P-12 Clean Green Schools Initiative
The goal of NYSERDA’s Clean Green Schools Initiative is to help public schools that traditionally lack resources to invest in infrastructure improvements become healthier, more productive learning environments. The P-12 Clean Green Schools Initiative aims to improve the environmental sustainability of those schools by reducing school energy loads, decarbonizing their building portfolio, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) and providing clean energy educational opportunities.
How It Works
TRACK I - Planning is open enrollment and provides funding for professional services such as energy studies, on-site energy manager, and fiscal advisors, to help schools evaluate, plan for, and facilitate comprehensive energy reduction, decarbonization, environmental sustainability and indoor air quality projects. To see a full list of eligible activities along with definitions, visit the documents and resources page (see Track I - Eligible Activities document ).
TRACK II - Installation is competitive and provides funding for schools to implement construction projects that decarbonize their building portfolio, such as comprehensive retrofits that impact energy consumption and overall building load, electrification readiness projects, and conversion of central heating and/or cooling plants to clean energy technologies such as heat pumps.
TRACK II: Eligible activities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Clean Heating and Cooling Projects
- Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP)
- Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP)
- Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF)
- Capital Projects to Move Towards Decarbonization
- Comprehensive retrofits that impact energy consumption and overall building load
- Electrification of building systems (e.g., kitchen equipment & domestic hot water heaters)
- Building electrification readiness projects:
- High performance building envelope (e.g., air sealing, insulation, window film)
- Heating/cooling projects
- Conversion of distribution systems (e.g., steam to hot water) to support potential future electrification
- Transition to low carbon fuels (e.g., biofuel blends)
Clean Energy Educational and Professional Development Opportunities: Both tracks provide funding to applicants for services that will engage students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding communities in clean energy educational opportunities. Schools can utilize existing tools and resources [XLSX] or they can apply to receive funding for a new or customized effort of their design.
Who Can Apply
- All existing public school buildings across New York State that are designated as High-Need by the New York State Education Department [PDF] or located in a disadvantaged community are eligible to participate in the program.
- System Benefits Charge (SBC) contribution is not required for participation in this program.
- If a school district has a mix of eligible and non-eligible school buildings, only the eligible school buildings can participate in the program.
- See a list of eligible school buildings [XLSX].
- All other P-12 Schools in New York State that pay into the System Benefits Charge (SBC) on their electric utility bill can apply for planning funding through the FlexTech Program.
How to Apply
View the Program Opportunity Notice (PON 4924)
for full eligibility, application, consultant, and deliverable requirements.
Schools, school districts or authorized representatives may submit completed application packages to [email protected] for Track I through December 30th, 2025, or until funds are fully committed.
The first round of Track II is closed. NYSERDA anticipates issuing additional annual rounds of Track II.
Informational Webinars
Contact
Email program questions to [email protected]. For more information on P-12 Programs, see the P-12 Schools Initiative homepage.
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