charging infrastructure. If you have questions about which program is the right fit for your project, please contact tergrants@pse.com.
What are some project examples that could potentially receive funding?
Applicant Type | Example Project |
---|---|
Hospital | A hospital plans to install EVSE, purchase a specialized ADA accessible electric van to support low-income seniors with transportation to and from medical appointments, and conduct an awareness campaign to eligible clients. |
Community College | A community college or university wants to create a technical training program with hands on experience that helps students develop skills to participate in the TE industry. |
Municipal Transit Agency | A transit agency wants to purchase an electric bus, install charging infrastructure, and create an awareness and marketing campaign to showcase how EVs can help mitigate air pollution and provide job opportunities. |
Multifamily Housing | A multifamily affordable housing provider partners with a community car share organization to pilot a low-cost EV shared use vehicle for resident use. |
K-12 Elementary School | A school transitions to electric buses for routes that serve students that live in areas that are disproportionately harmed by air pollution. The school develops an educational program for students to learn about the benefits of electric buses. |
Municipality | A municipal agency that primarily serves low-income residents develops ride and drive events that showcase EVs and electric bikes, electric buses, etc. |
Nonprofit | A municipality launches an e-bike incentive program for their low-income residents, paired with safety equipment, education and outreach efforts, and post purchase surveys. |
Tribe | A Tribe electrifies their fleet of vehicles that service Elders’ homes. |
Who is considered a PSE non-residential customer?
Non-residential PSE customers include but are not limited to: businesses, multi-unit dwellings on non-residential rates, community-based organizations, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and Tribal entities.
What qualifies as an “designated” community?
Designated Communities are comprised of multiple groups:
- Vulnerable populations: Those who experience a disproportionate cumulative risk from environmental burdens due to: (a) adverse socioeconomic factors, including unemployment, high housing and transportation costs relative to income, access to food and health care, and linguistic isolation; and (b) sensitivity factors, such as low birth weight and higher rates of hospitalization
- Limited income populations: Household incomes that do not exceed the higher of eighty percent of area median income or two hundred percent of federal poverty level, adjusted for household size (WAC 194-40-030).
- Communities specifically designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Washington State Department of Health (DOH): Census tracts designated by the EPA as nonattainment or maintenance areas; or identified by the DOH as a 9 or 10 on the Environmental Health Disparities Map.
- For more details, please see the Designated Communities Map and grant overview documents.
What qualifies as micromobility?
Micromobility is non-vehicle transportation over eligible costs list.
What happens if I am selected for funding?
If selected to receive a TER grant, awardees must sign a grant funding agreement and provide a completed W-9 form for their organization. The grant funding agreement outlines the intended project scope of work and the requirements the recipient must meet in order to receive funding.
What if someone other than the applicant pays the electric bill at the project site?
The applicant must be formally partnered with the organization responsible for paying the electric bill. The organization must be a non-residential PSE customer developing a transportation electrification project in PSE’s electric service area that primarily benefits residential and designated communities.
What if I do not own the project site?
Applicants who do not own the site must warrant that they have permission to make all site modifications associated with the project.
If my application is not selected for funding, will I receive feedback?
If you are notified that your application was not selected for funding, you will be given the option to receive feedback from PSE. After you opt in, you will receive a follow-up email with an explanation of why you were not selected.
How are these grants funded?
TER Grants are funded through the state of Washington's Clean Fuel Standard (CFS). This regulation is designed to reduce greenhouse gas and conventional air pollutant emissions from transportation fuels used in Washington while spurring economic development. Electricity is one of the transportation fuels recognized within the CFS regulation. Electricity used as a transportation fuel can generate CFS credits, which in turn may be sold for revenue.
When electric vehicle owners charge their batteries in PSE electric service area, PSE earns CFS credits in proportion to the amount of electricity used and the carbon intensity of the electricity used. According to CFS regulations, the revenue generated from selling these credits must be used for transportation electrification projects within PSE’s electric service area.

Grant Writing
If my application is not selected for funding, can I apply again in the future?
You can apply for Grant Writing support again in the future, as long as your application is associated with a different non-PSE grant.
How are applications evaluated?
The remaining award amount for Grant Writing will be paid out after receiving proof of submission to the non-PSE grant and a grant writer invoice.
Upon receiving an application, PSE may follow up with clarifying questions. Applicants can expect to be notified of award determination via email within 2 to 3 months of submitting their complete application. Funding is distributed at the sole discretion of PSE.
Higher priority will be given to applicant teams whose intended projects will provide direct benefits to designated communities in PSE’s service area Additionally, higher priority will be given to organizations that have not received TER Grant Writing funding within the last 3 years.
A third-party evaluator, Resource Innovations, will assess applications and provide recommendations to PSE. Funding is distributed at the sole discretion of PSE.
When will I receive my grant funding?
Awardees will receive an initial payment of up to 75% of the total award within 60 days after a funding agreement is executed. Recipients must provide status updates each quarter and inform PSE whether they are awarded or denied the non-PSE grant within 30 days or receiving notification. The remaining award amount will be paid within 60 days after the applicant has provided proof of submission to the intended non-PSE grant and an invoice for grant writing services.

Grant Matching
If my application is not selected for funding, can I apply again in the future?
You can apply for grant matching funding again in the future, as long as your application is associated with a different non-PSE grant.
What costs are eligible for funding?
The TER Grants program is designed to support comprehensive TE solutions for designated communities. For detailed information on costs that are covered by TER Grant Matching, please review the eligible costs document.
Does TER Grant Matching cover costs incurred before I submitted my application?
While costs incurred prior to the submission of your application may be covered, please be aware that they are not guaranteed to be reimbursed.
What happens if I am approved for TER Grant Matching, but my non-PSE grant is denied?
Awardees must notify PSE within 30 days of receiving communication about the status of their non-PSE grant (accepted or denied). If the non-PSE grant is denied, the funding reservation will be voided, and the awardee will no longer be eligible to receive Grant Matching funds.
Can Up & Go Electric incentives be used for Grant Matching?
No, Up & Go Electric incentives cannot be matched by TER Grant Matching funding. To fulfill the grant matching requirement, applicants must have or be in the process of securing a non-PSE grant.
Who owns the funded equipment? Does the recipient own it or PSE?
The applicant team would own and operate the equipment, not PSE.
How are applications evaluated?
PSE evaluates applications based on the following criteria:
- Community Impact: How and to what magnitude will the project directly benefit residential customers and designated communities?
- Feasibility, Planning, and Timeline: Does the application demonstrate a clear, achievable project plan and timeline for implementation?
- Demonstrated Need and Use of Funds: Does the application provide a detailed budget that includes supporting costs throughout the project lifetime, and is a need for funding clearly demonstrated?
- Use Case: Does the project advance transportation electrification by addressing market gaps or utilizing an innovative approach?
PSE conducts an initial review of all applications for missing documentation within five days of submission. We evaluate all applications at the end of every month to select projects to move forward to the next stage. Projects that are not selected will be waitlisted and provided an opportunity to enhance their application before being reevaluated the following month.
Current and past participants in the program may apply again. However, if PSE receives a large number of applications, PSE may consider current and past participation as an evaluation factor.
We are considering requesting the full matching project dollar amount. Are award amounts “all or nothing,” or does PSE offer partial awards?
If sufficient funding is available to cover the full match amount and all budget items are approved as eligible, the full amount may be awarded. However, partial awards may be issued if the available funds do not cover the full match.
How much funding is available for my project?
There is no set cap on TER Grant Matching, but please note that awards are made on a rolling basis throughout the year and available funding may be limited.
When will I receive my grant funding?
Awardees will receive an initial payment of up to 75% of the total award within 60 days after providing proof of securing a non-PSE grant and a funding agreement is executed. Applicants must provide quarterly progress reports through project completion and inform PSE whether they are awarded or denied the non-PSE grant within 30 days of receiving notification.
The remaining award amount will be paid within 60 days after the project is implemented and functioning and a final report with documentation is submitted.
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Additional Resources
- Designated Communities Map
- TER Grants Eligible Costs
- Grant Matching Budget Template
- Project Grant Budget Template
- TER Grants Timeline Template
- Letter of Support Template Project Grant
- Letter of Support Template Grant Matching
- Grant Matching Final Report
- Project Grant Final Report
- TER Grants Terms & Conditions Template

Reduction Grants Support
For questions about Transportation Emission Reduction Grants, please contact tergrants@pse.com.
TER Grants are funded through The Washington State Department of Ecologys (Ecology) Clean Fuel Standard (CFS) regulation. This program is designed to reduce greenhouse gas and conventional air pollutant emissions from transportation fuels in Washington while encouraging economic development.
Your questions will be answered by the PSE TER Grants team and PSE's contractor, Resource innovations.