GPAC open house

Grants Program Advisory Consultation (GPAC)

Since 2005, WSDOT has engaged a diverse group of statewide stakeholders in a biennial evaluation of public transportation grant programs (RCW 47.66.080). To improve these grant programs, the Public Transportation Division created the Grants Program Advisory Consultation (GPAC).

GPAC advises WSDOT on policy and process improvements for its public transportation grant programs by reaching out to stakeholders, reviewing previous GPAC processes, revisiting past stakeholder input, and recommending actionable ways to improve grant administration.

During the 2025-2027 biennium, 384 projects were awarded a total of $716 million through 16 grant programs.

Where we are

Last year, WSDOT staff conducted detailed interviews with public transportation stakeholders across Washington to review processes and identify areas for improvement.

• WSDOT staff conducted 44 GPAC interviews from August to September 2025.
• Participants came from 24 counties in Washington and one county in Oregon.
• Participants represent a variety of organizations:
  • 3 large urban transit agencies
  • 2 local governments
  • 14 nonprofit transportation providers
  • 2 planning organizations
  • 7 rural transit agencies
  • 5 small urban transit agencies
  • 1 transportation management association
  • 9 tribal transportation agencies or providers

You asked, we listened!

Based on key findings from the 2025 grantee interviews, WSDOT staff and subject matter experts are currently working in the following areas:

• Examining ABC rankings for the regions.
• Researching diversity needs for external evaluation panels. GPAC staff, in partnership with our Values In Action Committee, are working to implement best practices for building a more equitable and representative grant application reviewer pool.
• Examining grant match requirements.
• Improving outreach to applicants serving vulnerable populations and overburdened communities.
• Examining geographic equity within scoring criteria.
• Providing additional training resources. Our new grant writing training video is now available!
• Providing a clear schedule of events for the grant season. Our grants at a glance table on our apply for a public transportation grant webpage has been updated. Important dates and details can be found on each individual grant webpage.
• Reviewing and implementing GMS improvements.
• Enhancing reporting processes.
• Improving administrative processes related to vehicle applications and projects.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our GPAC team or check out our periodically updated FAQs section.

While we may not be able to address all recommendations, we regularly revisit and review our full list of recommendations and prioritize actions that will strengthen and improve our grant programs.

We will continue to:

• Report on progress toward addressing key findings and prioritize remaining actionable items from interviews.
• Expand our FAQs section.
• Provide resources for upcoming grant opportunities.