Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates Program - FY 2023
| Agency: | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
|---|---|
| Federal FON: | EPA-420-B-23-032 |
| Office: | Transportation and Climate Division Office of Transportation and Air Quality |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 02/14/2024 (Application) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | Unknown |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
| Range: | $500,000,000 (Min) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to subsidize the replacement of existing school buses with cleaner buses that result in better air quality on the bus, in bus loading areas, and throughout the communities in which they operate. This program will provide rebate payments that will subsidize the purchase of zero-emission (ZE) or clean school buses, eligible infrastructure, and other costs, including workforce training.
For the purposes of this program, a school bus is defined as a passenger motor vehicle designed to carry a driver and more than ten passengers that the Secretary of Transportation decides is likely to be used significantly to transport pre-primary, primary, and secondary school students to or from school or an event related to school. Existing school buses to be replaced must meet the following criteria:
- Be vehicle model year 2010 or older diesel-powered school buses that will be scrapped, unless the fleet meets the criteria detailed on page 10 of the NOFA file
- Have a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more
- Be operational at the time of application submission
- Have provided bus service to the public school district for at least three days per week on average during the 2022/2023 school year at the time of application, excluding emergency-related school closures
New replacement buses must meet the following criteria:
- Have a battery-electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), or propane drivetrain
- Be a new vehicle that is model year 2022 or newer
- Have a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more
- Be certified to conform with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
- Be maintained, operated, insured, registered, and charged/fueled according to manufacturer recommendations and state requirements
- Be equipped with a certified engine if powered by propane or CNG
- Serve the school district for at least five years from the date of delivery
Refer to page 12 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding eligible types of replacement buses according to existing bus fuel type.
For applicants applying for ZE battery-electric buses, funding may also support EV-related infrastructure installation and equipment from the electrical meter to the charging port of the bus, including charging equipment, design and engineering costs, installation costs, related intelligent equipment and software, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) as well as renewable on-site power generation systems.
Funding may also support the following additional costs:
- Required electrician certification
- Infrastructure labor costs
- Workforce training for drivers, mechanics, electricians, and other essential personnel
- Consultation on bus deployments
- Delivery costs
- Bus warranties
Optional webinars are scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
This program is related to the funding agency's Clean School Bus Grants Program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US17724.
Last Updated: January 31, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- Public school districts, including:
- Local and 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
- Public charter school districts responsible for the purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses for that charter school
- Tribal entities responsible for providing school bus service to one or more Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded schools, or the purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses, including:
- Indian tribes
- Tribal organizations
- Tribally controlled schools
- Third parties, including:
- Nonprofit school transportation associations
- For-profit and nonprofit contractors, which generally include school bus dealers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), school bus service providers, and private school bus fleets that provide student transportation services
All applicants must identify a school district that will be served by the new replacement buses.
Eligible school districts may apply directly, even if the school district contracts out bus service to a private fleet. For eligible third parties applying on behalf of a school district, the third party will be considered the applicant and will receive funding on behalf of the school district.
Preference will be given to applicants that serve school districts that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Are high-need school districts and low-income areas, including:
- School districts listed in the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) School District Estimates for 2021 as having 20 percent or more students living in poverty, as listed online at www.census.gov/data
- Title I-funded school districts and charter school districts not listed in the SAIPE dataset above
- Title I-funded large public school districts with more than 35,000 students and/or 45 public schools that do not meet the 20 percent poverty threshold and self-certify their low-income status
- School districts located in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Rural school districts identified with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) locale code “43-Rural: Remote”
- BIA-funded school districts
- School districts that receive basic support payments under Title 20, Section 7703(b)(1) of the U.S. Code for children who reside on Indian land
Lists of prioritized school districts that meet one or more of the criteria above can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
Applicants included in the 2022 waitlist for this program must reapply to be considered for funding.
School districts applying directly may only submit one application to replace up to 25 buses. School districts that contract with multiple private fleets may list more than one private fleet in the application. Other eligible applicants may submit multiple applications; however, each application must be for buses serving a different school district.
501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations that lobby are not eligible to apply.
Previous award recipients include:
- Toledo Public Schools (OH)
- Houston Independent School District (TX)
- Mohave Valley Elementary School District 16 (AZ)
- Thomas Built Buses, Inc. (CA)
- Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education (GA)
A database of previous award recipients can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentConsortia
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
Private Sector
Schools/School Districts
State Government
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:
Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. ET on January 31, 2024.
The due date for the application has been extended to 4:00 p.m. ET on February 14, 2024. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt file.
Applications must be submitted online at app.epa.gov/csb.
Applications must include:
- Applicant information
- Organization information
- School district information
- School district prioritization information
- Bus and infrastructure information
- Copy of title for each existing bus to be replaced
- Workforce development planning
- Signature
- Supplemental forms:
- School board awareness certification form
- School district approval certification (if applicable)
- Utility partnership agreement (if applicable)
The copy of the title for each existing bus may be submitted as a .pdf, .png, .jpeg, or .jpg file that is at least 1 KB and up to 5 MB in size.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.
Optional webinars for this program are scheduled as follows:
Panel Discussion: 2022 Rebate Selectees with Question-and-Answer (Q&A) Webinar:
October 4, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
JOET: Technical Assistance Overview and Utility Planning with Q&A Webinar:
October 12, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
Panel Discussion: Selectee and Utility with Q&A Webinar:
October 17, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
JOET: Fleet Planning and Route Analysis with Q&A Webinar:
November 2, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
Panel Discussion: Transportation Directors with Q&A Webinar:
November 14, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
Overview of IRS Tax Credits with Department of Treasury:
December 5, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
OIG: Fraud Prevention & Best Practices with Q&A Webinar:
December 13, 2023
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
Popular Q&A with Extended Q&A Session Webinar:
January 9, 2024
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
CSB Outreach Webinar:
January 24, 2024
1:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usepa.zoomgov.com
A recording of the program guide overview and application walkthrough webinar held for this program can be found online at www.youtube.com.
All eligible applications will be placed in a single ordered list using a random number generator lottery process and ranked according to the criteria detailed on pages 21-23 of the NOFA file.
Refer to the NOFA and Q&A files, as well as the Guide and Application folders, for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
| Range: | $500,000,000 (Min) |
Match Notes:
There are no stated matching requirements for this program.
Funding Notes:
At least $500 million is available to support rebate awards through this program. The maximum rebate award amount will vary according to the type of school district served and the type of replacement bus proposed, as follows:
- For applicants serving prioritized school districts:
- Zero-emission (ZE) Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $345,000
- ZE Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $265,000
- Compressed natural gas (CNG) Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $45,000
- CNG Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $30,000
- Propane Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $35,000
- Propane Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $30,000
- For applicants serving non-prioritized school districts:
- ZE Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $200,000
- ZE Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $145,000
- CNG Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $30,000
- CNG Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $20,000
- Propane Class 7+ replacement buses: awards of up to $25,000
- Propane Class 3-6 replacement buses: awards of up to $20,000
Each applicant may request rebate awards for up to 25 buses.
In addition, applicants may request up to $20,000 per bus in additional funding to support Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant replacement buses equipped with wheelchair lifts.
Applicants that are, or are third-party entities applying on behalf of, school districts located in the states of Alaska and Hawaii or the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands may also request up to $20,000 per bus in additional funding to cover increased shipping costs.
Award notifications will be made in April 2024.
Award recipients must submit payment request forms with purchase orders demonstrating that replacement buses and eligible charging infrastructure have been ordered between April 2024 and October 2024, unless an extension has been granted by the funding agency. Award recipients must receive replacement buses; install eligible charging infrastructure; scrap, sell, or donate existing buses; and submit close-out forms by April 2026.
Funds may not be used for:
- Buses and associated infrastructure purchased prior to award notification
- Biofuels as a replacement technology
- Buses that have been converted to a battery-electric, propane, or CNG drivetrain after the first retail sale
- Conversion of a bus to a battery-electric, propane, or CNG drivetrain
- Lease or lease-to-own of replacement buses
- Replacement buses manufactured or retrofitted with, or that have otherwise installed, a power unit or other technology that creates air pollution within the school bus, such as an unvented diesel passenger heater
- Replacement buses purchased or otherwise subsidized with other federal funds
- Infrastructure costs associated with work in front of the electric meter, including the costs detailed on page 31 of the NOFA file
- Level 2 chargers without Energy Star certification, including white-labeled products that are sold as a different brand name than the model that is listed on Energy Star's website
- Direct current (DC) fast chargers without Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) certification
In 2022, a total of $899,129,000 was distributed via 379 awards through this program. A database of previous award recipients can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
Contacts:
Program Staff
cleanschoolbus@epa.gov
Agency Address
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Contact Notes:
Questions must be submitted to the program staff by 4:00 p.m. ET on January 10, 2024. The email subject line must include "2023 CSB Rebate Question." A list of questions and answers regarding this program can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus, which is anticipated to be updated approximately every two weeks throughout the application period.
Applications must be submitted online at app.epa.gov/csb.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US15910_NOFA_FY2023.pdf (2.6 Mb)Guide File: US15910_Guide_FY2023.zip (2.8 Mb)
Application File: US15910_Application_FY2023.zip (1.3 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15910_Webinar_FY2023.pdf (240.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15910_Q&A_FY2023.pdf (605.0 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15910_DueDateExt_FY2023.pdf (92.3 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US15910_WebinarPresentation_FY2023.zip (16.3 Mb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide folder contains detailed application instructions and detailed prioritization self-certification instructions for this program. The Application folder contains the required forms for submission. The Webinar file contains information regarding optional webinars scheduled for this program. The Q&A file contains an updated list of questions and answers regarding this program. The DueDateExt file contains the updated due date for the application. The WebinarPresentation folder contains slides from webinar presentations held for this program. A database of previous award recipients can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus. Additional program resources can be found online at www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus.
January 31, 2024
Slides from additional webinar presentations held for this program have been released and appended to the WebinarPresentation folder as the WebinarPresentation2 and WebinarPresentation3 files.
January 26, 2024
An announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the application has been released and attached as the DueDateExt file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
January 23, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
January 3, 2024
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
November 22, 2023
An updated list of questions and answers regarding this program has been released and attached as the Q&A file.
October 30, 2023
Updated information regarding the optional webinars scheduled for this program has been released and appended to the Webinar file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
Grant Keywords
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EducationTraining & Vocational Services
Energy
Environment/Natural Resources
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