Grants/Funding
Toyota Motor Corporation to provide funding for school districts for clean school buses.
There are multiple ways to fund school
bus retrofit and replacement programs. Below is a list of
resources that will help identify potential funding. Watch
this web page on Grants and Funding for updates.
EPA Funding Sources
Other Federal Funding Sources
State and Local Funding Sources
Other Sources of Funding
Tips for School Districts Seeking Grant Funds
EPA Funding Sources
- 2005 Proposed Expansion for Clean School Bus USA
The federal budget proposal President Bush submitted for fiscal 2005 includes a $65 million request for the Clean School Bus USA Program. This funding would expand federal support for school bus retrofit and replacement programs by $60 million and would greatly enhance the ability of Clean School Bus USA partners to meet the goal of upgrading the nation's school bus fleet by 2010. The fiscal 2005 budget will not be finalized until it is passed by Congress and signed by the President.
- 2004 Clean School Bus USA Demonstration Grants
Building on the 2003 Clean School Bus USA demonstration grants program, Congress again allocated $5 million for school bus retrofit and replacement grants in 2004. EPA announced the selection of 20 projects for funding in June, 2004. The 2004 demonstration grants are funding a diverse set of demonstrations around the nation.
EPA did not solicit new applications for the 2004 funds, but rather drew from the pool of applicants that did not receive funding in 2003. The pool included nearly 100 project proposals with requests totaling more than $55 million. Decisions were based on criteria outlined in the 2003 grants solicitation and on evaluations conducted during the 2003 competition.
- 2003 Clean School Bus USA Demonstration Grants
To support EPA's efforts to reduce pollution from school
buses, Congress allocated $5 million for a cost-shared grant
program designed to assist school districts in upgrading
their bus fleets. This grant competition closed on August
1, 2003. EPA received over 120 applications requesting nearly
$60 million in funds. Seventeen demonstration projects were
selected for funding. The projects are demonstrating a variety
of approaches to reducing pollution from school buses. These
demonstrations will involve about 4000 buses and remove
over 200,000 pounds of diesel particulate matter from the
air over the next 10 years. Read
more...
For more information on this closed solicitation: [ 92KB PDF ]
- EPA's
Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Grant Program
(Maintained by EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality)
The solicitation for applications under the Diesel Retrofit Program Assistance Agreement Sensitive Populations Initiative for FY 2004 closed on July 2, 2004. For more information on this solicitation: http://www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html#trans.
- EPA's
Smart Growth Program - Funding Sources
(Maintained by EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation)
The Smart Growth
Program is an alternative to sprawl and urban decay,
and is an innovative approach to addressing EPA's environmental
mandates. The goal of smart growth is to work with communities,
businesses, industry, state and local officials and others
to shape land use and growth so that it has minimum impact
on environmental, economic, and community health. There
are some grant programs that may support school bus projects:
- EPA
Performance Partnership Grants
(Maintained by EPA's Office of Regional Operations and State/Local
Relations)
Performance Partnership Grants (PPG) are multi-program
grants made to state or tribal agencies of EPA funds allocated
for categorical grant programs. They are voluntary and
provide States and Tribes the option to combine funds
from two or more categorical grants. Under regulatory
authority (since 1996) this policy covers sixteen program
grants (including air pollution control). They are funded
from EPA's State and Tribal Assistance Grants appropriation.
- EPA
Program Grants (Guidance)
(Maintained by EPA's Grants Administration Division, Region
5, and Purdue University)
In addition to defining Federal grants, this site provides
a table of actual use of EPA grants administered. Historically,
EPA has funded both state and local programs in all environmental
media. A number of grants are targeted towards research
and demonstration projects, while others support various
program activities.
- EPA'
s Financial Tools and List of Grants
(Maintained by EPA's Grants Administration Division, Region
5, and Purdue University)
This link provides the description, advantages, and limitations
of the EPA grant funding process. It also provides a list
of grants to choose from, with links to each grant program.
- Transportation-Related
Grants Database (TRGD)
(Maintained by EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality)
TRGD is a clearinghouse of information on transportation
and air quality related projects funded by EPA. The database
provides information on more than 50 EPA funded transportation-related
projects from around the nation. Many of these projects
fall under transportation-related categories such as market
incentives, voluntary measures, sustainable development,
public education and outreach, transportation control measures,
and ozone action programs.
Other Federal Funding Sources
- Government-wide
grants information and resources
(Maintained by the US Federal Highway Administration)
Comprehensive Web site with information about finding
and applying for all federal grant programs.
- Congestion
Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ)
The Federal Highway Administration of the Department
of Transportation manages the CMAQ Program. The primary
purpose of the CMAQ program is to fund projects and programs
in areas with air quality programs which reduce transportation-related
emissions. This listing provides a variety of CMAQ information
in your area which may include your city or state's CMAQ
budget, on-going or potential CMAQ projects, CMAQ grant
funding agencies and contacts. Look to this site for ideas
in implementing retrofit projects and funding information.
Simply select any state to obtain its CMAQ information.
(Note: This may not be the most current budget information.
Please contact the State office for budget update if available.)
- Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century
(Maintained by the US Federal Highway Administration)
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21)
authorizes expenditures of $218 billion from 1998 to 2003
to fund the development and maintenance of the nation's
transportation infrastructure, while protecting the environment
and enhancing economic growth. The largest public works
program ever authorized, it is having a significant impact
on the air quality programs and issues being addressed by
the EPA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and state
and local agencies. EPA also has more information on TEA-21.
- Clean
Fuels Formula Grants
(Maintained by the US Federal Transit Administration)
The Clean Fuels Formula Grant program is a new formula
grant program created by the Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century (TEA-21) intended to assist
nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining
attainment status. Under the program, maintenance and
nonattainment areas, as defined by the EPA, can apply
for funds to acquire clean fuel vehicles, to re-power
or retrofit engines for clean fuels operation, and to
construct or improve facilities to support these vehicles.
The legislation defines clean fuel vehicles as those powered
by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel
fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, hybrid electric,
fuel cell and clean diesel, and other low or zero emissions
technology that sufficiently reduces harmful emissions.
- Catalog
of All Federal Domestic Assistance
(Maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services)
The Catalog of all Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) is
a government-wide compendium of all 1,425 Federal programs,
projects, services, and activities that provide assistance
or benefits to the American public and is available from
the General Services Administration.
- Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance: Air Pollution Control
Program Support
This listing of air pollution controls funding programs
is provided to assist State, Tribal, Municipal, Inter-municipal,
and Interstate agencies in planning, developing, establishing,
improving, and maintaining adequate programs for prevention
and control of air pollution or implementation of national
primary and secondary air quality standards.
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State and Local Funding Sources
- Carl
Moyer Clean Engine Incentive Program (California
only)
(Maintained by the California Air Resources Board)
The Carl Moyer Program is administered by the California
Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (ARB).
Funds are distributed through local air districts. Incentives,
in the form of grants for private companies or public agencies
operating heavy-duty engines in California, will cover an
incremental portion of the cost of cleaner on-road, nonroad,
marine and locomotive engines.
- Oregon
Non-point Source Pollution Control Facilities Tax Credit
(Maintained by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality)
The State of Oregon offers a tax credit for Oregon taxpayers
who purchase a "pollution control facility" (includes any
equipment or device) used to reduce or control air pollution.
The tax credit applies to retrofit technologies verified
by the EPA's Voluntary Retrofit Diesel Program. Information
about the application procedures, fees, and assessment of
cost can be found following this link to Oregon's Pollution
Control Facilities Tax Credit Program.
- Dallas,
Texas Adopt-a-School Bus Dallas
This is a cooperative partnership between the American
Lung Association, EPA, State Agencies, local elected officials,
and corporate sponsors was established as a nonprofit grant
program to aid local school districts replacing their aging,
diesel school bus fleets with new "clean fuel" buses. The
program is administered by an independent Steering Committee
and operates under the auspices of the American Lung Association.
- Texas
Emission Reduction Plan (TERP)
(Maintained by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission)
The Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP), is a comprehensive
set of incentive programs aimed at improving air quality
in Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
administers TERP grants and other financial TERP incentives.
Additional financial incentive and assistance programs are
administered by other state agencies. The TERP was not funded
in 2002.
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Other Sources of Funding
- In addition to the sources listed above, some school bus
retrofit programs have been funded through state-negotiated
settlements in legal actions against companies that violated
state environmental laws. Please contact your state environmental
agency about the possibility of receiving money resulting
from an enforcement action.
- Toyota Motor Corporation has announced plans to provide financial assistance to school districts interested in retrofitting school buses and purchasing ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. Parties interested in these retrofits may contact Toyota and obtain more information by calling 1-703-934-3040 or going to Toyota's Clean Buses for Kids website: http://www.cleanbusesforkids.com/.
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Tips for School Districts Seeking Grant Funds
- Notify us of your interest so we can contact you when new information or funding becomes available. Please call 734-214-4780 or email CleanSchoolBusUSA@epa.gov.
- Begin preparing now for future opportunities:
- Browse the Clean School Bus USA web site to familiarize yourself with the range of options for reducing school bus pollution
- Check the federal government's comprehensive grants web site for information about applying for federal grant programs.
- Assess the school bus fleet(s) you wish to upgrade by compiling information about vehicle and engine models, ages, annual mileage, and so on.
- Identify local resources that could be used to satisfy matching fund requirements.
- Take action now by implementing no cost or low cost practices that reduce emissions and exposure to diesel exhaust. Read more...
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