The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the $500 million Renew America’s Schools Program to promote the implementation of clean energy improvements at K-12 public schools across the country. This first-of-its-kind investment, funded by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), aims to help school communities make energy upgrades that will decrease energy use and cost, improve indoor air quality, and foster healthier learning environments.
The Renew America’s Schools program launched its first round of funding in 2022 and has since invested $182.5 million in public school districts across America. The $4.5 million Energy CLASS Prize (2022–2024) helped Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) build capacity for energy management and prepare to implement energy-infrastructure upgrades. The $178 million Renew America’s Schools grant (2022–2024) funded clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades at over 90 school facilities in 22 states—directly benefiting more than 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers.
NOW OPEN: The 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize implements a prize-to-cooperative-agreement funding model to streamline the application process, expedite the award process, and provide winners earlier and more targeted support. Like the 2022 Renew America’s Schools grant, the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize will fund energy-efficient and clean energy infrastructure improvements at school districts across America.
Prize Overview
DOE is now accepting submissions for the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize, a $180 million investment in K-12 public schools across the country. This three-phase opportunity will help districts build capacity, perform energy audits, and plan/implement energy improvement projects across a portfolio of school facilities.
The 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize consists of three phases. During Phase 1, competitors will build teams and curate lists of at least 10 schools and school facilities that demonstrate compelling need and eligibility for investment. Phase 1 winners will earn a cash prize of $300,000 and move on to Phases 2 and 3, during which they will enter into and execute Cooperative Agreements with DOE.
Guidelines
Successful competitors will:
Establish the need for both energy improvements and financing across the proposed portfolio.
Demonstrate overall team capacity to manage projects across the portfolio.
Propose a comprehensive plan for executing Phase 2 (energy auditing and design) activities.
Engage in replicable, strategic partnerships to build capacity at LEAs/across the K-12 sector, while leveraging funds to enhance the impact of federal dollars.
Establish a strategic approach to delivering community benefits that advance the following goals:
Community and labor engagement.
Investing in job quality and workforce continuity.
Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).
Contributing to the Justice40 Initiative.
Questions?
Review the official rules for the complete application process and instructions for competing.
Review the 2024 Renew America's Schools Fact Sheet (see 'Resources' tab in HeroX).
Review the 2024 Renew America's Schools Q&A Spreadsheet (see 'FAQ' tab in HeroX).
Join one of the informational webinars (the same content will be shared across both webinars):
Thank you for joining yesterday’s Office Hour session hosted by the DOE Renew America's Schools team. Your active participation made the event more valuable to DOE, our prize team, and other participants. It was fantastic to see almost 250 people from across the country engaged in the prize and contributing to the Q&A process. During the session, the DOE team shared examples of partnership scenarios and eligible school facilities and provided a live demonstration on how to find answers to your questions on HeroX (see below).
For those of you unable to attend yesterday’s session, fret not! The Renew America's Schools team is hosting a second Office Hours on May 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET. This will be another opportunity for you to join the discussion, ask your submission questions, and engage with the prize organizers.
Once again, thank you for your active participation and enthusiasm. Check out the suggested steps below for continued engagement with the prize:
Start preparing your submission and be sure to leave time before the deadline to hit submit! Applications will not be considered if submitted after June 13 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Do you have questions about the 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize? Our team will host office hours on April 24 at 1 p.m. ET to highlight details about the 2024 Prize application, address eligibility questions, and more.
Prize organizers from DOE and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will cover the following topics during the April office hours:
Phases of the 2024 prize
Example partnership scenarios
Examples of eligible school facilities
Common questions from the Q&A
We invite local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and potential partners to attend. Register to participate on Wednesday, April 24 at 1 p.m. ET: 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize Office Hours
In case you missed the 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize Informational Webinars, the prize team shared key background, goals, submission requirements, and next steps for this $6.9 million prize. View the webinar recording, slides, and Q&A to learn more about the prize and find answers to your critical questions.
