Opportunities for Funding

Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce

The American-Made Upskill Prize for the Solar Manufacturing Workforce (Upskill Prize) is a $5 million prize designed to accelerate the expansion of the U.S. solar manufacturing workforce and equip workers with the skills necessary to revitalize the domestic solar manufacturing supply chain. This prize targets various facets of the U.S. solar photovoltaics (PV) module supply chain, addressing critical workforce needs.

The Rural eConnectivity Program (ReConnect) Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. In facilitating the expansion of broadband services and infrastructure, the program will fuel long-term economic development and opportunities in rural America.

The ReConnect Program is authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115-141), which directs the program to be conducted under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq ). The policies and procedures for the ReConnect Program are codified in a final rule, 7 CFR part 1740, that was published in the Federal Register on February 26, 2021 (86 FR 11603).

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to announce that it is accepting applications for the ReConnect Program. In addition, the NOFO defines requirements that are determined at the time a funding announcement is published, as outlined in the regulation.

Beginning on March 22, 2024, applications can be submitted through the RUS on-line application portal until 11:59 a.m. Eastern on May 21, 2024. Applications will not be accepted after May 21, 2024 until a new application opportunity has been opened with the publication of an additional NOFO in the Federal Register .

The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following key priorities:

Assisting rural communities recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
Ensuring all rural residents have equitable access to Rural Development programs and benefits from Rural Development funded projects.
Reducing climate pollution and increasing resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities.

All applicants should carefully review and prepare their applications according to instructions in the ReConnect Program Application Guide and program resources. This Program Guide and program resources can be found at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/forms-and-resources. Applications must be submitted through the RUS on-line application system available on the program web site at https://www.usda.gov/reconnect/.

Please submit any ReConnect questions or comments using our Contact Us Form.

This is a competitive grant solicitation. The CEC announces the availability of up to $4,070,070 to provide grants to local governments.

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.

The Administration for Children and Families, Administration for Native Americans announces the availability of Fiscal Year 2024 funds for community-based projects for the Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (ERE) program. The ERE program provides funding for the costs of planning, developing, and implementing programs designed to improve the capability of tribal governing bodies to regulate environmental quality pursuant to federal and tribal environmental laws.

The Water Conservation Grant Fund (WCGF) exists to provide financial resources to eligible entities for the purpose of conserving Arizona's water supply.

A wide range of projects and programs may be eligible for WCGF funding. Some examples include:
- Water use education and conservation research
- Community incentives for rainwater harvesting, gray water systems, and turf removal
- Widespread installation of drought-resistant landscaping and turf removal incentives
- Infrastructure efficiency upgrades
- Projects that promote groundwater recharge and imported aquifer health
- Construction of groundwater storage facilities
- Community education initiatives about wise water use
- Programs or projects to reduce structural water overuse issues

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a two-year competitive funding opportunity for awards to eligible entities to provide technical assistance (TA) to businesses to encourage the development and implementation of source reduction practices also known as pollution prevention or “P2”. EPA is requiring recipients to develop at least one P2 case study and one P2 success story during the grant period. A P2 case study should provide detailed technical information on one or two specific source reduction/P2 practices implemented by a business, and the benefits achieved, so that other P2 TA providers or interested businesses have enough technical information that they can learn from and replicate those P2 practices. A P2 case study should focus on P2 approaches that are new and not widely known or adopted and/or where the recipient believes detailed information on the project could support more widespread project replication. This funding opportunity is announced under the authority of the Pollution Prevention Act and is funded by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

This FOA solicits proposals for RD&D associated with Scalable Concentrating Solar Collectors, Scalable Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) and Scalable Concentrating Solar-thermal Receivers and Reactors. The three technologies will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)—in collaboration with its Partnership Intermediary, ENERGYWERX —has opened applications to establish new industrial training and assessment centers, as part of the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) network, across the United States to train students and incumbent workers for high-quality careers in clean energy, energy efficiency, and advanced manufacturing, and to help small and midsized manufacturers (SMMs) save money, reduce energy waste, and improve productivity.

Through this solicitation, DOE aims to support community and technical colleges; trade schools; union training programs (including labor-management training programs); apprenticeship readiness, apprenticeship, and internship programs; and their employer and workforce system partners through planning awards of up to $200,000, execution awards of up to $2,000,000, and cohort awards of up to $7,000,000. This solicitation builds on the round of selections announced in November 2023 – applicants may wish to review those selections to understand the types of projects that DOE expects to fund in this solicitation.

This solicitation makes available up to $24,000,000 of funds from section 40521 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), 42 USC § 17116.

TRACK THREE
Larger awards for an umbrella organization to establish and support 5-15 new IACs within their member network. At least 80% of funds must go to eligible sub-recipients.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)—in collaboration with its Partnership Intermediary, ENERGYWERX —has opened applications to establish new industrial training and assessment centers, as part of the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) network, across the United States to train students and incumbent workers for high-quality careers in clean energy, energy efficiency, and advanced manufacturing, and to help small and midsized manufacturers (SMMs) save money, reduce energy waste, and improve productivity.

Through this solicitation, DOE aims to support community and technical colleges; trade schools; union training programs (including labor-management training programs); apprenticeship readiness, apprenticeship, and internship programs; and their employer and workforce system partners through planning awards of up to $200,000, execution awards of up to $2,000,000, and cohort awards of up to $7,000,000. This solicitation builds on the round of selections announced in November 2023 – applicants may wish to review those selections to understand the types of projects that DOE expects to fund in this solicitation.

This solicitation makes available up to $24,000,000 of funds from section 40521 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), 42 USC § 17116.

TRACK TWO
IAC Execution and Scale ($500,000-2,000,000 each, 36 months): Larger awards for an existing career training program to become an IAC. Selected projects will serve SMMs with no-cost technical assistance while expanding their workforce development supports and hands-on career training.