Clean Fuel News

2023 Clean School Bus Program: Open for Applications

2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity OPEN

EPA anticipates awarding approximately $400 million in competitive grant funding under the Clean School Bus (CSB) Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The program is soliciting applications nationwide for a grant competition to fund the replacement of existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) school buses.

All application packages need to be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov no later than Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. (ET) to be considered for funding. School districts in Louisiana are eligible for assistance from their local Clean Cities coalition. Please reach out to [email protected] for more information on how our coalition can help you prepare your application.

Important Dates

Funding Prioritizations

Priority for funding is given to applications that:

• Propose to replace buses that serve districts that meet one or more of the prioritization criteria:
  • High-need local educational agencies,
  • Rural school districts,
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded school districts,
  • School districts that receive basic support payments for children who reside on Indian land

Please refer to the FY23 CSB Grants NOFO for specific information about this competition.

Eligible Applicants

The following entities are eligible to apply for the FY23 CSB Grants:

• Local or State governmental entities responsible for:
  • Providing school bus service to one or more public school systems, or
  • The purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses;

• Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and tribally controlled schools that are responsible for:
  • Providing school bus service to one or more Bureau-funded schools, or
  • The purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses; nonprofit school transportation association; and eligible contractors;
• Public charter school districts responsible for the purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses for that charter school 
• Eligible contractors that have the capacity:
  • To sell, lease, license, or contract for service clean school buses, zero-emission school buses, charging or fueling infrastructure, or other equipment needed to charge, fuel, or maintain clean school buses or zero emission school buses, to individuals or entities that own, lease, license, or contract for service a school bus or a fleet of school buses; or
  • Arrange financing for such a sale, lease, license, or contract for service;
• Nonprofit transportation associations that:
  • Are operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable or similar purposes in the public interest;
  • Are not organized primarily for profit; and
  • Use their net proceeds to maintain, improve and/or expand their operations.

Please refer to the FY23 CSB Grants NOFO for specific information about this competition.

Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus/clean-school-bus-program-grants

*Applicants that applied to a previous CSB funding opportunity are eligible to apply for this and future CSB funding opportunities. Applicants must apply to each funding opportunity separately; EPA will not carry forward applications from previous funding opportunities.