What participation would involve

We look for two things. The first is leadership interest and enthusiasm from the mayor’s office and the school district (or a charter school network or network of early childhood centers), and potentially from other local agencies such as health and environment. The second is readiness to implement in 2027: could the city and district get started in time to have cleaner air in some classrooms when school opens in fall 2027? Implementation does take local capacity, but a city or district doesn’t need extra staff already in place to be a strong fit.

Funding would be sized to each local plan. We are now working to match cohort places with funders. Because that funding is not yet in hand, we are not quoting award amounts to specific places. For planning purposes, clean classroom air costs roughly $1,000 per classroom to put in place and about $5–10 per student per year to keep running. At that scale, hundreds of thousands of dollars could cover an entire small district, and a small-to-medium city might need a budget of $1–2 million. Larger cities would more likely start with a meaningful pilot and a clear path to scale.

In early conversations we ask two questions: what would a meaningful first phase cost, and what would you do with more? Then we build the funding case together.

Both the mayor’s office and the school district (or a charter school network or network of early childhood centers). District and superintendent ownership matters most for implementation, and public health, facilities, and community partners strengthen the plan.

Each place names a person responsible for the work. Where that role sits is up to the city and district, and grant funds could support a staff person or stipend if there is a plan to sustain that capacity afterward. We will shape the time commitment and meeting cadence together.