How to Get Funds for Your District

By Timothy Regan,
Special to School Transportation News

There are several sources of funding other than Clean School Bus USA for bus retrofits that may be useful to explore. The Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Community Transportation Association of America all provide either direct funding for bus retrofits or maintain tables to make available information on grants and other forms of funding available.

Several states administer similar programs to fund retrofits of diesel vehicles. State environmental agencies allow companies that have violated state environmental laws to provide funding for a variety of initiatives, including clean buses, as part of their negotiated settlements. For more information on receiving a grant from enforcement action, contact your state environmental agency. In addition to enforcement grants, regional offices of the EPA issue general pollution reduction or clean air grants that may be applied to school bus retrofits depending on the targeted pollutant. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/ogd/grants/regional.htm .

Whether applying for grants locally or federally a formal application or grant proposal must be filed. Agencies usually issue a "Request for Applications" that outlines the eligibility requirements, deadlines and application instructions. It is important to familiarize yourself with this document because the process may involve several steps and include important details that if overlooked may result in the rejection of your application. Once you have located a grant for which your school district is eligible, be sure to determine if there is a cost-share requirement and if your district can provide the funds or in-kind contributions to meet the requirement. Clean School Bus USA has a 5 percent minimum matching requirement.

The grant proposal consists of a work plan and a detailed budget and must provide the reviewers with a clear, compelling, and concise depiction of your program. The work plan is a narrative that includes a description of the bus fleet in general and its history, a project description and an implementation plan.

The preparation of this document may require extensive data on your fleet including number of miles driven, gas consumption, how many students you transport, and the average time a student spends on the bus. It is also advisable to find out whether or not your district is in a non-attainment or maintenance area. These are areas that do not meet EPA air quality standards, or have recently reached those standards. If your district is located in one of these areas, be sure to highlight that in your work plan.

The second main component of the grant proposal is the budget. The budget should be detailed - do not round to the nearest hundred or thousand dollars. Too much rounding shows not much work or planning was put into the budget and does not inspire confidence in your proposal. It should be a fair estimate of what you think the project will cost and should not exceed the total amount of the grant. Funding sources will require different levels of detail for the budgets. Federal agencies tend to request more detailed budgets.

The EPA Web site offers detailed resources for information on grant writing and budget development. For a tutorial, visit www.epa.gov/seahome/grants.html and for more general tips on grant writing visit www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm .

Federal, state and local governments are working to provide increased levels of funding for these programs. A well researched, written and organized proposal may net you the funds to make your school district a cleaner and healthier place. For more information on EPA emissions reduction goals and how to apply for a Clean School Bus USA grant, visit www.epa.gov/otaq/schoolbus/index.htm or call 734/214-4780.

Regan is president of the Environmental Control Technology Association (ECTA).