Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Energy has selected 21 winners for the first phase of its 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize and Grant.
- The winners will earn a $300,000 cash prize for their work identifying facilities with need for improvements, the DOE announced Monday. Sixteen prize winners will advance to the next phases of the program, entering cooperative agreements with the DOE for up to $15 million in awards. These agreements include plans to invest in 320 school facilities across 25 states, the DOE said.
- The 16 selectees will partner with over 100 entities to implement energy improvements, including new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, building envelope and lighting upgrades, alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure and renewable energy technologies, the department said.
Dive Insight:
Over the past decade, the combination of temperature increases and ill-equipped or poorly maintained energy infrastructure has doubled the frequency of school closures, creating health risks and economic ripple effects for communities, the DOE said in a news release. The agency noted that poor indoor air quality can lead to more illnesses and absences among students and staff, while hurting students’ academic performance.
The 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize and Grant is the second round of funding from the Renew America’s Schools Program, backed by $500 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law. Established in 2022, the Renew America’s Schools program helps schools make energy upgrades that will reduce energy use and costs, improve indoor air quality and foster healthier learning environments.
The 2024 prize is also part of the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda and aims to create well-paying jobs and upskill the workforce while building infrastructure to support a net-zero economy, according to the DOE. Eighty-eight percent of selectees will offer workforce training through varied mechanisms, including community-based apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeship readiness programs, as well as university programs and job shadowing, the DOE said.
The agency added that 63% of selectees have pledged to engage local labor and 63% declared their intent to partner with specific labor units, while 44% said they have committed to partner or contract with community-based organizations and businesses, such as women-owned, minority and veteran enterprises.
“These grants will go a long way toward upgrading our nation’s classrooms with innovative solutions, from installing clean energy technologies that lower costs to installing new HVAC systems that improve indoor air quality,” White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said in the release.
School districts among the 21 selected prize winners include Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida; Pittsburgh Public Schools in Pennsylvania; Lowell Public Schools in Massachusetts; and Saint Louis Public Schools in Missouri. A full list of the 16 prize winners selected to enter prize and cooperative agreements with the DOE can be found here.
