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DESE0001456

Cooperative Agreement

Overview

Grant Description
Budget period 1 (Phase 2 - “Strategic Plan + Energy Audits”) will focus on conducting the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audits of all the schools/school facilities in the portfolio, and on developing a comprehensive strategic plan for implementing energy improvements.

By the end of budget period 1, energy audits and the strategic plan should provide a clear pathway to prioritize energy improvements, access private sector funding (if needed) and/or tax credits and realize high-impact health and safety benefits for budget period 2.

Budget period 2 (Phase 3 - “Implementation”) will implement the energy improvements identified at the end of Phase 2.

Phase 3 should directly advance the measurable goals of energy savings and high-impact health and safety benefits.

The planned project will transform numerous facilities across Marion County School District (MCSD) as it addresses significant deferred maintenance issues that currently do not have allocated funding and continue to remain unaddressed.

These significant planned improvements will be energy-savings driven and significantly lower current utility consumption.
Funding Goals
THE RENEW AMERICA’S SCHOOLS PROGRAM COMPETITIVELY SELECTS AND FUNDS ELIGIBLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS AT PUBLIC K-12 SCHOOLS. THIS $500 MILLION PROGRAM IS A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND INVESTMENT MADE POSSIBLE BY PRESIDENT BIDEN’S BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW, AS PART OF THE ADMINISTRATION’S BROADER ACTION PLAN FOR BUILDING BETTER SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE. THE PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS IN SCHOOLS, WITH A FOCUS ON LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES (LEAS) THAT QUALIFY AS RURAL AND/OR HIGH POVERTY. THE PROGRAM WILL HELP CREATE HEALTHIER LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS, LOWER UTILITY COSTS, AND REDIRECT FUNDS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. PROPOSALS CONSIDERED UNDER THE 2024 RENEW AMERICA'S SCHOOLS PRIZE WILL SUPPORT A PORTFOLIO OF SCHOOLS THAT IDENTIFY THE NEED FOR ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS, INCLUDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR RENEWABLE ENERGY UPGRADES. FUNDED IMPROVEMENTS WILL RESULT IN IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES, ENERGY SAVINGS, AND/OR ENERGY COST SAVINGS. THE 2024 RENEW AMERICA’S SCHOOLS PRIZE CONSISTS OF THE PRIZE COMPETITION (PHASE 1) AND A SUBSEQUENT COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT (PHASE 2 AND PHASE 3). COMPETITORS SUBMITTING PROPOSALS SHOULD BE ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE CAPACITY TO AGGREGATE AND MANAGE PORTFOLIOS OF SCHOOL FACILITIES TO RECEIVE ENERGY ASSESSMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS. COMPETITORS SHOULD CONSIDER LEVERAGING THE TEAMING PARTNER LIST, FOUND ON THE HEROX PRIZE PAGE, TO ADD ADDITIONAL CAPACITY AND EXPERTISE.
Place of Performance
Marion, South Carolina United States
Geographic Scope
City-Wide
Marion County School District was awarded Energy Efficiency : Strategic Plan + Audits Marion County Schools Cooperative Agreement DESE0001456 worth $7,500,000 from the Department of Energy in January 2025 with work to be completed primarily in Marion South Carolina United States. The grant has a duration of 1 year and was awarded through assistance program 81.086 Conservation Research and Development. $2,359,648 (24.0%) of this Cooperative Agreement was funded by non-federal sources. The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity BIL 2024 RENEW AMERICA’S SCHOOLS PRIZE TO COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.

Status
(Ongoing)

Last Modified 7/22/25

Period of Performance
1/1/25
Start Date
12/31/25
End Date
88.0% Complete

Funding Split
$7.5M
Federal Obligation
$2.4M
Non-Federal Obligation
$9.9M
Total Obligated
76.0% Federal Funding
24.0% Non-Federal Funding

Activity Timeline

Interactive chart of timeline of amendments to DESE0001456

Transaction History

Modifications to DESE0001456

Additional Detail

Award ID FAIN
DESE0001456
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI NOT AVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
County Government
Awarding Office
892434 GOLDEN FIELD OFFICE
Funding Office
892414 OFFICE OF STATE AND COMMUNITY ENERGY PROGRAMS (SCEP)
Awardee UEI
NC7SNCSE3MB3
Awardee CAGE
6TSY7
Performance District
SC-07
Senators
Lindsey Graham
Tim Scott
Modified: 7/22/25