Renew America’s Schools: Affordability + Strategic Energy Pathways for Schools Partnership Intermediary Agreement 

On October 27, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs announced the Renew America’s Schools: Affordability + Strategic Energy Pathways for Schools (A+STEPS) Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) opportunity, which will award up to $100 million in project funding to establish a nationally coordinated network of regional hubs to help school districts reduce operating costs, improve the reliability of essential building systems, and prepare practical facility projects for financing and implementation. The selected hubs will coordinate local education agencies (LEAs), schools, nonprofits, businesses, and community partners to deliver investment-grade energy audits, actionable strategic energy plans, limited early facility improvements (up to $250,000 per participating LEA), technical assistance, and training. 

Process

Regional Hub Expression of Interest and Application: DOE anticipates awarding four to eight regional hubs $2–5 million per funding round to train school facility staff, coordinate technical providers, and provide districts with tools and data. Regional hubs will be well positioned to serve the unique needs of nearby school districts and may consist of coalitions of several types of organizations, including but not limited to:  

• Regional engineering, energy auditing, commissioning, controls, infrastructure planning, and nonprofit technical-assistance organizations. 
• Universities and technical centers with school facilities, engineering, energy, public finance, or regional extension capabilities. 
• State energy offices, state education agencies, school facilities associations, superintendent and school business official networks, and rural education networks. 
• Utilities, public-benefit administrators, energy service companies, public-purpose finance providers, performance-contracting networks, and mission-driven lenders. 
• Workforce boards, technical colleges, contractor associations, and apprenticeship and credentialing organizations.  

At this time, organizations can express their interest in being part of a regional hub and join a teaming list (password: APLHUB) to connect with potential application partners. Applications for regional hubs will open in November 2026. Regional hub applicants should be able to demonstrate regional reach, proven engineering and project-development capabilities, sound financial and risk controls, and the capacity to serve school districts across diverse technical and socioeconomic backgrounds.  

LEA/Partner Application (Coming 2027): After regional hubs are selected and onboarded, DOE and EnergyWerx expect to announce the process for LEAs and eligible partners to seek support through the hubs. Sign up to receive updates about the upcoming LEA/partner application process. 

Webinar

DOE and EnergyWerx will host an informational webinar. The date will be posted after applications open.

Key Dates

Additional Information

The A+STEPS initiative is managed by EnergyWerx in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) set up by DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization.  

The agreement enables EnergyWerx to broaden DOE’s engagement with innovative organizations and nontraditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of energy solutions.  

Learn more about the Renew America’s Schools Program, including selectees from previous rounds of funding.