Van Grant

We are excited to share the news that the 2023 van grant application is NOW OPEN! Our District 3 office will be offering a small number of 7-passenger 2014 Dodge Grand Caravans to eligible organizations in our district. Please read on for some important information about how this grant program works, how to apply, and what to expect from this process, including upcoming key dates.

Download the Application Here

Van Grant Program Background

Each year King County Metro retires vans from its vanpool fleet and the King County Council grants some of those vans to government agencies and community organizations that serve people in need. The vans are 7-passenger 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan SEs, with average mileage of 54,190 miles and average value of $12,000.

Van Grant Requirements 

Any public agency or non-profit organization can apply to receive a van. They must agree to use the van to transport people with special needs (specifically, seniors, low-income, youth or people with disabilities) OR to transport goods and supplies to people with special needs. Organizations applying for a van will need to describe on the application form how they plan to use their van. Their planned uses must meet these requirements.

To apply, organizations must reside in King County’s 3rd District (includes communities of Issaquah, Sammamish, Redmond, Woodinville, Skykomish, Duvall, Carnation, Fall City, Preston, Snoqualmie, North Bend, surrounding unincorporated communities, and everything East up to the Snoqualmie Pass). If an organization is based outside of District 3 but primarily serves residents within District 3 communities, please reach out to me directly at Robby.Paige@kingcounty.gov to discuss your eligibility. Please note that each of the 9 County Councilmembers will have a small number of vans to award and will be running their own application processes. Due to the limited number of vans available, we will not be accepting applications from organizations located outside of District 3 and encourage you to reach out to your Council office directly for their application.

Application Process & Timeline

An organization that would like to receive a van must complete the attached application form and return that form, along with insurance info and 501(c)3 documentation, by email to Councilmember Perry’s office at Robby.Paige@kingcounty.gov. All applications are due by Wednesday, March 15th at 5pm.

Our office, in partnership with King County Metro, will complete our review of all applications by March 30th and will notify selected organizations of our decision by Friday, April 7th at the latest. 

Once organizations are selected and notified, the Council will then need to officially grant the vans to each organization through a piece of legislation that we expect will move through committee and the full Council for passage in late April. 

Van Pick Up

Once the van grant legislation is passed at Council, selected organizations will be able to pick up their vans between May 1st and August 31st. It’s important to understand the pick-up process and requirements before applying. 

• Each selected organization must pick up its van at King County Metro’s Van Distribution Center in Redmond. District staff cannot pick up a van for an organization and King County Metro staff cannot drive it to the organization. This is so that the organization’s staff can complete the paperwork and get oriented by Metro staff about reporting requirements and van ownership (such as the process to transfer the title).
• Each organization must show proof of insurance to pick up their van. When organizations schedule a pick-up time, King County Metro staff will give them their van’s VIN number and mileage so they can complete the process of arranging for insurance. The insurance must be in the name of the organization, NOT an individual person.
• There is a deadline! If an organization doesn’t pick up their van by August 31st, the award may be forfeited. It’s expensive for Metro to store and maintain retired vans, plus we want them out in the community!

If you have any questions about this process, you can reach out directly to our Legislative Assistant Robby at Robby.Paige@kingcounty.gov or 206-445-9246. This is an exciting opportunity, and we hope that you will consider applying!

Download the Application Here