MassCEC / Clean Transportation / Funding / School Bus Overview
The MassCEC School Bus program is deploying $33.3 million to advance school bus fleet electrification by providing planning, technical support, and gap funding to Massachusetts public school districts. School Bus supports electric school bus deployment, leveraging over $132 million in other funding sources such as the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program.
MassCEC offers two program opportunities: Advisory Services and Fleet Deployment.
Advisory Services is currently open and accepting applications on a rolling basis.
Round 4 of the School Bus Fleet Deployment Program was announced in the Winter of 2025. This RFP complements the 2024 EPA Clean Heavy Duty Vehicles Grant Program.
Please continue to monitor the MassCEC School Bus webpage for timeline updates on the on the current RFP and future programming.
Which program is right for my school district?
Advisory Services
Up to 25 school bus fleets will receive free electrification planning services under the School Bus Advisory Services Program. This program does not provide funding to buy electric school buses. Rather, it provides technical services to public school districts and/or third-party school bus fleet operators, including
- Preparing for future funding opportunities
- Identifying internal approval procedures
- Feasibility designs
- Financial modeling
- Vehicle and charging station procurement plans
- Educational materials
Fleet Deployment
The School Bus Fleet Deployment Program offers to each selected school bus fleet up to $2.5 million in flexible funding for electric school buses, associated infrastructure, construction, and staff time. Selected school districts can also receive free technical advice from MassCEC's hired consultant team. Services offered by the technical consultant for school districts include
- Assistance with the electric school bus procurement process
- Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) charging infrastructure selection, procurement, and installation
- Recommendations for depot upgrades
- Data collection on electric school bus performance
- Plans for future electrification
Program Schedule
Program Stage |
Timeframe |
|---|---|
Advisory Services Program: Application Period |
Rolling: To be considered for selection, email your interest to SRiccio@veic.org |
Fleet Deployment Program: Round 4 Application Period |
Applications open until June 13, 2025 at 4:00pm |
All dates are subject to change at MassCEC's discretion. See respective program pages for more detailed schedules.
Resources and Support
Key Resources
Funding and Financing Workshop (June 2024)
School Bus MASBO Presentation (May 2023)
US Department of Energy's Guide to Electric School Buses
Sierra Club School Bus Electrification Webinar: featuring EPA, MassCEC, and two Electric School Bus Deployment Projects
Support from Our Team
Email us at cleantransportation@masscec.com with any questions or to set up a call with MassCEC's Clean Transportation team.
Virtual Office Hours: We've set up several 30-minute time slots for you to speak directly with our Clean Transportation team.
FAQ & Additional Resources
Program Recognition
MassCEC was awarded the 2024 CESA State Leadership In Clean Energy (SLICE) biennial award for the School Bus Program. Below is a link to a webinar recording in which Senior Program Director, Rachel Ackerman and Program Manager, Ruedi Hauser presented on the School Bus Program.
Program Backgrounds
MassCEC School Bus
MassCEC developed the School Bus program to complement EPA's Clean School Bus funding or other federal funding opportunities. With the opening of its fourth round of funding, MassCEC's School Bus Fleet Deployment serves as a continuation of the ACTNow school bus projects, and extends ACT4All’s equity focus by prioritizing high-needs and low-income school districts.
Launched in November 2019, the first round of ACT programming, Accelerating Clean Transportation Now (“ACTNow”), resulted in the deployment of $1.4 million in funding and leveraged over $2 million in external cost share funding across nine clean transportation projects, three of which were school bus electrification grants and six of which reduced air pollution in environmental justice communities. The second round of ACT programming, Accelerating Clean Transportation for All (“ACT4All”), focused on addressing transportation needs and burdens in disadvantaged communities. MassCEC awarded $5 million in funding through this equity-focused program across ten clean transportation projects. Selected projects, announced in February 2022, spanned a range of topic areas including e-bike pilots and EV consumer education and are being deployed in various environmental justice neighborhoods and Gateway Cities across the Commonwealth.
EPA School Bus
Following passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Program will provide $5 billion over five years (FY22-26) for clean school bus programming. Under the program, half of the funding is dedicated to zero-emission school buses and half is for clean school buses (including zero-emission, propane, and natural gas buses). Eligible recipients for this first round of funding included state or local governments that provide bus service, contractors who sell or arrange financing for the sale of clean school buses, nonprofit school transportation associations, and tribes, tribal organizations, and tribally controlled schools. EPA prioritized applications from organizations that serve high-need school districts and low-income areas, rural school districts, and tribal school districts.
MassCEC / Clean Transportation / Funding / School Bus Overview