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In solidarity with educators across the country, we’ve been hard at work forging pathways to make schools cleaner, healthier, and more efficient. With funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), we’ve awarded approximately $180.5M to 49 local education agencies through the Renew America’s Schools Grant and Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools Prize (Energy CLASS Prize), respectively, to help them make energy improvements and energy management a sustainable feature of their communities. We look forward to following these school communities throughout the year as they pursue their projects.
Read more about our work below!
Selections made for Round 1 of the Renew America’s Schools Grant
 The Renew America’s Schools Grant is the flagship funding opportunity of the Renew America’s Schools program. This competitive award focuses on funding infrastructure upgrades at K–12 public school facilities, prioritizing high-need school communities. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the first Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in November of 2022, and the application period closed on April 21, 2023.
Demand for this funding was unprecedented. In response to the overwhelming evidence of public need, DOE more than doubled the funding for Round 1 of the competition from $80 million to $178 million. The 24 Local Education Agencies selected to receive this funding will now move through the award process to implement their projects, bringing cleaner air, better lighting, and more occupancy comfort to their facilities. Learn more about the selectees here.
DOE anticipates releasing a second round of funding in the spring of 2024.
Energy CLASS Prize Winners Awarded $100,000 for Energy Management Training
 The Renew America’s Schools program announced winners for the Energy Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools Prize (Energy CLASS Prize) in May of 2023. This two-phase, $4.5 million competitive award was designed to help some of the nation’s highest-need K–12 schools make critical clean energy and health improvements by establishing, training, and supporting energy managers—or champions—in their districts.
Phase 1 winners each received $100,000 in cash prizes and moved on to Phase 2 of the competition, during which they will engage in coursework and skills development so they can better plan, execute, and maintain improvement projects at their schools. Over the summer, teams from 25 local education agencies across the country began working with the newly established Energy CLASS Prize Training Network, receiving coaching from professionals in the field, and planning energy improvement projects at their schools. At the end of this phase, based on their performance, these Phase 1 winners will be eligible for an additional $50,000 in funding. Learn more about the Phase 1 winners here.
Raising Awareness, Raising the Bar
Public engagement with the Renew America’s Schools program has heightened our commitment to invest in energy infrastructure at schools across America. As we move into this new school year, DOE will continue to provide both funding and learning opportunities for schools making energy improvements, and we will continue working behind-the-scenes to build a network of support so that more schools have access to the training and funding they need to bring energy improvements to their communities.
We’re starting conversations! Click through the articles below to see a sample of the news coverage on the announcement and learn more about the larger issue of outdated school buildings in serious need of upgrades.
Are you a vendor looking to get involved?
Projects funded through the Renew America’s Schools Program include Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements.
To assist stakeholders in finding products that meet these requirements, the DOE Schools and Nonprofits program is compiling a list of companies with BABA compliant products. If you are a vendor of BABA compliant products, join the BABA Compliant Product List.
Upcoming Events/Webinars
Below is a list of upcoming conferences and webinars that are available to both school districts and partners. DOE officials will be attending and even presenting at a few of these events and we look forward to connecting virtually or in person! Click the links to register or learn more.
U.S. Department of Education Green Strides Tour: September 19 – 21, 2023, Central to Northern California
GreenBuild Conference: September 26 - 29, 2023, Washington D.C.
AIA Webinar: October 4, 2023, Virtual
Learning SCAPES Conference: October 12 – 15, 2023, Chicago, IL
October 2023 School IAQ Workshop: October 18 – 19, 2023, Washington D.C.
ASBO Schools: October 19 – 22, 2023, National Harbor, MD
Funding and Resources for Schools
DOE Healthy and Efficient Schools Program
- Calling all schools to join the U.S. Department of Energy’s Efficient and Healthy Schools Program! Our Program offers free support and technical assistance to schools and districts working to improve their energy performance, advance resilience, and promote a healthy learning environment. Our Program also provides opportunities to gain national recognition for your school’s efforts to create efficient and healthy learning environments (more details to be announced in September). Join us today by filling out this simple form. Our team will follow up with you one-on-one to find the right resources and support for your schools.
- The Center for Green Schools and the U.S. Department of Energy's Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign, in coordination with the U.S. EPA, are hosting a free in-person training for K-12 school staff focused on developing or strengthening district IAQ management plans and sharing the most up-to-date best practices for continuous IAQ monitoring.
The upcoming training will take place on October 18-19, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Travel stipends are available to support K-12 school staff in attending the event.
Learn more about the workshop and register for the October event!
Join Better Buildings and Save
- Slash energy costs and be a hero in your community by partnering with Better Buildings Initiative! This nationwide program supports schools in achieving energy efficiency targets, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and lowering utility expenses. Through the Better Buildings Challenge and the Better Climate Challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) engages leading organizations across sectors to plan for their future success by reducing energy waste and GHG emissions across their portfolio of buildings and sharing replicable pathways and solutions. Participating organizations can engage with other leaders, access resources, leverage one-on-one technical assistance from DOE and national lab experts, and receive national recognition of their leadership and achievements. More than 500 organizations have stepped up to a Challenge, including over 25 school districts. Save costs and join today to make a lasting impact on your K-12 school district or email betterbuildings@ee.doe.gov for more information.
Greenbuild Government Summit
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Greenbuild 2023 is coming to DC this September. Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to sustainable, high-performance building. In conjunction with Greenbuild, USGBC is hosting the Government Summit, Tuesday, September 26 from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. The Government Summit will bring together leaders across the Local, State, and Federal government sectors to share their work on making buildings a climate solution through practice and policy. Focused on the theme of collaboration, this event will include keynotes, panels, and breakouts covering topics from decarbonizing building portfolios, net-zero benchmarks, health, environmental justice, and more. Administrator Carnahan is delivering the keynote address, and White House officials Andrew Mayock and Heather Clark will participate in a fireside chat. The Summit does not require a Greenbuild pass and has a small registration fee of $20. In addition, GSA, DOE, and DOD have teamed up to host a booth at the Greenbuild Expo Hall. If you go, be sure to stop by!
U.S. Department of Education Green Strides Program
- The U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) is a public engagement initiative for school sustainability that is structured as a federal recognition award. By highlighting schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and early learning centers’ cost-saving, health promoting, and performance-enhancing sustainability practices, ED-GRS celebrates these institutions and brings more attention to their work.
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