A Federal Push to Electrify the U.S.’s School Buses Started With Philanthropy

Andrew Steer was president and CEO of the nonprofit World Resources Institute when he proposed to Jeff Bezos in 2020 that the billionaire support an effort to electrify the nation’s fleet of largely diesel-powered school buses.

Another economic benefit? The batteries in electric buses can be used to conserve energy in the summer, allowing power to be put back on the grid as needed, Steer says. That funding allowed WRI and others to get the word out to local, state, and federal lawmakers on the benefits of electric school buses to health—especially for children living in low-income neighborhoods—and to the climate. It also supported WRI’s partnerships with school districts, communities, environmental justice organizations, utilities, manufacturers, and policymakers aimed at electrifying the nation’s school bus fleet.

The Earth Fund and other donor organizations, including the Energy Foundation—which is backed by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation, among many others—are not buying the buses—which in 2022 cost about US$350,000 compared to US$103,000 for a diesel version, according to WRI—but their philanthropic dollars have catalyzed the electric transition.

Philanthropy’s role is in supporting all the elements of this “jigsaw puzzle” that is required to make change happen, according to Steer.

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