Let’s bring more electric school buses to Minnesota!
The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks proposals from qualified applicants throughout Minnesota for the Electric School Bus Grant Program. This program, with an allocated total of $13 million, was created by the State Legislature to accelerate the deployment of electric school buses by school districts and to encourage schools to use vehicle electrification as a teaching tool that can be integrated into the school's curriculum.
Applications for this grant are currently CLOSED. Awards will be announced in late November 2024.
What is this grant for? This round will provide funding for technical assistance, like:
- Finding the help you need to start your electric school bus journey
- Creating plans to get electric school buses operating in your district
- Coordinating with all parties involved in getting an electric school bus up and running
- Getting help with federal funding applications
A second grant round that will fund electric school buses and chargers will be posted in 2024.
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 is available in total this round? $200,000
When and where can I apply? Applications will be accepted from September 9, 2024, until Wednesday October 23, 2024. The RFP will be posted publicly online on the Department’s RFP page.
How long will this program last? The Minnesota Department of Commerce expects to post two funding rounds per year until December 31, 2026, or until funds run out.
What if I have other questions? 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. Responses will not be provided to questions individually.
In addition, the Minnesota Department of Commerce hosted an informational webinar about the Electric School Bus Grant Program on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 11am. Find the slides from this webinar here.
School District Prioritization Information
Commerce has put together information for each eligible school district about various prioritization and evaluation metrics to make applying for the Planning and Federal Application Assistance round easier. You can find this information in a convenient spreadsheet below.