| On April 24th, the EPA announced the 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program. This is the first grant funding opportunity through the multi-year funding program and follows the 2022 CSB Rebate Program, which was the first round of funding. Under the 2023 Grant Program, EPA anticipates awarding approximately $400 million in competitive grant funding to eligible applicants for the purchase of zero-emission (ZE) school buses, clean school buses, and ZE charging infrastructure.
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) includes two sub-programs, one for school district and Tribal applicants (School District Sub-program) and one for third-party applicants (Third-Party Sub-program). EPA is providing two separate competitions under this single NOFO to address the unique needs and concerns of diverse recipients and encourage participation in the CSB grants program. EPA is prioritizing applications that will replace buses serving high-need local education agencies, rural areas, Tribal school districts funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and public school districts receiving basic support payments for students living on Tribal land, and rural areas. In addition, EPA is committed to ensuring the CSB Program delivers on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative that at least 40% of the benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. The NOFO will be open for 120 days. Applicants must submit all grant application materials to Grants.gov by: Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET. EPA will host a series of public webinars regarding this NOFO from May through August to provide potential applicants with an overview of the NOFO and how to apply. Webinar registration links will be posted to the Clean School Bus Webinars webpage. Note: Potential applicants without a Federal Grants account are encouraged to initiate the Federal Grants registration process well ahead of the deadline for funding since the registration process can take a month or more. Clean School Bus Technical Assistance Resources: EPA Clean School Bus Technical Assistance Page EPA Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Resources Page EV Charger Energy Star Listings Power Planner for Electric School Bus Deployment Electric School Bus U.S. Market Study and Buyer’s Guide 2023 Student Transportation News Buyer’s Guide DOT Rural EV Toolkit |