Funding Opportunities
2024 Renew America’s Schools PRIZE to Cooperative Agreement Overview: The 2024 Renew America’s School Prize will provide up to $6.9M in cash prize awards of $300,000 each, followed by grant awards between $7.5M and $15M. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE’s) Renew America’s Schools program provides investments to transform decaying public school infrastructure into healthier, more energy efficient learning environments. The program supports the implementation of infrastructure improvements in schools, with a focus on local educational agencies (LEAs) that qualify as rural and/or high poverty. Through Renew America’s Schools, DOE will help create healthier learning environments, lower utility costs, and redirect funds to support students and teachers. PHASE 1 (PRIZE): Portfolio + Team = Up to 23 Winners at $300,000 cash prize each In Phase 1 (“Portfolio + Team”), competitors will identify a minimum of 10 schools/school facilities to be included in their application. The portfolio may span multiple LEAs. The portfolio should exhibit a high need for energy assessments and, ultimately, energy improvements. The goal of Phase 1 is for competitors to successfully assemble their project team, assemble their portfolio of school facilities, demonstrate the need for energy improvements at schools and school facilities in the defined portfolio, and outline their process to complete the tasks in Phase 2. Based on successful completion of Phase 1, winners may be invited to enter into negotiations with DOE for a Cooperative Agreement. PHASE 2 (COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT): Strategic Plan + Energy Audits = $500,000 to $1,000,000 per grantee ONLY winners from the Phase 1 Prize will be eligible to negotiate with DOE to receive a Cooperative Agreement for Phase 2 and Phase 3 funding. Phase 2 (“Strategic Plan + Energy Audits”) will be synonymous with Budget Period 1 of the Cooperative Agreement. Funding in Phase 2 will reimburse Grantees for costs associated with energy audits and strategic planning and design. DOE will allocate a set amount of funding per Grantee, determined by the number of schools or school facilities submitted in their Phase 1 application [see Table 1 below]. In Phase 2, Grantees conduct The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Level 2 energy audits of all the schools/school facilities in the portfolio and develop a comprehensive Strategic Plan for implementing energy improvements. Energy audits and the Strategic PHASE 3 (COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT): Implementation = $7,000,000 to $14,000,000 per grantee Phase 3 (“Implementation”) will be synonymous with Budget Period 2 of the Cooperative Agreement. In Phase 3, DOE will allocate a set amount of funding per grantee, determined by the number of schools/school facilities submitted in their Phase 1 application. In Phase 3, Grantees oversee implementation of the energy improvements identified at the end of Phase 2. DOE will work with Grantees to ensure high-priority energy improvements are implemented within the allotted budget for Phase 3. Phase 3 should directly advance the measurable goals of energy savings and high impact health and safety benefits outlined in Phase 1. Submit questions to Schools@DOE.gov. Please refer to the HeroX website to find the answer to your emailed question. To apply, please register with the online application portal, HeroX, at [https://www.herox.com/renewschoolsprize]. Rules and required documents for application packages are available on the HeroX website.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA, Pub. L. 117-169, August 16, 2022) established the Low Carbon Transportation Materials (LCTM) Program Title 23, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 179), which provides funding for the use of construction materials that have substantially lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is requesting applications from State DOT as part of the LCTM Program. This RFA will result in the distribution of up to $1.2 billion, subject to the availability of funds. Funds made available for the LCTM Program will be awarded for the use of substantially lower carbon materials and products on construction projects funded under 23 U.S.C. and necessary work to identify appropriateness for use of these materials on eligible projects. This RFA describes the application requirements, selection, and evaluation factors.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI). The current FOA represents the second installment in the RECI initiative, which maintains the same broad format, flexibility, and crosscutting areas of interest, while emphasizing and prioritizing specific gaps, needs, and opportunities to support building energy codes identified as focal points through the first RECI FOA and continued stakeholder engagement. The activities to be funded under the FOA support the BIL, as well as a broader government-wide approach to advance building codes and support their successful implementation. The primary focus centers around updating to more efficient building energy codes that save money for American homes and businesses, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and encourage more resilient buildings. This FOA includes one topic area broadly focused on the cost-effective implementation of updated energy codes.
The Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund (SDCBF), established by Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Rhode Island Zoological Society in 1989, supports conservation programs that protect threatened wildlife and habitats worldwide.
Funding is directed towards field studies and other projects that demonstrate a multi-disciplinary approach to biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. This includes development of techniques that can be used in a natural environment, environmental education programs, and breeding programs that stress an integrative approach to conservation. Projects that involve in-country collaborators or align with RWPZoo’s conservation portfolio receive the highest funding priority.
The IEN-WMAN Mining Mini-Grant Program offers financial grant assistance to communities threatened or adversely affected by mining in the U.S. and Canada.
The IEN -WMAN Grassroots Communities Mining Mini-Grant Program distributes over $200,000 per year in $4,000 USD grants to Indigenous communities and non-profit grassroots organizations across the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to give at least 50% of the Mini-Grants to Indigenous communities.
We recognize that mining activity often has detrimental impacts to all aspects of community and cultural well-being and we encourage projects that strive to protect the environment, ecosystems, cultural resources, and community health from mining impacts. This program is of tremendous value to community-based organizations, many of whom have very few opportunities to access financial support outside of their own pockets.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is for the launch of a new annual program, issued by the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP). This funding opportunity, titled Communities Sparking Investments in Transformative Energy (C-SITE), supports SCEP’s overall mission and is funded through SCEP’s Local Government Energy Program (LGEP). LGEP will provide direct financial awards and technical assistance to recipients through this FOA, as well as capacity-building support through additional upcoming technical assistance offerings.
This funding opportunity provides an anticipated $18 million for local governments and federally recognized Indian Tribes to implement municipally- or Tribal-led high-impact clean energy projects in disadvantaged communities, energy communities, small- and medium-sized jurisdictions, and Tribal communities. DOE retains the right to make partial awards and to reallocate funds in the event of undersubscription, ineligibility and/or increased program funds.
Program Goals
Deliver direct local community benefits of clean energy, such as reduced energy costs and improved air quality, through implementation of community-led energy projects or programs.
Spark additional investments in communities that create long-term local economic development opportunities and support community revitalization.
Advance community-identified energy priorities and right to self-determination.
Build capacity and partnerships in local governments and Tribes.
For this new program, DOE provides one topic area for all applicants to invite a broad range of diverse projects illustrating a variety of technologies, approaches, and models tailored to local community contexts and poised to spark additional investments in their communities. Projects may span a range of geographic scopes and wide variety of technology areas, including, but not limited to, building efficiency and/or electrification, clean transportation, energy infrastructure upgrades, microgrid development and deployment, renewable energy, and workforce development. All projects must include meaningful community engagement.
While partnerships are not required, DOE will prioritize projects with clear demonstrated support from local community partners and relevant decision-makers, as well as projects proposing significant benefits to workers and local residents, and the ability to spur local economic development or community revitalization, utilize existing community assets or transform liabilities into assets, and spark additional investments.
This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) on behalf of the Local Goverment Energy Program (LGEP). This FOA will support eligible local governments and Tribes to implement projects that provide direct community benefits, spark additional investments, meet community-identified priorities, and build local capacity. Community benefits may include creation of local economic opportunities for workers, workforce measures and agreements, community revitalization, lowered energy burdens, increased access to renewable energy, improved air quality, increased public participation in energy decision-making processes, and improved quality of life for local residents. Projects may span a range of geographic scopes and wide variety of technology areas including, but not limited to: building efficiency and/or electrification, electric transportation, energy infrastructure upgrades, microgrid development and deployment, renewable energy, resilience hubs, and workforce development. To view the entire FOA document, visit the Infrastructure Exchange Website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/
Through this Request for Proposals (“RFP”), DOE is soliciting applications under Section 40106 of the IIJA for public-private partnership funding for projects “to connect an Isolated Microgrid to an existing transmission, transportation, or telecommunications infrastructure corridor located in Alaska, Hawaii, or a territory of the United States.” Consumers in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories have unique electric transmission grid configurations, including the need to serve many communities’ electricity needs through microgrids. Strategic interconnection of these microgrids, to each other and/or to a larger operating transmission system, will help promote reliability and resilience and result in long-term cost reductions for these consumers. This RFP describes the application process and the information necessary for the Secretary to evaluate whether to enter into public-private partnerships with selected projects under this provision of Section 40106 of the IIJA.
Through this planned Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), the DOE Office of Indian Energy plans to solicit applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations to:
Install clean energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for Tribal Building(s) (Area of Interest 1); or, Deploy community-scale clean energy generating system(s) or energy storage on Tribal Lands (Area of Interest 2); or, 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 (Area of Interest 3); or, Power unelectrified Tribal Buildings (Area of Interest Area 4).
Except for Area of Interest 4, projects proposed under this FOA are intended for Tribal Buildings that are either (1) grid-connected (which, for the purposes of the planned FOA, means the Tribal Building(s) are connected to the traditional centralized electric power grid), or (2) connected to a stand-alone (isolated) microgrid that operates autonomously from the traditional centralized electric power grid.
Area of Interest 4 is intended to deploy integrated energy system(s) or energy infrastructure to provide electricity to Tribal Buildings which otherwise would be unelectrified, where “unelectrified” means Tribal Building(s) that are (1) not connected to the traditional centralized electric power grid, and (2) not connected to a stand-alone (isolated) microgrid that operates autonomously from the traditional centralized electric power grid.
The DOE Office of Indian Energy envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of grants. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately from two (2) to four (4) years, including a 12-month mandatory verification period. Under the planned FOA, DOE’s Office of Indian Energy anticipates making awards that range from $100,000 to $2,500,000 or from $250,000 to $5,000,000, depending on the Area of Interest.
The EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) is issuing this NOFO to announce the availability of funds and solicit applications from eligible entities to help ports nationwide transition to zero-emission (ZE) operations under the EPA’s Clean Ports Program. The EPA’s Clean Ports Program will fund ZE port equipment and infrastructure to reduce mobile source emissions (criteria pollutants, air toxics, and/or greenhouse gases) at United States ports, delivering cleaner air for communities across the country. The Clean Ports Program will also fund climate and air quality planning activities as part of a separate NOFO – including emissions inventories, strategy analysis, community engagement, and resiliency measure identification – that will build the capacity of port stakeholders to continue to reduce pollution and transition to ZE operations over time. This new funding opportunity, made possible by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, builds on the EPA’s Ports Initiative, an ongoing program that helps our nation’s ports, a critical part of our infrastructure and supply chain, address public health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities.