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The Equipment Round funds the purchase of buses and chargers, while the Planning & Technical Assistance Round can help you decide on next steps on their electric school bus journeys, including applying for federal funding opportunities.
Electric School Bus Grants Program
The use of electric school buses has grown tremendously over the past few years, with more than 12,000 electric school buses in operation, ordered, or with earmarked funding across the nation. And with a variety of funding options available, there is no better time for school districts to consider transitioning their student transportation fleets.
During the 2023 Legislative Session, the Minnesota legislature secured $13 million for the establishment of an electric school bus grants program to provide grants to accelerate the deployment of electric school buses by school districts and to encourage schools to use vehicle electrification as a teaching tool that can be integrated into the school’s curriculum. Learn more about the grant program, and find other resources for beginning or continuing your school bus fleet electrification journey.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks proposals from qualified applicants throughout Minnesota for the Electric School Bus Grant Program. Two applications are open at the same time. Eligible applicants may apply to one, or to both.
What is this grant for?
The Equipment application provides funding for districts to deploy electric school buses to serve their students. This includes:
- Purchasing up to three new electric school buses, or repowering fossil-fuel-powered school buses to run on electricity.
- Installing charging infrastructure for the buses
- Administering vehicle and charger procurement processes
The Planning & Technical Assistance application pays for the help a district needs to plan. This includes:
- Developing formal plans to transition to electric school buses, such as an electrification readiness plan, needs assessment, scoping, stakeholder engagement strategy, and market research for appropriate equipment.
- Preparing applications for federal school bus fleet electrification funding.
Who can apply? Independent and special school districts, Tribal contract schools, as well as transportation providers and utilities representing a school district. See the RFPs for more details about how each of these terms are defined.
How much funding can an applicant receive? For Equipment, depending on the district’s financial need and other district prioritization criteria, the Department can cover 80- 90% of bus cost, and 65- 95% of other eligible expenses. For Planning & Technical Assistance, applicants can receive up to $27,000 depending on financial need. Commerce has up to $1.7 million available across both applications.
When and where can I apply? Applications will be accepted from October 19, 2026, until Thursday, December 31, 2026 at 5pm Central Time. The RFPs are posted publicly online on the Department’s RFP page.
How can I learn more? Visit the Minnesota Department of Commerce's Electric School Bus Grant program's page.
What if I have other questions? Join us for informational webinars covering both applications. Register using the links below:
