Clean Air School Challenge

Sign up opened on July 1, 2025 and will be ongoing through September 2029. Schools can join the Clean Air School Challenge any time during this period by completing this sign-up form.

Any K-12 school nationwide can join CASC. This program is designed to work with any K-12 school regardless of previous experience or knowledge of IAQ. Any school staff can complete the sign up, but including a school administrator/superintendent contact is required and they will be notified of the sign up. Having leadership support will help facilitate success in all school IAQ work prior to signing up. 

One unique feature of CASC is that participation is at the individual school building level.  Every school has their unique set of IAQ and energy-related challenges and opportunities, which is why schools enroll individually and receive program benefits, including mini-grant funding, directly.  

This school-based approach also ensures that schools can participate even if district-wide support is not yet in place. In fact, about 25% of participating schools are the only CASC school within their district. 

We do, however, work with a lot of district staff who are coordinating participation among all of the schools in their district.  In most cases, district staff will serve as the primary point of contact for CASC activities and may coordinate activities across all buildings.  

We’ve made it easy for districts to sign up multiple schools and apply for mini-grants. For support with multi-school CASC sign up or mini-grant applications, contact CASC@Lung.org.

By signing up, the school is indicating their willingness to assess their building’s IAQ and develop an Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan. Schools that already have a Plan prior to signing up are reaffirming their ongoing commitment to providing clean indoor air and a healthy learning environment for their school community.

Many schools are already taking steps to improve IAQ, from implementing tobacco- and vape-free policies, to using safer cleaning products and following proper HVAC system maintenance schedules. CASC helps build on these efforts through a structured, comprehensive approach to assessing and improving IAQ. Leveraging a school’s existing efforts makes participation feel less like “one more thing” to take on and more like a way to organize, enhance, and celebrate progress already made.

CASC can also help schools better understand and meet state and local IAQ requirements, policies, and best practices.

Participating in CASC demonstrates a commitment to health and well-being of students and staff. It shows that school leaders recognize the important role IAQ plays in supporting student health, learning, and academic success.

CASC staff will follow up with schools shortly after they sign up. Schools will fall into one of three phases of CASC based on their current IAQ efforts: Assess, Plan or Act. CASC staff will help identify resources, tools and provide technical assistance that best supports a school’s progress toward developing or maintaining an Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan.  

During their participation in CASC, a school might do some or all of the following: 

• Access IAQ resources
• Receive technical assistance
• Participate in IAQ trainings
• Apply for a mini-grant
• Conduct walkthrough assessment of their facilities
• Share walkthrough findings/checklist with CASC team
• Draft an Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan
• Share Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan with CASC team
• Work with a peer school
• Participate in Learning Collaborative Cohorts

An Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan is a formal, written plan that outlines the policies and procedures enacted by a school or district to maintain healthy indoor air while also prioritizing energy management. These plans take a proactive approach to preventing and responding to IAQ issues through effective operations and maintenance practices, staff training, communications and compliance with local and federal regulations.  

Adopting a Plan allows schools to address potential air quality risks and optimize building performance. An effective Plan can lead to improved health for students, teachers and staff plus savings in long-term operations/facility costs. Learn more in this School Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan fact sheet (PDF).

Yes! CASC is designed to meet schools wherever they are in their IAQ management journey. Schools with an existing Energy Efficient IAQ Management Plan (Plan) are still encouraged to participate. They may share their existing Plan and request feedback on it, update their Plan, or enhance it to include energy management. They will receive recognition as a CASC participant and could choose to serve as a peer mentor for another school that may not be as far along in their Plan development. Schools may also apply for a mini-grant for implementation of Plan activities. 

CASC is designed to meet schools where they are. Schools need not have any prior experience related to IAQ or Plan development before signing up. Schools will have access to support, templates and resources as they work their way through the steps of conducting an IAQ assessment and developing a Plan. They can also be connected to a peer school for additional support.

Overall, there is no defined, set or required amount of time a school needs to commit. CASC offers flexibility for schools to work at their own pace towards their IAQ goals and schools can take a “choose your own adventure” approach to access the tools, resources and trainings best suited to their needs. Our team is prepared to support each school with their unique needs and evaluate how we can best help.

Some optional CASC opportunities, including our Learning Collaborative Cohorts and mini-grants do have defined time commitments.  Cohorts generally require 5 hours spread across 4 virtual meetings, usually over the span of 2-4 months. Mini-grant funded activities generally must be completed within 6 or 12-months, depending on the mini-grant level. More details can be found in the mini-grant eligibility and application guidance document (PDF).

Participating in the Clean air School Challenge is completely free. All schools need to do is sign up at CASCPortal.org and let us know what types of support, training or resources would help the most. We can provide recommended first steps from there.  

Everyone can access IAQ educational videos, downloadable fact sheets, and awareness resources about clean air at school. They can use those tools and their voices to encourage local schools to participate in CASC. Downloadable toolkits for parents, teachers, students and other audiences are also available to provide templates and talking points in writing to their school boards or speaking at a meeting. Parent, student and teacher voices can help foster school administration involvement.

Schools can apply for mini-grant funding using the form in the Clean Air School Challenge school portal (CASCPortal.org). If you encounter any problems submitting the form in CASCPortal.org, please contact CASC@Lung.org. Download and review the mini-grant eligibility criteria and guidelines before applying.

If you are interested in applying for mini-grant funding for multiple schools in the same district, please reach out to CASC@Lung.org for the multi-school mini-grant application.