The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Industrial Training & Assessment Centers Program – formerly known as the Industrial Assessment Centers, in collaboration with its Partnership Intermediary, ENERGYWERX, has re-opened applications for small and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMMs) to receive grants of up to $300,000 per unique assessment recommendation, at a 50% cost share, made in Industrial Training & Assessment Centers (ITAC) assessments and/or DOE Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP TAP) assessments – including what are now called “Onsite Energy TAP” assessments – and, once qualified, other assessments submitted previously for qualification as “ITAC-equivalent.”
The DOE Industrial Training & Assessment Centers (ITAC) Implementation Grant Program provides grants funded by section 40521 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 42 USC 17116, to small and medium-sized manufacturers (SMMs) to implement recommendations made in ITAC and Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP TAP) assessments since 2018, and in recommendations made in equivalent assessments since 2021. These grants will bolster the American manufacturing base by supporting projects to improve energy and material efficiency, to increase productivity, and to reduce emissions at SMMs. DOE further intends that these grants will advance the objectives of the Justice40 initiative by improving business performance, increasing energy affordability, and creating pathways to high-quality jobs in disadvantaged communities by driving federal investment into these communities and, where possible, utilizing registered apprenticeship programs and ITAC Program participants in implementation efforts.
This grant program will operate on a rolling basis: applications may be submitted at any time throughout the year as funds are available and will be reviewed quarterly.
The next review will occur for applications submitted by October 1, 2024. The subsequent review date is January 10, 2025. Up to $80 million in total funding is currently available, and DOE expects to make more available through FY2026. Note that elements of the solicitation (e.g., eligibility, criteria, deadlines) are subject to change with each quarterly review period – please sign up for alerts below to get updates.
Opportunity Announcement
Workstream 1: Implementation Grants
This workstream involves collecting grant applications from SMMs to implement recommendations made in ITAC, CHP/Onsite Energy TAP, or qualified equivalent assessments that meet the eligibility and prioritization criteria described below.
Note: For entities who have received ITAC energy assessments with additional assessment recommendations (AARs): The DOE and ENERGYWERX can help you obtain further cost and energy savings calculations for those AARs so that you can apply for funding to implement them through the ITAC Implementation Grant Program.
GRANT AMOUNTS:
Eligible SMMs can now receive a maximum of $300,000 of funding per unique assessment recommendation. Multiple grants per quarter are allowable, provided each grant is dedicated solely to a unique project recommendation from a qualifying assessment. There is no limit to the number of grants per funding round per applicant, provided each assessment recommendation has not been previously funded.
Additionally, the program will require a minimum grant funding request threshold of $5,000, or in other words, a minimum of $10,000 in total project costs. This minimum threshold aims to focus this program's resources on helping manufacturers implement larger capital projects that are less likely to be feasible without the federal funding.
Note: Eligible potential applicants must submit one (1) form FOR EACH FACILITY in which grant support is requested.
NEW:
ISO 50001 and 50001 Ready-certified manufacturing facilities can now apply for grant funding, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements, by following these steps:
ISO 50001/50001 Ready-certified facility conducts a self-assessment as part of the certification protocol
The facility fills out this form detailing the self-assessment and converting it into the standard ITAC assessment format: Click Here to View
The facility sends the form to their regional ITAC Center of Excellence (CoE), who reviews it and approves or rejects it
Facilities with CoE-approved forms can upload it as part of their ITAC implementation grant application (in the section “Please upload your ITAC, CHP/Onsite Energy TAP, or qualified third-party assessment report here.”)
Any ITAC implementation grant recipient paying internal staff and/or external contractors to conduct “construction, alteration, or repair work” must comply with Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) requirements to pay workers at least the prevailing wage (average wage for similarly employed workers in a given occupation in an area). ENERGYWERX & the DOE team will help you understand how to comply with the wage and reporting requirements and are working to make it as straightforward as possible. The trickiest part is generally submitting weekly payrolls for those doing the work to the free online LCP tracker. Note that DBA will apply only for weeks where construction/alteration/repair work is actually taking place. Many external contractors are familiar with the DBA process; additional costs incurred to comply with DBA can be included in project budgets and the grant application and reimbursed, up to 50%, by grant funding. For more information, please visit this DOE webpage.
Workstream 2: Third-Party Assessor Qualification
This workstream involves collecting applications from entities interested in having their assessments qualify as "equivalent to ITAC assessments" in accordance with 42 USC§17116(a)(2)(C), so that their eligible clients can apply for implementation grants.
1. Applicant is a domestic entity.
2. Applicant is a manufacturer – that is, an entity that engages in the mechanical, physical, or chemical transformation of materials, substances, or components; or applicant is a water or wastewater treatment facility.
Eligible applicants may fall under the following NAICs Codes
- NAICS Code: 31-33 (Manufacturing)
- NAICS Code: 1114 (Controlled Environment Agriculture)
- NAICS Code: 22131-22132 (Water Supply Systems and Sewage Treatment Facilities)
3. Applicant had gross annual sales of less than $100 million in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).
4. Applicant annual energy bills were between $100,000 and $3.5 million in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).
5. There were fewer than 500 employees at the assessed plant site in the most recently completed fiscal year OR the year in which the assessment was completed (if different).
6. All proposed projects address recommendation(s) made in an ITAC or CHP/Onsite Energy TAP assessment conducted since January 1, 2018, or another qualified assessment since January 1, 2021.
7. No proposed project efforts already have been implemented.
8. Minimum total project(s) implementation cost of $10,000.
WORKSTREAM 2: Applications in this round of qualification must meet all of the following criteria:
Applicant is a domestic entity (mandatory)
Applicant’s protocol and implementation recommendations are vendor-agnostic for implementation-related products and services.
Applicant's assessments are not limited to one or a small set of technology areas or interventions.
Applicant is willing, if selected for qualification, to provide its assessment protocols and details on calculations when requested, and to interact with, DOE, the Industrial Assessment Centers, and other key program stakeholders to share best practices and ensure quality.