By Christina Fernandez, Grants Development Consultant – K12 Education
The Renew America’s School Program represents an investment in clean energy. This program is funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The BIL was designed to modernize and upgrade American infrastructure, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure stronger access to economic, environmental, and other benefits for disadvantaged communities. Through this BIL, $500 million was allocated to the Renew America’s Schools Program to promote clean energy improvements at K-12 public schools. According to the DOE, each year, public schools alone spend more than $8 billion on energy costs, exceeding their combined annual budget for computers and textbooks. By prioritizing energy improvements in schools, LEAs have the opportunity to reduce their second highest operational cost, enabling them to leverage the resulting savings towards future facility upkeep and educational initiatives.
The Renew America’s Schools program launched its first round of funding in 2022. To date, it has invested $178 million in clean energy and energy-efficiency improvement projects at public school districts across America. This second round of funding looks slightly different than anticipated this year. New for FY 24, the program has taken on a prize- to-cooperative-agreement funding model as a way to streamline the application process, expedite awards, and provide more targeted support to LEAs. There are now three Phases of the program (vs a preliminary concept paper), and only applicants who are successful in Phase One can advance to Phases Two and Three. Luckily, there is no cost-share requirement for Phase One. Under Phase One, applicants will be assembling their project teams and portfolios, outlining how they plan to complete the energy audits and assessments required in Phase Two, and discussing future pathways for financing their projects.
Applications will be assessed across five criteria: 1) Need for Planning and Energy Assessments; 2) Team Composition, Capability, and Experience; 3) Implementation Plan for Phase Two; 4) Impact and Replicability; and 5) Community Benefits Plan.
So, let us look at what will be required in the application what it will take to be successful in Phase One:
- Partnerships: This program seeks applications that not only address the need for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades but also create innovative and sustaining partnerships. Partnerships are going to be even more important in this round of funding. Similar to the 2022 round, a consortium consisting of one Local Education Agency (LEA), and one or more schools, nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, or community partners that have the knowledge and capacity to partner and assist with energy improvements may apply. In addition to the consortium (which will be referred to as the project team), applicants will need to compile a “portfolio” that consists of at least 10 schools/school facilities. This portfolio can span multiple LEAs and must exhibit a high need for energy assessments and improvements. For first-time applicants interested in this program, the DOE has provided a teaming partner list that lists a variety of school districts and industry partners that are willing to support schools in meeting their energy and climate goals. For returning applicants, it is highly recommended to leverage any existing partnerships from the last round to see if they are interested in partnering again.
- Technical Narrative- The Technical Narrative is going to be the longest and most important part of the application. This portion makes up 80% of the evaluation review. A template is provided for convenience; however, it is not required. The narrative should be no longer than 10 pages and should address the first 4 of the 5 evaluation criteria:
- Need for Planning and Energy Assessments- In this section applicants will need to describe each facility included in their portfolio to the extent to which they exhibit a high need for energy improvements (should summarize the School Energy Assessment Form Report), as well as describe the community’s needs. Community needs should be described using student demographics, percentage of free/reduced lunch, rurality, and/or reliance on the school as a community resource.
- Team Composition, Capability, and Experience- A description of the team’s capacity to provide services and support to implement energy improvements will be required.
- Implementation Plan for Phase Two- Applicants should be prepared to outline how they plan to complete The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audits required for Phase Two. Additionally, specific project activities and a draft work plan for the intended outcomes will be required. .
- Impact and Replicability- As part of a comprehensive project, applicants will need to describe their project within the larger context of sustainability, decarbonization, and replicability.
- Community Benefits Plan- The DOE also provides a template (not required) for this section. A Community Benefits Plan is required for all programs funded through the BIL. Plans must be specific, actionable, and measurable as this will account for 20% of the evaluation review. The Plan should be no longer than 5 pages and must address the 4 goals of the BIL:
- 1) Community and Labor Engagement- This section should describe how the project plans to engage with specific stakeholders and organizations that support disadvantaged communities, and how those engagements will support the project.
- 2) Investing in Quality Jobs – This section must describe the projects approach to investing in workforce education and training.
- 3) Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility- This section should summarize plans to incorporate DEIA into the project. Incorporating DEIA into the project can be shown through partnerships with underrepresented business, minority serving institutions, and/or labor organizations that serve disadvantaged workers.
- 4) Justice40 Initiative- This initiative sets a goal of at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal funding flows to disadvantaged communities. So this section should identify specific project outcomes that will have a direct or indirect positive outcome in a disadvantaged community.
- Tools and Reports: Two types of reports are required.
- Energy Justice Mapping Tool Reports. This tool was developed by DOE for the first round of funding, which has now improved. Applicants may use this tool to derive the following designation data: school district locale codes, disadvantaged communities, community shelters, and Title I Schoolwide Programming. Applicants will need to generate a report for each school/school facility included in their portfolio. All reports will need to be combined into one singular .pdf.
- School Energy Assessment Form Tool Reports. This tool generates a report about the current conditions of a school/facility that would receive energy improvements. Reports for each school/facility should be saved as an Excel file and then combined into a Zip folder for submission.
- Resumes and Letters of Commitment- These are common documents required by most Federal grant opportunities. Under the Prize Fund, applicants will need to submit a resume for each project manager/key personnel in the project. Additionally, Letters of Commitment are required from each school/facility included in the portfolio as well as any other key project partners. These documents should be combined into a single .pdf document.
Summary Slide: Applicants must provide a public facing slide that summarizes their project. A template is available on the program page.
Reminder: Applicants will need to register through FedConnect, Grants.gov, and HeroX before applying. Applications MUST be submitted through HeroX portal.
This is a highly competitive and popular program with high demand across the US. During the first round, the DOE received over 200 eligible applications requesting over a billion dollars in funding. There are a lot of moving pieces to this program, however through thoughtful planning, intentional relationship building, and leveraging the available tools and resources, applicants can maximize their chances of securing funding. Further, to achieve success in Phase One of the Renew America’s Schools program, applicants must understand the overarching goals and objectives of this initiative. Merely addressing energy improvements within a school district will not suffice. Applicants must delve deeper and consider the broader impacts these enhancements can have on different communities. Demonstrating innovation, community engagement, financial sustainability, and long-term commitment to healthier learning environments is paramount to a successful application.