Georgia Energy Grant Program

The Georgia Energy Grant Program is administered by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA). The program is supported by funding awarded to GEFA by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), with $566,286.26 identified for the current program year. The program is intended to provide funding for communities to initiate and accelerate energy projects focused on energy planning, energy efficiency, workforce development, and energy resilience. Because available funding is limited, GEFA states that the grants are highly competitive and that only a small number of projects may receive awards. Eligible projects fall within several identified energy-related areas. Energy planning activities may include the development and implementation of a community energy efficiency and conservation strategy. Energy efficiency activities may include energy audits, preventative maintenance, retrofits, upgrades, Energy Savings Performance Contract support, building automated controls, and optimization of HVAC controls for efficiency. Energy workforce development may include workforce needs assessments or gap analyses related to implementing grid resilience, clean energy, and energy efficiency technologies, as well as energy-related certifications or scholarships at an in-state public college, university, or technical college. Improved energy resiliency activities may include developing a community energy resilience plan, mapping critical infrastructure, and conducting feasibility studies concerning backup power generation for critical facilities. The source states that requests for funding can range from $50,000 to "$150,00." Because the displayed upper amount is malformed in the provided source, an exact award ceiling cannot be verified from the supplied material without correcting or assuming the intended figure. A minimum 10 percent cost match is required. GEFA also encourages applicants to leverage additional funds in order to maximize the energy-related benefits of their projects. The total amount awarded by DOE to GEFA to support the concept for the current program year is $566,286.26. The source does not provide a numerical number of anticipated awards, stating only that a small number of projects may receive a grant award. Eligible applicants include state agencies, local governments, public colleges, universities and technical colleges, K-12 public schools, and nonprofit organizations. The program is presented as the Georgia Energy Grant Program and is administered by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority. The source does not identify eligibility for individuals, private institutions of higher education, for-profit businesses, or other applicant types beyond those expressly listed. Certain workforce development activities involving energy-related certifications or scholarships specifically reference an in-state public college, university, or technical college. Applications were required to be submitted through the Quickbase portal. Applicants were instructed to attach supporting materials and technical analyses as appropriate. GEFA provided application guidance, a sample application, funding terms and conditions, SAM/UEI and audit guidance, and an FAQ document, and applicants were also directed to research the Davis-Bacon Act, Build America, Buy America waiver notice, and the National Environmental Policy Act. Applicants were advised to download the guidance documents and prepare all application responses before beginning the application because, once an application was submitted or saved, changes could not be made. The source does not provide explicit scored evaluation criteria, although it states that funding is highly competitive and encourages additional leveraging of funds to maximize project energy benefits. Applications opened May 15, 2025 and closed June 13, 2025. Applications had to be received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 13, 2025, and grantee notification was scheduled for July 1, 2025. The source currently states that the application is closed and does not identify the program as annual, recurring, rolling, or otherwise scheduled for another application cycle. Projects must begin within 30 days after execution of the grant agreements and must be completed by September 30, 2026. Monthly status reports may be requested but are not required. Questions concerning the program may be sent to mwilson@gefa.ga.gov using the subject line "Georia Energy Grant Application Question." No individual contact person or telephone number is identified in the supplied source.

Prepare all application responses before beginning the Quickbase application because a submitted or saved application cannot be changed; review the guidance documents and sample application before applying; attach supporting materials and technical analyses as appropriate; consider additional leveraging of funds because GEFA encourages leveraging to maximize energy-related project benefits.