Funding Opportunities

Through this R-STEP Opportunity, The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is requesting applications from state-based collaboratives aiming to increase state and local capacity for large-scale renewable energy planning and siting. R-STEP will also serve as a platform for Collaboratives to share learnings and best practices with other stakeholders.

A single application should be submitted by a team of organizations interested in working together to form a collaborative. DOE highly encourages state energy offices (or equivalent state agencies) and university extension offices to lead or participate in applications but recognizes that the organizations best suited to perform these activities will vary from state to state. Applicants are encouraged to team with other organizations including, but not limited to: Tribal governments, universities, non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizations. DOE also recommends that teams include organizations familiar with the needs of local communities in the state. They should have experience providing educational or technical assistance services to local communities and have technical expertise on renewable energy siting topics (e.g., environmental impacts, tax policies, land use, zoning ordinance development).

Applications should:
1. Focus on plans to establish or expand a state-level initiative that improves decision-making by state, local, and/or Tribal governments on large-scale renewable energy planning, siting, and permitting;
2. Prioritize equitable and inclusive community engagement both to identify local needs and disseminate technical resources; and
3. Be submitted by cross-disciplinary collaboratives with experience engaging local communities and technical expertise on siting issues.

Applicants can request up to $2 million to execute proposed activities over the course of up to 3 years (36 months).

Applications should primarily focus on activities that expand the planning and evaluation capacity of state and local decision makers regarding the siting of large-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage infrastructure. Where there is appreciable need within a state, proposals may include activities related to other clean energy technologies, such as geothermal power, agrivoltaics, offshore wind, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Applicants must provide sufficient detail and reasoning to justify the technologies included in the scope of activities. In addition, applicants are encouraged to consider whether and how software tools, including those that utilize machine learning (ML) or similar technology, could improve the efficacy, speed, and/or environmental justice outcomes of renewable energy planning, siting, and permitting.

The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office), through the Department of Energy (DOE), has made available $54 million in new federal funding for projects that will expand community e-mobility access and provide clean reliable energy. The funding will drive innovation in equitable clean transportation and is aligned with strategies detailed in the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. This program will make strategic investments at the local level that address key barriers to expanding access to electrified mobility options for individuals without home charging; accelerate the transition to electrified fleets; and mature the implementation of managed charging systems to mitigate impacts and optimize usage of the grid.

The funding is administered by the Joint Office through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Topic areas in the Joint Office’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 funding opportunity include:

Solving for No-Home Charging: Expanding Charging Access for Privately Owned E-Mobility
Expanding E-Mobility Solutions through Electrified Micro, Light and Medium-Duty Fleets
Managed Charging for Clean Reliable Energy.

This FOA aims to help meet the goal that 40% of the benefits of the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in clean energy and climate solutions are delivered to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs), as defined by the Department pursuant to the Executive Order, and to drive creation of accessible, good-paying jobs with the free and fair chance for workers to join a union.

Read the Joint Office’s FY2024 Communities Taking Charge Accelerator. Applicants must submit a concept paper by May 20, 2024, and full applications are due July 16, 2024.

Background
The Office of Native Hawaiian Relations’ (ONHR) Heritage (Tourism) Opportunities in Hawaiʻi (HŌʻIHI) Grant Program serves to implement the Native Hawaiian Organization NATIVE Act Grants under CFDA 15.068 and the provisions of the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act (NATIVE Act), 25 U.S.C. 4351 et seq. The purposes of the NATIVE Act include establishing a more inclusive national travel and tourism strategy and providing opportunities, including funding, for Native Hawaiian organizations (NHO) as distinctly defined in the NATIVE Act, with the potential to deliver significant benefits, including job creation, elevated living standards, and expanded economic opportunities, for the Native Hawaiian Community.Tourism in Hawaiʻi has grown over the last century as visitor arrivals surpassed 10 million in 2020 and has seen a recovery since the drop in arrivals during the pandemic, with 9.4 million visitor arrivals in 2022 in a state whose population is less than 1.5 million people. This volume of visitors has led to excessive pressure on Hawaiʻi’s natural and cultural resources, including many long held sacred by members of the Native Hawaiian Community. Tourism in Hawaiʻi relies heavily on the Native Hawaiian culture as its overarching theme and draw and has operated as an extractive industry, depleting resources and often displacing Native Hawaiian Community members from their traditional lands, homes, and places of worship. Frustration amongst Native Hawaiian Community members has resulted in urgent calls to reevaluate priorities and to transform tourism into a regenerative industry, one that invests back into restoring and sustaining resources, including human resources, in Hawaiʻi. Given that tourism will remain a major economic driver for many states, including Hawaiʻi, the NATIVE Act plays an important role in promoting heritage and cultural tourism opportunities through the self-determining participation of Native American communities, including the Native Hawaiian Community, in the visitor industry.The Hawaiian value of hōʻihi (to treat with reverence or respect), as reflected in the ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) “E hōʻihi aku, e hōʻihi mai,” meaning “show respect, get respect”, represents the core principle of ONHR’s HŌʻIHI Grant Program. Through showing respect, visitors (tourists) can then be welcomed as guests with a shared kuleana (responsibility) in perpetuating the values and importance of Native Hawaiian traditional knowledge and cultural practices. This ʻōlelo noʻeau serves as a foundational guide for ONHR’s HŌʻIHI Grant Program to aide in actions that:Showcase the heritage, places, arts, foods, traditions, history and continuing vitality of the Native Hawaiian Community;Identify, enhance, revive, or maintain loea (cultural traditions and practices), wahi kūpuna (ancestral spaces) and wahi pana (sacred spaces) that are important to sustain the distinctiveness of the Native Hawaiian Community; andProvide for authentic and respectful visitor experiences in Hawaiʻi.These grants and subsequent actions by NHOs are also expected to facilitate job creation, stimulate economic activity, and contribute to elevating the living standards in the Native Hawaiian Community. Program Priorities for 2024For fiscal year 2024, ONHR will fulfill the core principles of the HŌʻIHI Grant Program by providing grant funding to successful NHO applicants who meet the criteria for one or more of the following priorities:Uplift, perpetuate, and in some cases revive, traditional Native Hawaiian practices (e.g., ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, kapa making, lauhala and kaula weaving, hula, amongst many others including lesser known practices) by creating opportunities for demonstrations, visitor education on history, usage, and protocols, or hands-on visitor participation experiences in the cultural practice;Support the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources, wahi kūpuna, and wahi pana at areas impacted by tourism;Enhance the entrepreneurial capacity for the Native Hawaiian Community by helping create business opportunities in the visitor industry, offering business development training, or stimulating economic activity; AND/ORUndertake related activities with visitors that convey respect and reaffirm the principle of reciprocation to the place, resources, and traditional knowledge holders and practitioners.For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), Native Hawaiian cultural practices may include, but are not limited to, traditional: farming practices, food preparation, material gathering and production of implements, products, and adornments, and cultural activities such as moʻolelo, dance, chant, song, arts, construction, and recreation.

Summary
FSA is announcing the availability of cooperative agreement funding for up to $10 million to monitor, assess, and evaluate conservation approaches and technologies in conjunction with the Conservation Reserve Program. Projects are expected to inform policy and/or improve delivery of the Conservation Reserve Program. For 2024, applications will be accepted from eligible entities for projects addressing at least one of the following priorities:

Ecosystem Benefits
Assess CRP’s impact on natural resources such as climate mitigation/adaptation, wildlife habitat, water quality/quantity, and soil health.

Bottom Up, Middle Out
Evaluate CRP’s role in strengthening farm operations’ viability and resilience. Develop program delivery strategies that improve the CRPs function to support economic growth and stability within rural communities.

Citizen Science
Identify ways for agricultural producers to monitor conditions on and share lessons learned from enrolled CRP acres.

Evaluating CRP in the Big Picture
Evaluating and developing strategies of how CRP fits into a larger framework of natural resources management and conservation.

Applications will be accepted from all non-Foreign, non-Federal entities (see Section C-Eligible Applicants). Projects may be between 1 and 5 years in duration. The minimum amount for an award is $500,000, while the maximum amount for an award is $5 million.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the MAE website (https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/economic-and-policy-anal…) to learn more about the MAE program and past projects.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before submitting an application via Grants.gov.

Key Dates
Applicants must submit their applications via Grants.gov by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on May 31, 2024. For technical issues with Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov Applicant Support at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Awarding agency staff cannot support applicants regarding Grants.gov accounts.

For inquiries specific to the content of the NOFO requirements, contact the federal awarding agency contact (section G of this NOFO). Please limit questions to those regarding specific information contained in this NOFO (such as dates, page numbers, clarification of discrepancies, etc.). Questions related to eligibility or the merits of a specific proposal will not be addressed.

The agency anticipates making selections by July 12, 2024, and expects to execute awards by September 30, 2024. These dates are estimates and are subject to change.

The purpose of the NOFO is to establish and maintain a network of Regional Centers for Public Health Preparedness and Response to increase implementation of evidence-based strategies and interventions (EBSIs) and to improve public health preparedness and response, as informed by the needs of the communities involved. Support will be provided for up to ten centers to determine and support implementation of activities needed to increase use of EBSIs that will improve public health preparedness and response, as informed by the needs of the communities as described in regional workplans. The goal is to fund one center in each of the 10 HHS Regions. Each center will1) Coordinate relevant activities with applicable State, local, and Tribal health departments and officials, health care facilities, and health care coalitions to improve public health preparedness and response, as informed by the needs of the community, or communities involved.2) Develop and implement activities to support focus areas and objectives created by a regional coordinating body in 2023-24.3) As determined necessary by the CDC, and based on the availability of funding, support further implementation of evidence-based practices, or conduct research, evaluation, translation or dissemination necessary to address active or anticipated public health emergencies.4) One center will be awarded additional funds to support coordination and convening of centers and provide technical assistance and training as needed. For the NOFO and application information Zoom webinar, scheduled on Monday, April 1, 2024, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET., please register at https://cdc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItc-uorjIpE_T4tMi0-EeW8IrJKP….

Building a clean and equitable energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals 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. This FOA is funded by two Department of Energy (DOE) offices: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s (FECM) Carbon Conversion Program. BETO’s primary focus is on developing technologies that convert domestic biomass and/or waste resources to affordable biofuels and bioproducts that significantly reduce carbon emissions on a life-cycle basis as compared to equivalent petroleum-based products. These bioenergy technologies can enable a transition to a clean energy economy, create high-quality jobs, support rural economies, and spur innovation in renewable energy and chemicals production. The activities funded by BETO through this funding opportunity will mobilize public clean energy investment by addressing research and development (R&D) challenges in the conversion of various seaweeds and blends of seaweeds (with wet waste feedstocks such as waste microalgae) to low-carbon fuels and chemicals. These activities can also help develop solutions for communities that are affected by harmful algal blooms to reduce the costs associated with managing these wastes. The priority of FECM’s Carbon Conversion Program is to develop multiple pathways by which captured and concentrated carbon dioxide (CO2) is converted into economically viable and environmentally sustainable products. The near-term objective of this program’s R&D is to accelerate deployment of carbon management technologies through the conversion of CO2 into value-added products. Under this FOA, applications are sought that use anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in the cultivation process and then convert macro and/or micro algae into low carbon products. Conversion for agricultural products such as animal feed are of particular interest. Algae is a promising type of renewable biomass-based feedstock with the potential to contribute to BETO’s and FECM’s missions and help meet the aggressive clean energy goals being pursued by DOE. For purposes of this FOA, “algae” includes microalgae, cyanobacteria, and macroalgae (also referred to as seaweed). All types of algae may be of interest to this FOA, subject to the topic-specific requirements described in each Topic Area. • Topic Area 1: Conversion of Seaweeds to Low-Carbon Fuels and Bioproducts • Topic Area 2: Conversion of Algal Biomass for Low-Carbon Agricultural Bioproducts Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to MacroFOA@ee.doe.gov. The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants. Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues. Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing the submission on behalf of, and with the Applicant's concurrence). DOE will only accept late applications when the Applicant has a) encountered technical difficulties beyond their control; b) has contacted the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance; and c) has submitted the application through eXCHANGE within 24 hours of the FOA's posted deadline. Please view the full FOA by visiting EERE-Exchange.energy.gov. The required Concept Paper due date for this FOA is 05/10/2024 at 5PM ET. The Full Application due date for this FOA is 6/27/2024 at 5PM ET.

Multistate Conservation Grants are authorized under 16 U.S.C. 669h-2 and 16 U.S.C. 777m, providing funding for wildlife restoration and sport fish restoration projects and recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) projects that address regional or national priority needs of State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners that are beyond the scale, scope, and capabilities of a single State. The priority needs, also known as Strategic Priorities, are identified annually by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) with input from State fish and wildlife agencies and their partners. Recipients awarded Traditional Multistate Conservation Grants (T-MSCG) may use the funds for wildlife or sport fish projects involving research, restoration, conservation and management of wild birds, wild mammals, sport fish, and their habitats. These funds may also be used for projects providing for public use and benefit from these resources, including hunter safety and education, aquatic education, angler R3 projects and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation. Recipients awarded under R3 Multistate Conservation Grants (R3-MSCG) can only use the funds for hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment projects that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

Purpose:
The CalMoneySmart program aims to enhance financial empowerment among unbanked and underbanked Californians by funding nonprofit organizations. Through financial education and empowerment services, it seeks to reduce disparities, improve financial literacy, and foster wealth-building opportunities. The program awards grantees up to $200K per year for two consecutive fiscal years to promote financial stability and security statewide.

Description:
Grant funds may only be used for the following financial education and empowerment services for the targeted at-risk unbanked and underbanked populations:

1) Designing, developing, or offering, free of charge to consumers, classroom or web-based financial education and empowerment content intended to help unbanked and underbanked consumers achieve, identify, and access lower cost financial products and services, establish or improve their credit, increase their savings, or lower their debt.
2) Providing individualized, free financial coaching to unbanked and underbanked consumers.
3) Designing, developing, or offering, free of charge to consumers, a financial product or service intended to help unbanked and underbanked consumers identify and access responsible financial products and financial services, establish or improve their credit, increase their savings, or lower their debt.

Every project funded with a grant from the Financial Empowerment Fund shall meet the following criteria:
1) Promote and enhance the economic security of consumers.
2) Adhere to the five principles of effective financial education described in the June 2017 report issued by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau titled “Effective financial education: Five principles and how to use them.”

Grant awards will be announced for a two-year period covering two consecutive fiscal years. Funds for each fiscal year are disbursed separately and any unexpended funds must be returned to the DFPI. Disbursement of funding for the second fiscal year is contingent on submission of a satisfactory annual report.

A mandatory in-person training for grantees will be held during the grant cycle. Final details will be included in the grant agreement.

Grantees may use no more than 15 percent of the grant to cover administrative (indirect) costs. Failure to comply shall render the Applicant ineligible for a grant during the subsequent fiscal year and until the noncompliance is corrected.

A grantee may subcontract services that it has agreed to provide under the grant agreement, so long as those services are conducted on behalf of the grantee. Subcontract arrangements must be clearly described in the scope of work and budget.

Accepting grant funds with the intent of distributing those funds to other nonprofit organizations (for example, sub-grants or fiscal sponsorship) is not allowed.

Grant funding may not be used for financial incentives for individuals. Prohibited incentives include, but are not limited to, match funding for savings accounts, participant stipends, or gift cards with a cash value.

Grantees are required to submit preliminary and final annual reports, in a form and by a date specified by the Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation, documenting:
1) The specific uses to which grant funds were allocated,
2) The number of individuals aided through use of the funds,
3) Quantitative results regarding the impact of grant funding, and
4) Any other information requested by the Commissioner.

Failure to submit satisfactory reports shall render the Applicant ineligible for any DFPI grant during the subsequent fiscal year and until the required report is submitted. 

Purpose:
The California Energy Commission’s Siting, Transmission, and Environmental Protection Division announces California Clean Energy Planning Program (CCEPP) and the availability of up to $1,550,000 in grant funds for this first-come, first-served grant solicitation.

Description:
This solicitation has two purposes: 1) make $1,050,000 available to California Native American tribes for clean energy future planning as well as to better enable their participation in statewide clean energy and energy infrastructure planning activities and 2) make $500,000 available to local government entities to develop new or updated land use planning documents that support and advance the development of clean energy in their jurisdiction.

Purpose:
To help create sustainable urban forests across the state, $30.8 million in funding will be available to support urban and community forestry projects in historically disinvested urban communities throughout California.

Description:
The Inflation Reduction Act supports urban and community forestry investments that foster:

1) Increased and equitable access to urban tree canopy and associated human health, environmental, and economic benefits in disadvantaged communities.

2) Broadened community engagement in local urban forest planning, tree planting, and management activities.

3) Improved community and urban forest resilience to climate change, extreme heat, forest pests and diseases, and storm events through best management and maintenance practices.

There are six grant options available: Urban Forest Expansion and Improvement, Urban Forest Management Activities, Urban Forestry Education and Workforce Development, Urban Forestry Regional or Statewide Impact, Urban Forest Equity Capacity Building, and Green Schoolyards.

Projects must directly serve priority populations within one or more defined disadvantaged and/or low-income community in an urban area. In California, CAL FIRE’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is administering this federal grant funding.