Recent and expected federal funding activity
The federal government issues a variety of announcements related to federal funding opportunities: Requests for Information (RFI); Notices of Intent (NOI); and Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). More information can be found on the Commerce IIJA web page or by clicking the links below.
In order to facilitate a quick review of this newsletter, the subject matter of included items is recapped here; full details can be found in the body of the newsletter.
- Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA), Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD), and Requests for Applications (RFA)
- IIJA 40308 Regional Direct Air Hubs Modification 2
- IIJA 40552 ALRD for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program
- IRA 60201 The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program
- IRA 60201 The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program
- IIJA Non-IIJA/IRA AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA
- Notices of Intent (NOI)
- IIJA 41008 & IRA 50161 Industrial Decarbonization and Emissions Reduction Demonstration-to Deployment Funding Opportunity Announcement
- IIJA 40314 Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling
- IIJA 40209 Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program
- NREL Clean Energy to Communities Program
- Requests For Information (RFI)
- IRA 50152 Grants to Facilitate the Siting of Interstate Electricity Transmission Lines
- IRA 50121 and 50122 HOMES and HEEHRA rebates
- Resources
- Webinar: Crunching Numbers on Agrivoltaics: Context and Costs of Agrivoltaics in the US
- DOE Informational webinars on IRA and IIJA Workforce Development (WFD) opportunities
- 2023 Tribal Energy Webinar Series: Federal Funding for Tribes
- EPA webinar on ENERGY STAR NextGen™ Certification for Commercial Buildings
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Institute for Tribal Energy Professionals ZOOM Listening Sessions: Tribal Clean Transportation Program
- Buildings UP (Buildings Upgrade) Prize Competition
- Community Power Accelerator Prize
- Grant-seeking registration information
-- IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA):
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40308 Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs - AMENDMENT
The due date for the Letter of Intent has been changed from January 24 to February 17. More information is available on the above links, or in the December 21, 2022 issuance of this e-newsletter.
- 40552 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants (EECBG)
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All Applicants: Pre-Award Information Sheet due by April 28, 2023, 7:00 PM CDT
• Local and Tribal Government Applicants Only: Application due by January 31, 2024, at 7:00 PM CST
- Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD)
- Allocations to Local Units of Government (Counties and Cities)
- Allocations to Tribal Governments
- MN State Allocation: $2,248,830
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Webinar: Introduction to the EECBG Program for States, January 25, 2023, 12 noon - 1 pm CST Register
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Webinar: Introduction to the EECBG Program for Local Governments, January 26, 2023, 12 noon - 1 pm CST Register
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Webinar: Introduction to the EECBG Program for Tribal Governments, February 1, 2023, 12 noon - 1 pm CST Register
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) has issued the funding application guidance (called the Administrative and Legal Requirements Document, or ALRD) for eligible applicants to apply for funding under the 40552 EECBG program. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program provides federal grants to states, units of local government, and Indian Tribes to assist eligible entities in implementing strategies to reduce fossil fuel emissions, to reduce total energy use, and to improve energy efficiency.
The SCEP previously released the funding amounts allocated to eligible states, cities, counties, and tribes who qualify to receive a direct allocation under the EECBG program. Tribes sharing geography within the borders of Minnesota have been allocated a total of $131,110, and cities and counties qualified to receive EECBG funding directly have been allocated a total of $4,870,320. Each eligible unit of government that receives a grant under this program must submit an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (EECS) for approval by DOE. Please visit DOE's EECBG Hub web page for additional information and resources, including templates that local units of government and Tribal governments may use to apply for their funding allocations.
- Allocations to specific counties, municipalities and tribes may be found by referencing the two excel files linked above. More information on the EECBG program, including information on the formula used to determine what cities and counties receive direct allocation, may be found on the SCEP web page.
- IRA Request for Applications (RFA)
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60201 The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) has released a Request for Applications (RFA) to provide financial assistance to eligible organizations working to address local environmental or public health issues in their communities. Eligible projects for this funding fall into five broad categories listed below:
(A) community-led air and other pollution monitoring, prevention, and
remediation, and investments in low- and zero-emission and resilient technologies and related infrastructure and workforce development that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants;
(B) mitigating climate and health risks from urban heat islands, extreme heat, wood
heater emissions, and wildfire events;
(C) climate resiliency and adaptation;
(D) reducing indoor toxics and indoor air pollution; or
(E) facilitating engagement of disadvantaged communities in State and Federal advisory groups, workshops, rulemakings, and other public processes.
The RFA lists numerous examples of projects eligible for funding under the opportunity, including the following example: "Energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable energy programs in K-12 schools including preventative maintenance of HVAC systems, energy audits, energy system upgrades, installation of on-site renewables and/or green infrastructure indoor air quality monitoring and related employee training."
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60201 The Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) has released a Request for Applications (RFA) to support and/or create model state, tribal, local, and territorial government activities that lead to measurable environmental or public health results in communities disproportionately burdened by environmental harms and risks. Fundable projects should factor in: (1) state and local data; (2) state and local leadership; (3) state and local results; (4) relationships between delegated programs (i.e., federal environmental programs delegated to and carried out by states, tribes, local government, and US territories) and state, tribal, local, and territorial environmental justice policies, and (5) state, tribal, local, and territorial government targeting of disproportionately burdened areas.
Interest areas fall into the same five broad categories as listed above under the EJCPS item, and fundable projects notes include the energy efficiency / electrification and renewable energy in public schools as also noted above.
-- Non-IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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AMMTO-BTO and OE FY22 Multi-Topic FOA
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Concept Paper: February 3, 2023 4:00 pm CST
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Full Application: April 7, 2023 4:00 pm CDT
- DE-FOA-0002864
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), the Building Technologies Office (BTO), and DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE) have jointly issued a FOA to support activities advancing efficiency improvements and enhancing manufacturing competitiveness through technological innovation by focusing on three main topic areas: (1) Next Generation Materials and Manufacturing Processes; (2) Secure and Sustainable Materials; and (3) Energy Technology Manufacturing. The multi-topic FOA integrates several identified research opportunities across AMMTO into a single funding opportunity that is intended to fund high-impact RD&D. Specifically, the goals of this multi-topic FOA are to:
- Validate and demonstrate next generation materials and manufacturing processes including domestic pilot demonstrations and related technologies to support the transition to U.S. manufacturing;
- Enable environmentally and socially responsible domestic manufacturing
with diversified domestic supply of feedstocks including from recycled goods;
and:
- Mature nascent technologies, processes, and methods that improve the
performance and market penetration of clean energy technologies and
emerging building efficiency technologies.
-- IRA and IIJA Notice of Intent (NOI)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) in collaboration with the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) intend to jointly issue a FOA to fund high-impact, large-scale, transformational projects to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from high-emitting industrial subsectors to build confidence in the technical and commercial viability of emissions reduction technologies and integrated solutions. Available funding is expected to total approximately $500M from IIJA and up to $5.8B in IRA federal funds.
In targeting high-emissions industries, DOE intends to support the de-risking and installation of advanced industrial technologies by incentivizing eligible facilities to pursue projects with the potential to decrease GHG emissions through widespread adoption. This FOA will aim to achieve emissions reduction in medium- and high-temperature heat generation, leverage smart manufacturing principles to improve energy efficiency, assist in the development of a circular economy through sustainable chemistry and engineering, and facilitate the development of technologies that lead to net-zero emissions in nonpower industrial sectors, while minimizing waste and harmful emissions.
-- IIJA Notice of Intent (NOI)
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40314 Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling
- DE-FOA-0002921
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FOA (when released) DE-FOA-0002922; expected to be released in March 2023
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling in February 2023 via the eere-exchange web-site. Efforts will support the previously announced Hydrogen Shot program and support robust supply chains including needed critical materials and design for environmental and climate stewardship, efficiency, durability, and recyclability to ensure a strategic and sustainable build out of the clean hydrogen industry. Specifically, the BIL Clean Hydrogen Electrolysis, Manufacturing, and Recycling FOA will support the following objectives:
• Reduce the cost of clean hydrogen produced using electrolyzers to less than $2 per
kilogram by 20268
• Advance new manufacturing technologies and techniques for clean hydrogen production and in-use equipment, specifically for electrolyzer and fuel cell technologies
• Research, develop, and demonstrate innovative and practical approaches to increase the reuse and recycling of clean hydrogen technologies.
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40209 Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program
- DE-FOA-0002906
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FOA (when released) DE-FOA-0002907, expected to be released in February 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program (Section 40209).” DOE anticipates that the FOA will award financial assistance in the form of cooperative agreements or grants to small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms to establish new facilities or to re-equip or expand existing facilities to manufacture or recycle advanced energy property in energy communities. Applicants will be required to demonstrate that the proposed project site is located in (a) a census tract in which a coal mine closed after December 31, 1999, (b) a census tract in which a coal-fired electricity generating power plant unit closed after December 31, 2009, or (c) a census tract immediately adjacent to (a) or (b). (map). The following types of energy property may be produced or recycled through an Advanced Energy Property Project:
• Property designed to be used to produce energy from the sun, water, wind, geothermal or hydrothermal resources, enhanced geothermal systems, or other renewable resources;
• Fuel cells, microturbines, or energy storage systems and components;
• Electric grid modernization equipment or components;
• Property designed for use in carbon capture, transport, removal, use, or sequestration / storage;
• Equipment designed to refine, electrolyze, or blend any fuel, chemical, or product that is renewable or low-carbon and low-emission;
• Property designed to produce energy conservation technologies (including for residential, commercial, and industrial applications);
• Light-, medium-, or heavy-duty electric or fuel cell vehicles, electric or fuel cell locomotives, electric or fuel cell maritime vessels, or electric or fuel cell planes; technologies, components, and materials of those vehicles, locomotives, maritime vessels, or planes; and charging or refueling infrastructure associated with those vehicles, locomotives, maritime vessels, or planes;
• Hybrid vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of not less than 14,000 pounds; and technologies, components, and materials for those vehicles; and
• Other advanced energy property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
-- Non-IIJA Notice of Intent (NOI)
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NREL Clean Energy to Communities Program
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a new program, supported with up to $50 Million in funding, to help communities across the country transition to clean energy systems that are reliable, affordable, equitable, and reflective of local priorities. The Clean Energy to Communities program (C2C) will connect local governments, electric utilities, community-based groups, and others with the innovative modeling and testing tools developed at DOE’s national laboratories to transform communities' clean energy goals and ambitions into reality.
C2C offers three levels of assistance:
1) In-depth technical partnerships: Multi-year partnerships that provide cross-sector modeling, analysis, and validation, paired with direct funding to help four to five selected teams of local governments, electric utilities, and community-based organizations reach their goals and/or overcome specific challenges. On February 15, 2023, three Requests for Proposals (RFP) will be released by the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), supported by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). These RFPs will offer the opportunity to engage in In-Depth Technical Partnerships to support teams through a combination of direct funding and targeted technical assistance from the Department of Energy’s national laboratories.
2) Peer-learning cohorts: Small groups of local governments, electric utilities, or community-based organizations that meet regularly for approximately six months to learn from each other and lab experts in a collaborative environment to develop program proposals, action plans, strategies, and/or best practices on a pre-determined clean energy topic. Cohorts will include approximately 100 communities in total. Cohort topics and applications are released every 6 months, in March and September, with applications due on May 1 and Nov. 1. Sign up for the C2C email updates to be notified when the application period opens.
3) Expert match: Short-term assistance (40-60 hours) with one or more technical experts to help address near-term clean energy questions or challenges for up to 200 communities. Applications for Expert Match are accepted on a rolling basis; Submit an Expert Match application.
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