Fund your electric school bus purchase!
A new round of funding for electric school buses is open!
What is this grant for? This program provides funding for districts to deploy electric school buses to serve their students. This includes:
- Purchasing up to three new electric school buses, or repowering fossil-fuel-powered school buses to run on electricity.
- Installing charging infrastructure for the buses
- Administering vehicle and charger procurement processes
Who can apply? Independent and special school districts, Tribal contract schools, as well as transportation providers and utilities representing a school district. See the RFP for more details about how each of these terms are defined.
How much funding can an applicant receive? Depending on the district’s financial need and other district prioritization criteria, the Department can cover between 80% and 90% of bus cost, and 65% and 95% of other eligible expenses. We anticipate awarding the remaining amount of funding, up to $3.3M, during this round.
When and where can I apply? Applications will be accepted from March 23, 2026, until Thursday June 18, 2026 at 5pm. The RFP is posted publicly online on the Department’s RFP page.
What if I have other questions? Join us for an informational webinar on Thursday, April 9, 2026 from 1pm-2pm to learn more about the application, and ask any questions you have. Register using this link.
All questions about the RFP are to be submitted by email to: energy.contracts@state.mn.us. Responses to questions will be posted to the RFP page of Commerce’s website. If you download the RFP from this website, you will be notified when responses are posted. Responses will not be provided to questions individually.
MN Commerce has created some resources to help applicants submit applications. Use this video to make sure you're filling out the budget template in the application correctly.