What does this funding get me?
This is a federal grant and rebate program intended to help schools to replace their old school buses with new electric buses.
Am I eligible?
You are eligible if you are a:
- Public school districts and other state or local government entities that are responsible for providing school bus service to at least one public school system and/or the purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses
- Public charter school district responsible for the above
- Tribal applicant responsible for the above
- Nonprofit school transportation association or eligible contractor
Sign up here to get email updates from EPA on clean school bus funding.
How can I access the money?
Rebates
The 2024 rebate program opened on September 26, 2024. The deadline for applications was January 9, 2025, 4pm ET.
The EPA anticipates awarding up to $965 million in rebates and has increased the maximum number of buses funded per application from 25 to 50. Eligible applicants can apply to receive funding for the purchase of electric, propane or compressed natural gas school buses as well as charging infrastructure, workforce training, consulting costs for bus deployments, and bus warranty costs. The EPA will also provide additional funding per bus for ADA-compliant buses.
More information on the rebates, including how to apply, is HERE.
Grants
No grant applications are currently being accepted, but grant information from previous funding rounds is HERE and we will post any future rounds on this page when they are announced.
What is the timeline?
For Rebates: The deadline to apply for rebates in the 2024 application cycle was January 9, 2025, 4pm ET.
Note: if you were selected to receive a rebate under the 2023 cycle, you must submit payment request forms with purchase orders by October 2024.
For Grants: The application cycle for the 2023 funding year has closed. Awards were announced on January 8, 2024. No 2024 Clean School Bus grants have been announced.
If you plan to apply for funding in 2024, we recommend that you register for a grants.gov account as soon as possible. Please see “Information on the Application Process” below for more information and resources.
What other incentives could I use to help me accomplish my goals?
- Electric School Bus Fund Braiding factsheet from the NC Clean Energy Technology Center shows how different funding sources for EV school buses and chargers can be combined to pay for these projects (with link to a spreadsheet you can download for budgeting)
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities (Renew America’s Schools)
- Clean Vehicle Tax Credit
- Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) for additional incentives that may be offered by your state, local government, or utility, as well as important federal, state, and local policies. For questions regarding DSIRE, contact Justin Lindemann (NC Clean Energy Technology Center) at jplindem@ncsu.edu.
How many clean school buses are operating in my state?
In South Carolina, the State Department of Education has received $74,115,000 in rebates to replace 191 buses across 24 South Carolina School Districts. (2022-2023)
Where can I get more information?
- EPA Clean School Bus page
- Upcoming webinars on the Clean School Bus program
- Information on the Application Process (2024 Year)
- Free technical assistance from EPA for potential applicants
- Sign up here to get email updates from EPA on clean school bus funding
- Interactive map of previous awardees under this grant
- World Resource Institute’s map of clean school bus grants awarded through other funding sources
- Webinars on the Clean School Bus Program
- Never applied for a federal grant before? Check out the EPA’s grant management training.
- The NC Clean Energy Technology Center provides technical assistance services related to clean transportation technologies. Click here for more information.
- In addition to the resources listed above, a variety of organizations offer technical assistance that may help you access these funds. They are listed on our Get Help page.
- For specific questions on this program or for more assistance (including questions on more funding opportunities), contact Meech Carter at info@energyfundsforall.org.
- For questions about South Carolina’s electric transportation initiatives, contact Evan Renshaw at evan@cvsc.org with the SC Electric Transportation Network. The SCET Network is a statewide forum for collaboration among businesses, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, public agencies, and other entities involved in or supportive of the equitable advancement of transportation electrification in South Carolina.