The new Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program will provide grants for heating and air conditioning upgrades, window replacement, lead and asbestos abatement, and other improvement projects for eligible schools.

DCED will accept applications from March 1 through May 31.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger announced the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) approved guidelines for the new $100 million Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program, which will provide grants to public school districts and area career and technical schools for eligible facility improvement projects.

DCED will accept applications for the program from March 1 through May 31, 2024. Eligible improvement projects include but are not limited to: roof repairs and roof replacement; installation of HVAC equipment; installation of boilers; safety projects including lead and asbestos abatement; accessibility projects; and window repairs/replacement.

The CFA will administer the program, which will make grants of up to $5 million available to eligible projects. The full list of program guidelines and eligible improvement projects are available on DCED’s program listing website.

“Governor Shapiro knows Pennsylvania students cannot receive an adequate education if their classrooms aren’t safe and healthy to learn in and for teachers to work in. It’s the Shapiro Administration’s top priority to ensure students have a safe, healthy, accessible learning environment in school, and this program will provide funding to help make that happen,” said Secretary Siger. “I urge the Commonwealth’s public schools and area career and technical schools with eligible improvement projects to apply for this funding when the program opens March 1.”

The funding for the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program was allocated in the 2023-24 budget, which also earmarked $75 million for the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) School Environmental Repairs and Improvements Grant Program. The PDE program will focus on remediating and abating environmental hazards in schools and will be open to school districts, career and technical centers, and charter schools. PDE will begin accepting applications May 1, 2024, for the Environmental Repairs and Improvements Grant Program, which will provide funding to abate or remediate environmental hazards including lead in water sources, asbestos, and mold inside school buildings.

Knowing the importance of continuing to provide Pennsylvania’s students with safe, healthy learning environments, Governor Shapiro is calling to invest even more towards these efforts in his 2024-25 budget proposal. Governor Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal calls for a $50 million annual investment in school safety and security improvements and $300 million in sustainable funding for PDE’s School Environmental Repairs and Improvements Grant Program.

For more information about the Public School Facility Improvement Grant Program or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website, and be sure to stay up-to-date with all of our agency news on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Penny Ickes, DCED, dcedpress@pa.gov

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