Clean Bus Planning Awards (CBPA) - FY 2025
| Agency: | US Other |
|---|---|
| Office: | Joint Office of Energy and Transportation National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | Unknown |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | Rolling |
| Match Required: | No |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to reduce barriers to zero-emission bus deployment. Rather than providing monetary awards, this program connects transit and school bus fleets with technical experts who provide free technical assistance to support the development of comprehensive and customized fleet electrification transition plans. Fleets also have the option to receive free deployment assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at the completion of their plan.
Establishing a zero-emission transition plan is the first step in creating an economically and environmentally sound fleet for school districts and transit agencies. The planning process helps to:
- Create a vision for deployment and rally unified support from decision makers, stakeholders, and constituents
- Coordinate internal and external project teams while reducing burden on overloaded fleet managers
- Establish realistic short-term and long-term targets that are supported by sound technical analysis
- Serve as a foundation and reference point for day-to-day operations and zero-emission bus deployment
Transition plans may vary based on unique circumstances and considerations for each fleet. The goal of the transition plan is to demonstrate a clear, attainable path to electrification. The plan may include:
- Existing fleet baseline analysis
- Vehicle electrification feasibility analysis
- Infrastructure assessment and optimization strategy
- Procurement and project staging
- Financial analysis
- Emissions modeling
- Stakeholder analysis
- Workforce considerations
- Recommendation for next steps
Fleets receiving a transition plan also have the option to request deployment assistance. Suitability for deployment assistance will be determined by NREL following the completion of the transition plan. Supported activities as part of this assistance may include:
- Monthly calls to monitor procurement progress and advise on barriers encountered
- Annual plan updates to include changes in vehicle inventory/deployment, incentive availability, and financial modeling
- Development of standard operating procedures for drivers and mechanics
- Request for proposal development for vehicle and infrastructure procurement
- Telematics and/or data logger deployment and analysis
This program may also help set up fleets for success in pursuing federal funding for bus electrification, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Clean School Bus Program and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US17724 and US14557, respectively.
This program is no longer accepting applications for FY 2025. eCivis Grants Network will be updated if new information becomes available.
Last Updated: April 15, 2025
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants include:
- State and local governmental entities providing bus service, including public school districts and charter schools
- Private school bus fleets with an active contractual agreement to serve a public school district
- Nonprofit school transportation associations
- Tribes, tribal organizations, or tribally controlled schools responsible for the purchase of school buses or providing school bus service for a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded school
- Direct or designated recipients of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grants, including state and local governmental authorities and tribes
Applications from fleets that meet one or more of the following criteria are strongly encouraged:
- Fleets domiciled or operated in a prioritized school district as recognized under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Clean School Bus Program, additional information on which can be found online at epa.gov/cleanschoolbus
- Fleets domiciled or operated in a rural, non-urbanized area, as defined by FTA's Low-No Grant Program, additional information on which can be found online at transportation.gov/ruraleligibility
- Fleets operated by tribal entities recognized by and eligible for funding and services from the BIA, a list of which can be found online at federalregister.gov
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentNative American Tribe
Non Profits
Private Sector
Schools/School Districts
State Government
Tribal Organizations/Institutions
Application Notes:
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
This program is no longer accepting applications for FY 2025. eCivis Grants Network will be updated if new information becomes available.
Applications must be submitted online at forms.office.com.
Applications must include:
- Contact information
- Fleet information
- Desired accomplishments from program participation
- Current or anticipated electrification goals
- Previous applications and awarded funding
- Deployment assistance
- Affirmation
Refer to the NOFA and AppTemplate files for additional application information.
| Match Required: | No |
|---|---|
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Match Notes:
There are no stated matching requirements for this program.
Funding Notes:
Rather than providing monetary awards, this program connects transit and school bus fleets with technical experts who provide free technical assistance to support the development of comprehensive and customized fleet electrification transition plans. Fleets also have the option to receive free deployment assistance from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) at the completion of their plan.
Contacts:
Program Staff
CBPA@nrel.gov
Agency Address
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
15013 Denver West Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff.
Applications must be submitted online at forms.office.com.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US17349_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (130.3 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17349_AppTemplate_FY2025.pdf (112.2 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17349_FAQ_FY2025.pdf (128.1 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17349_Cancellation_FY2025.pdf (32.7 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains general program information and application guidelines. The AppTemplate file contains a sample of the online application and should be used for reference purposes only. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The Cancellation file contains information regarding the cancellation of this program.
April 15, 2025
This program is no longer accepting applications for FY 2025. eCivis Grants Network will be updated if new information becomes available. Refer to the Cancellation file for additional information.
Grant Keywords
National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, Clean Bus Planning Awards, NREL, CBPA, DOT, DOE, zero-emission, bus, zero-emission bus, bus fleet, technical assistance, TA, fleet electrification, planning, fleet electrification transition, fleet electrification transition plan, transit bus fleet, school bus fleet, bus electrification, project team, target, technical analysis, deployment, US17724, US14557, state entity, state entities, local government, local government entity, local government entities, state government entity, state government entities, public school district, charter school, private school bus fleet, nonprofit, not-for-profit, nonprofit school transportation association, tribe, tribal, tribal organization, tribally-controlled school, BIA, FTA, state government authority, state government authorities, local government authority, local government authorities, Native American tribe, baseline analysis, vehicle electrification, feasibility, feasibility analysis, battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, infrastructure assessment, optimization, financial analysis, emissions, emissions modeling, stakeholder analysis, alternative energy, alternative fuel, energy demand, energy savings, green energy, electric, electrical, electricity, battery electric vehicle, BEV, electric vehicle, EV, zero-emission vehicle, ZEV, telematic, data logger, CEJSTGrant Categories
Community DevelopmentEnergy
Transportation