Make Your School Bus a Clean,
Green Transportation Machine!
Apply for
funding to
retrofit your
school bus
fleet through
the EPA
DERA grant
program
•	diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning
machines (with DPF retrofit projects)
•	training and travel costs
•	installation costs
• personnel costs
Funding Available
The EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant program will cover 100%
of project costs for eligible school buses to install cost-effective retrofits such as
filters, catalysts, and closed-crank case ventilation systems. Other eligible project-
related costs include:
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants include:
• Regional, state, or local agencies; port authorities; and tribal governments and
native villages, which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality, including
public school districts and municipalities
•	Non-profit organizations dedicated to clean transportation or diesel education
Eligible school buses must:
•	Be type A, B, C, or D
•	Meet the definition of a school bus as defined by the National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration
•	Be operational and in regular use. The 2020 DERA National Grants required each
bus to have accumulated at least 7,000 miles during each twelve month period for the
twenty-four months prior to upgrade.
When Can I Apply?
Funding opportunity timelines for the DERA National Grants will be posted at
www. epa. gov/dera/nati onal.
Why Retrofits?
U.S. school buses collectively travel more than 4 billion miles each year, safely
transporting more than 25 million school children every day. However, children
are particularly vulnerable to toxic air pollution and exposure to untreated diesel
exhuast can have negative health impacts.
Fortunately, today's diesel
retrofit technologies can make
older school buses much
cleaner, which keeps kids
healthy and safe. These
technologies are cost-effective
and have been verified by the
EPA to reduce emissions of
particulate matter,
hydrocarbons, and carbon
monoxide.
For more
information, email
DERA@epa.gov.
www.epa.gov/dera
v>EPA
United States
bnvironmental Protection
Agency
EPA-420-F-20-038
July 2020

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