Through this Request for Proposals, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (“MassCEC”) seeks proposals for projects that improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, or mitigate impacts of climate change at eligible public kindergarten through twelfth grade (“K-12”) school districts and educational collaboratives in Massachusetts.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Clean Energy Technology Center (MassCEC)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/30/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The Green School Works program is taking a multi-pronged approach to spur projects that improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, or mitigate impacts of climate change in public K-12 schools serving low-income populations. As a part of the Green School Works program, fifty-two million five hundred thousand dollars ($52,500,000) in grant funding is available through this RFP for the implementation of projects that improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, or mitigate impacts of climate change. In parallel, Green School Works has allocated five million dollars ($5,000,000) to help fund technical assistance for eligible schools to help those schools prepare for project implementation. Eligible schools may participate in both Green School Works offerings, or either one separately, based on the needs of the school. Green School Works grant funding may be combined with other sources of private and/or public funding.
This funding opportunity is intentionally broad and flexible, designed to support a range of project types from a small project involving a single technology to a full school decarbonization. Awards could range from a minimum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) to a maximum anticipated award up to five million ($5,000,000) for projects with a larger scope. MassCEC will prioritize implementation projects that can begin construction within twelve months of contract signing and achieve project completion within thirty-six (36) months of contract signing. MassCEC can be flexible with this timeline on a case-by-case basis. Recognizing that without an identified source of funding it is not always possible to fully develop a project scope, team, and budget, MassCEC welcomes responses from projects that are in the early planning stages.
The goals of the Green School Works program, as stated in the enabling legislation are to:
- “provide financial support to eligible K-12 public schools or districts for projects to install or maintain clean energy infrastructure;”
- “address the costs of installation, operation or upgrades of clean energy infrastructure that improves energy efficiency, reduces carbon emissions or mitigates impacts of climate change, including school rooftop construction or repair costs necessary for a clean energy infrastructure project to be safely installed;” and accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency and decarbonization measures by “schools serving low-income and environmental justice populations.”
Uses of funds
Grants can be used for energy efficiency, electrification, decarbonization, resilience, and clean energy projects. Eligible project types are listed below.
- Heat pumps (including distribution conversion costs)
- Ground-source heat pumps
- Air-source heat pumps
- Photovoltaics
- Rooftop
- Ground mount
- Parking canopy
- Electric battery energy storage systems
- Thermal energy storage systems
- Ventilation system upgrades, including energy recovery
- Electrification of other building systems and appliances (e.g. domestic hot water, kitchen equipment, laundry equipment, landscaping equipment)
- Electric vehicle supply equipment (i.e., charging infrastructure) for school buses and other fleet vehicles
- Electrical service and system upgrades if they are part of a broader electrification or clean energy project
- Building management systems if they are part of a broader electrification project
- Roof repair and window replacements may be funded if they are part of a broader energy efficiency, electrification, decarbonization, resilience, or clean energy project
- Other health and safety barrier mitigation if they are part of a broader energy efficiency, electrification, decarbonization, resilience, or clean energy project
- Note: Green School Works grant funding cannot be used toward fire safety compliance or ADA compliance costs that may be triggered by these projects.
- Other energy efficiency and weatherization projects (e.g. high-performance building envelope improvements)
- Other electrification, decarbonization, resilience, and clean energy projects to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
- Consideration will be given to projects that include technologies eligible for federal tax credits under Elective Pay provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. Applicants may refer to IRS Publication 5817g for a list of eligible tax credits and technologies.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants:
- Applicants to this RFP can be school districts or municipalities proposing eligible projects at eligible schools and/or school districts/collaboratives as described below.
- Eligible Schools and School Districts/Collaboratives:
- To serve as a project site for this grant fundings, schools must be public K-12 schools in Massachusetts and must have served a student population that is at least 40% low income in at least one of the last three school years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, or 2024-2025) to be eligible for this funding. Additionally, Applicants must affirm that the project site will remain in use as a public K-12 school facility for at least 20 years.
- For projects impacting multiple schools, all of the schools involved must individually meet the eligibility criteria. For projects involving more than three schools (e.g. solar panel installations through one contractor at multiple schools), MassCEC may consider exceptions if a student population that is majority low income will benefit from the project.
- MassCEC will also consider projects that serve an entire school district or collaborative if at least 40% of the students in the entire district or collaborative were low income in at least one of the last three school years.
For more information, visit MassCEC.
