Federal Energy Grants

The Energy CLASS (Champions Leading the Advancement of Sustainable Schools) Prize is a grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Energy State and Community Energy Program Office (SCEP). The prize aims to support local education agencies in establishing and training energy managers to identify, plan, and implement efficiency and health upgrades in schools. With $80 million available, the grant will help schools across the country lower utility costs, improve indoor environmental quality, and reduce carbon emissions. The Energy CLASS Prize consists of two phases. In Phase 1, up to 25 selected LEAs will receive $100,000 in cash prizes to support participation in a 12-month training program. In Phase 2, participants will undergo 80-160 hours of online educational courses and receive one-on-one support and coaching related to building upgrades. At the end of Phase 2, participants can submit a progress report and a plan for future building upgrades for a chance to win a $50,000 bonus prize. To apply, LEAs need to submit a statement of need, letters of support, and demonstrate their commitment to making building energy upgrades. Interested applicants should review the official rules for complete application instructions. For updates or questions, applicants can subscribe on the HeroX platform or contact the Energy CLASS Prize team directly at energyclassprize@nrel.gov.

The grant titled "Notice Of Intent (NOI) To Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement De-Foa-0003183: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Section 41007(B)(1): Aerodynamics For Extreme-Scale Offshore Wind Performance And Survival (AESOPS)" aims to provide up to $5.1 million in funding to develop and validate aerodynamic design tools for large-scale offshore wind turbines, collect data on wind turbine airfoil behavior, and create reliable models to reduce the risk and cost of developing and deploying these turbines.

DE-FOA-0003298: CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT ON TRIBAL LANDS - 2024 Under this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations to: (1) Install clean energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for Tribal building(s) (Topic Area 1); or, (2) Deploy community-scale clean energy generating system(s) or community energy storage on Tribal lands (Topic Area 2); or, (3) Install integrated energy system(s) for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single or multiple essential Tribal buildings during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience (Topic Area 3); or, (4) Provide electric power to Tribal Building(s), which otherwise would be unelectrified (Topic Area 4). See Section III.A. of the FOA for eligibility information and Appendix A for the definitions. Unless DOE approves a requested cost share reduction from 20% to 10%, all Applicants are required to provide non-federal cost share of at least 20% of the total allowable costs of the project (i.e., the sum of the federal share and the non-federal Recipient cost share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project). Cost share reduction requests of less than 10% of the total project costs will not be considered. If requested by the Applicant as part of its application, a cost share reduction from 20% to 10% may be considered based on financial need, specifically (1) poverty rate, or (2) median household income of the tribal community as a percentage of statewide median household income. (see Section III.B.2. of the FOA and Application Forms and Templates for this FOA on IE-Exchange). DOE expects to make approximately $25 million of federal funding available for new awards under this FOA. DOE anticipates making approximately 5 to 10 awards under this FOA. DOE may issue awards in one, multiple, or none of the Topic Areas. Please see full announcement at: https://ie-exchange.energy.gov/

This funding opportunity is designed for national laboratories to collaborate with industry stakeholders in the chemicals, concrete, and metals sectors to develop and implement strategies that accelerate the commercialization of technologies aimed at reducing industrial carbon emissions.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for federally recognized Indian Tribes and related organizations to implement energy technologies that improve efficiency and reliability on Tribal Lands.

This grant provides over $8 million to U.S.-based individuals and organizations for innovative projects that combine solar energy systems with cattle grazing to promote sustainable land use and support rural economies.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for cultural and educational programs that promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, targeting nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and individuals who collaborate with Mexican partners.

**THIS IS A TWO-STEP NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO)** **CONCEPT PAPER DUE DATE AND TIME: OCTOBER 15, 2024, AT 5:00 PM ET** The mission of the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is to complete the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. This NOFO is focused on enhancing and fostering a sustainable and diverse DOE-EM workforce STEM pipeline. Through technology curriculum and professional development and shared interest research, DOE-EM will promote the development of a nationally engaged scientific and engineering workforce to conduct basic research that will lead to future career pathways in the DOE-EM complex for underrepresented groups. **SEE THE FULL NOFO DOCUMENT FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION**

This funding opportunity provides financial support for U.S. institutions and organizations to develop innovative methods for identifying and safely sealing undocumented orphaned oil and gas wells, thereby reducing methane emissions and environmental risks.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for projects that improve the recycling and reuse of materials from wind turbines, targeting universities, businesses, nonprofits, and government entities involved in clean energy innovation.

This grant provides funding for research projects that enhance cadet education, support faculty development, and improve the operational capabilities of the Air Force, while fostering collaboration with industry partners.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for innovative projects that develop and pilot new technologies for processing critical minerals and materials essential for U.S. energy and industrial competitiveness.

GTOs mission is to increase geothermal energy deployment through research, development, and demonstration (RD) of innovative technologies that enhance exploration and production. Its vision is a vibrant domestic geothermal sector that contributes to a carbon-pollution free electric sector by 2035 and a net-zero emission economy by 2050 while providing economic opportunities and environmental benefits for all Americans. GTO supports geothermal energy RD activities in six research areas aimed at increased access, reduced costs and improved economics, and improved education and outreach about geothermal resources. DOEs 2023 Enhanced Geothermal ShotTM analysis concludes that with aggressive technology improvements in areas relevant to enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), geothermal electricity generation could provide 90 GWe of firm, flexible power to the U.S. electric grid by 2050. Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden-Harris Administrations goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050 to the benefit of all Americans. DOE is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of underserved communities. Geothermal power offers a unique value proposition to support the United States target of 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035 and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Traditionally, geothermal power is well understood as a clean, firm generation resource with a high capacity factor, 24/7 availability, and minimal land use footprint. Moreover, the advent of flexible geothermal operations and geothermal power coupled with storage technologies broadens the breadth of services that geothermal power could provide to a decarbonizing grid. This FOA supports the administration goals laid out above by catalyzing regional grid modeling studies that quantify the potential contribution of geothermal power in supporting an equitable4 transition to a future decarbonized grid and economy. The research and development (R) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will quantify the value of geothermal power to a decarbonized grid.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for research and development projects focused on improving battery technologies, particularly for electric vehicles, and is open to a wide range of applicants including educational institutions, nonprofits, and government entities.

The "Fiscal Year 2025 Phase II Continuation Consolidated Innovative Nuclear Research" grant aims to fund innovative research and development projects that enhance nuclear energy technology, with the goal of improving U.S. energy, environmental, and economic needs, maintaining current nuclear reactors, deploying new ones, securing our nuclear fuel cycle, and expanding international cooperation in the nuclear energy sector.

This grant invites private sector companies and organizations to collaborate with USAID on projects that address economic growth, financial inclusion, and environmental sustainability, leveraging their resources and expertise to achieve shared development goals.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is jointly issued by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) as part of their Interconnection Innovation Exchange (i2X) program1 to support innovative work to enable simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection of clean energy resources while enhancing the reliability, resiliency, and security of our electrical grid. The two FOA topic areas are as follows: Topic Area 1: Improved Efficiency of EMT Simulations for Interconnection Studies of IBRs Projects in this topic area will seek to improve the efficiency of the interconnection study process for new IBRs, such as solar and wind plants and battery energy storage systems, by improving software tools to study plant dynamics to increase long-term plant reliability. Projects will achieve this both by improving the speed of advanced, high-fidelity EMT modeling and simulation tools used in power systems interconnection studies and by developing a better understanding of when such high-fidelity simulations are necessary in the interconnection process. Topic Area 2: Dynamic Stability-Enhanced Network Assessment Tools Projects in this topic area will develop tools to provide stakeholders with data on transmission system characteristics related to stability, voltage, and grid strength while securing confidential and critical energy infrastructure information. Projects will establish the type of information required by stakeholders, develop a tool or tools, and test and evaluate those tools on at least one real transmission system. Topic Area 1 is primarily focused on the improvement of software tools, methods, or processes used to conduct EMT studies, the results of which will inform the transmission system interconnection stakeholders in Topic Area 2. Projects in Topic Area 2 do not need to be focused solely on transmission system characteristics based on EMT studies.

This funding opportunity supports projects that promote inclusive economic growth and human development in Equatorial Guinea, encouraging collaboration between local and U.S. organizations, individuals, and educational institutions.

This funding opportunity provides substantial financial support for projects that enhance domestic manufacturing and processing of battery materials, targeting companies and organizations focused on improving U.S. energy independence and supply chains.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Section 50143 Domestic Manufacturing Conversion Grants for Electrified Vehicles is a $50 million funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy, aimed at helping six eligible states with significant automotive workforces transition their small and medium manufacturers from producing traditional vehicles to electric vehicles, with the goal of supporting high-paying jobs and benefiting disadvantaged communities.