The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks proposals from qualified applicants throughout Minnesota for the Electric School Bus Deployment Grant Program. This grant, with an allocated total of $13 million, was created by the State Legislature designed to accelerate the deployment of electric school buses (ESBs) by school districts and to encourage schools to use vehicle electrification as a teaching tool that can be integrated into the school's curriculum.
What’s so special about this grant? The State of MN seeks to accelerate the adoption of electric school buses and has designed this grant to allow school districts to fund planning and technical assistance for ESB deployment, as well as the buses themselves (without scrappage requirements!) and their chargers.
Who can apply? Independent and special school districts, Tribal contract schools, as well as transportation providers and utilities on behalf of a school district. Find more details on who's eligible on our website.
How does it work? There are two distinct rounds of applications: the “Technical Assistance” round and the “Equipment” round, each with individual application periods and forms.
What is being funded this round? This Technical Assistance round will provide funding for:
- Activities related to the search, evaluation and establishment of work agreements, scope of work and other reasonable project initiation related activities;
- Developing transition plans, deployment plans, electrification readiness assessments, or other similar deliverables;
- Project coordination activities, including stakeholder and project partner communications related to the electric school buses themselves and/or the related infrastructure needed to support electric school bus deployment;
- Assistance to eligible entities in the preparation of grant applications for federal funds
Technical assistance funded by this grant may be sub-awarded by the grant recipient to a contractor.
How much funding is available in total this round? $200,000
When and where can I apply? From September 9, 2024, until Wednesday October 23, 2024, applications to the Planning and Technical Assistance round of this program will be accepted for eligible applicants throughout Minnesota. The RFP will be posted publicly online on the Department’s RFP page (found at https://mn.gov/commerce/business/rfp.jsp)
I’m interested in buses and chargers! A second grant round providing funding for electric school buses and charging infrastructure (the Equipment round) will be posted before the end of the 2024 calendar year. Stay tuned!
How long will this grant last? The Department expects to continue the posting schedule of the two funding rounds per year until December 31, 2026, or until funds are exhausted.