On June 29, 2023, the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the 24 Selectees for the first round of funding from the Renew America’s Schools grant. This competitive award is part of the $500 million Renew America’s Schools program, which aims to help K-12 public schools across the country make energy improvements that lower utilities costs, reduce emissions, and create healthier learning environments for students and teachers. Funded projects will increase energy efficiency while improving indoor air quality, reducing community exposures to pollution, improving occupancy comfort, and providing better lighting. Some projects will install renewable technology packages such as solar panels and batteries, and others will install infrastructure to support alternative-fueled vehicles. DOE received 236 full application submissions from Local Education Agencies (LEAs) across 44 states, totaling $1.62B in requests. In response to high demand and overwhelming evidence of need, DOE doubled the funds available in the first round of the competition from $80 million to $178 million. Across the awardee’s projects, 63 percent include schools located in a DOE-identified disadvantaged community. This investment will directly benefit about 74,000 students and 5,000 teachers in 97 school buildings across America. For more information about the awarded LEAs, please click here.