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?

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?

Given the changing status of federal policies and programs, we recommend contacting us via email at info@energyfundsforall.org or phone at 919-839-0006 ext. 103 to confirm program availability. 

Learn more at our FAQs HERE  and contact your legislators HERE.