Workshop for Electric School Bus Funding in Oregon, Wed. Sept. 9, 11a.m.

I like school districts, and school buses, and electric school buses. I especially like to help school districts land money for electric school buses and vans.*

So, I’m inviting you to a grant funding workshop designed to help school districts in Oregon access Pacific Power’s Electric Mobility Fund. This funding is only for Oregon (sorry about that). I’m co-hosting it with Teri Kohnstann, the manager of the grant program, and Brandon Coonrod, Senior Director of Student Transportation at Portland Public Schools here in Oregon. Brandon has won ESB funds including from Pacific Power, as have I. He operates ten electric school buses last I counted (he’s always expecting another one to arrive soon).

Electric Mobility Fund Grant Workshop
Wed. September 9, 11 a.m. PST
Link to attend

For a school district to qualify for this funding source, it must either be in Pacific Power territory, or deliver students to one or more schools within its territory. That last part makes quite a few more districts eligible, since it’s common to transport students across district lines so they can access the classes and resources they need. In such a case, an electric bus, van or vehicle would be eligible, but a charger would not.

Deadline to apply is September 18, 2026. Teri has told me she can consider extensions on that deadline if requested ahead of time, but applicants who meet the deadline may get higher priority.

30% match is required. So, if your project is $100,000 total, you need to bring $30,000 to the table. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has told me they unfortunately don’t have match available. You might consider a modest project of purchasing a 2023 or 2024 electric van, Type 10, range of up to 125 miles, for about $60,000. (You’ll then save a lot on fuel. Special needs children are reported to be calmer when they ride electric, due to the quiet motor, and drivers a bit happier.) I’m told the price for 2026 e-van models is $125,000.

Again, this workshop is to help you access Pacific Power’s Electric Mobility Fund. You can reach Teri Kohnstann the fund program manager at pacificpowerev@clearesult.com.

* In 2024 I landed a grant from this same fund for Hood River County School District that brought them a charger and an electric van. In 2020 I landed another Pacific Power grant; this one funded the year-long Electric Bus Learning Project that I co-led statewide. In 2022 I was on the grant-writing team for Beaverton School District. We applied for 20 million from the EPA’s Electric School Bus Program and landed the full 20 million. We later learned that the section of the proposal I was responsible for was awarded 20 points out of 20 possible points. (20 seems to have been a theme here.) I hope I don’t sound braggy. I’ve also written grant proposals that got turned down, or got funded just partly. I think it’s good to ask for money frequently.

I’m also a partner in MOVER, the vehicle to building (V2B) project for community resilience in Hood River, Oregon. I’ve worked in low-carbon transportation since 2006, and founded this Electric School Bus Newsletter in 2019 (archives here). I’ve moderated panels at the STN West conference and the Green Transportation Summit and Expo. I’ve done contracted electric school bus (ESB) projects for the World Resources Institute’s Electric School Bus Initiative, Beaverton School District, Pacific Power, Portland General Electric and more. My former employers include Center for Transportation and the Environmen t, Forth Mobility and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Public Transit Division, where I administered grants and evaluated grant applications.

Please join us!

Electric Mobility Fund Grant Workshop
Wed. September 9, 11 a.m. PST

Link to attend