If you want to figure out how to get money upfront, you are are in the right spot
Opportunities
Green Banks
Leverage public and private capital to accelerate investment in clean energy and sustainable infrastructure projects, often focusing on underserved markets.CDFIs
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are specialized financial institutions dedicated to providing affordable financing and support to underserved communities.Traditional Sources
Large financial institutions (BoA, JPM, Wells Fargo), credit unions, green bond financiers, and specialized renewable financiers (HASI, Generate, etc).Municipal Loans
Financing mechanisms (often bonds) provided by local or regional governments (municipalities) to fund public or private projects.Things to watch out for:
Federal Matching Limitations
Federal grants or tax credits often have a requirement known as the "matching" or "cost-sharing" requirement. This contribution must come from non-federal sources to ensure that federal funds are supplemented rather than supplanted.
No Excess Benefit Rule
Receipts of certain grants, forgivable loans or other income can cause a reduction in the amount of tax credits.
Credit Reduction
Credits can be reduced up to 15% to the extent that tax-exempt obligations (like tax-exempt bonds) are used to provide financing for a project.
Excessive Payment Penalties
An excessive credit transfer occurs when the amount of credit transferred exceeds the eligible amount. In such cases, you can face penalties like a 20% additional tax on the excessive credit transfer amount.
Note: Many of these penalties only apply to projects greater than 1 megawatt (ac). Please consult a tax advisor for more detail.Free School Bus?
Success Story in Bridge Financing with the Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF)
Needing a smoother financial ride? With the help of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund (NCEF), school districts in Nevada can stack multiple utility, state, and federal funds to cover the entire cost of an electric school bus and associated charging infrastructure. 
NCEF (alongside help from NV Energy and NDEP) assists with accessing these incentives and can also provide low-cost bridge and gap financing as needed
How Does this work
Where does the funding come from?
A mixture of Direct Pay 45W tax credit + EPA funds + NV Energy Incentives + Volkswagen Settlement funds from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.NCEF coordinated a statewide application to the EPA 2023 Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program on behalf of Nevada school districts in August 2023. NCEF was selected for a $7.7 million EPA grant award.
How does NCEF help?
Providing technical and financial assistance. Helping with bridge funding for the NV energy incentive, VW funds, and 45W credit, and the facilitation of direct pay filing support.
What are the benefits to schools?
0% upfront cost for electric school busses.80% cost savings in maintenance of school busses.70% fuel cost savings projected.Bridging Incentives
This doesn’t work without bridging incentives. There is a time delay between bus purchase and the receipt of certain incentives. For instance, It can take the IRS up to 18 months after tax filing to receive direct payment, which means many schools can’t afford the upfront cost of an electric school bus. NCEF is arranging capital for bridge funding and strives to provide it to districts with a minimal admin fees.