Biden–Harris Administration Publicizes $180 Million Funding in College Vitality Infrastructure as A part of Investing in America Agenda

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Funding Helps Okay-12 Public Colleges for Vitality Upgrades that Decrease Prices and Create Wholesome Studying Environments

WASHINGTON D.C. — As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, at this time the U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE) opened purposes for the 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize, which is able to award $180 million to districts throughout the nation partaking in strategic partnerships to construct capability and implement vitality upgrades at Okay-12 faculties, decreasing vitality use and prices, bettering indoor air high quality, and fostering more healthy studying environments. The 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize, funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, represents a groundbreaking funding in energy-efficient and renewable vitality infrastructure at underserved Okay-12 public faculties and contributes towards the Administration’s broader Motion Plan for Constructing Higher College Infrastructure.

“There’s nothing extra crucial than investing within the well being and training of our nation’s youngsters,” mentioned U.S. Secretary of Vitality Jennifer M. Granholm. “This program’s first spherical of funding noticed an unprecedented inflow of purposes, requesting billions at school infrastructure upgrades. The Biden-Harris Administration has doubled down on its dedication to college students throughout the nation, allocating extra assets each from this program and throughout the Division of Vitality.”

The 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize will make investments an anticipated $180 million at school services that show the necessity for each vitality enhancements and financing, with a give attention to faculties that serve deprived communities, together with these with a excessive proportion of scholars eligible free of charge and reduced-price lunch, and/or which qualify as rural. Eligible enhancements — like new HVAC and air flow techniques, constructing envelope and lighting tasks, various gasoline (equivalent to electrical) automobiles and infrastructure, and renewable vitality applied sciences — will enhance vitality efficiency and/or result in enhancements in pupil, educator, and workers well being. By decreasing vitality use, these investments can scale back constructing working prices — the second highest operational expense for faculties. The financial savings may be reinvested in applications like afterschool, summer time studying, and different academic alternatives and assets for college kids. On the similar time, studying environments which have been enhanced with higher indoor air high quality, lighting, and different upgrades supported by DOE’s investments, can enhance pupil well being outcomes and enhance general well-being and educational efficiency.

Aggressive proposals will implement vitality assessments and constructing enchancment tasks throughout a portfolio of 10 or extra college services.  A portfolio could also be composed of faculty services from a number of districts. Rivals submitting proposals needs to be organizations or groups with the capability to combination and handle tasks throughout a portfolio. Throughout Part 1, opponents will construct groups and curate lists of faculty services that show each want and eligibility for funding.

Every Part 1 winner will earn a money prize of $300,000 and transfer on to Phases 2 and three, throughout which they are going to enter and execute a Cooperative Settlement with DOE. Awards made in Phases 2 and three will differ by portfolio measurement however might vary from $7.5 million to $15 million. DOE will difficulty the most important awards to portfolios serving 20 or extra college services, providing a complete of $15,300,000 to winners on this class for finishing all three phases.

The Renew America’s Colleges Program goals to assist college districts throughout the nation make vitality upgrades that decrease utilities prices, enhance indoor air high quality, and foster more healthy studying environments. In 2023, this program introduced picks for its first spherical of funding — the Renew America’s Colleges grant — which invested $178 million in over 90 college services throughout 22 states, and straight benefitted about 74,000 college students and 5,000 academics.

The 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize iterates on the Renew America’s Colleges grant. The brand new prize-to-cooperative-agreement funding mechanism streamlines the appliance course of, decreasing limitations to entry for districts and rising the accessibility of federal funds. It moreover promotes partnerships between college districts and business consultants, encouraging the formation of stakeholder help networks that may present districts earlier, extra focused help, assist them construct inner experience, and supply pathways to further financing. DOE will prioritize purposes that show replicable partnership fashions, improve the impression of federal funds, enable federal {dollars} to make their method into extra college communities, and stimulate additional investments within the Okay-12 vitality sector.

The prize helps President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda and the Justice40 Initiative to place environmental and financial justice on the middle of America’s vitality transition. Purposes supported by the prize will ship lasting advantages to native communities via DOE’s Neighborhood Advantages Plan framework: supporting significant neighborhood and labor engagement; investing in high quality jobs; advancing Variety, Fairness, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA); and advancing the Justice40 Initiative, which units the objective that a minimum of 40% of the general advantages movement to underserved communities which are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by air pollution.

DOE is now accepting purposes for the 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize. Submissions are due on Thursday, June 13 at 5PM ET.

To entry the 2024 Renew America’s Colleges Prize, go to https://www.herox.com/renewschoolsprize. To view the instruments and assets that may help your software, go to /scep/renew-americas-schools.