Opportunities for Funding

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.

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 ONE
IAC Planning and Capacity-Building ($100,000-200,000 each, 12 months): Smaller planning awards for workforce development programs looking to expand their industrial sector training, test options to serve SMMs through hands-on training, and prepare for a possible Track 2 (Execution and Scale) award in 1-2 years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD) seeks to support a Research Training Program for college and university students. The objective of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to support the training of undergraduate and graduate students on site at EPA’s research facility located in Ada, Oklahoma. ORD conducts timely, mission-relevant, solution-oriented research based on the principles of integrity, sustainability, and responsiveness to the needs of the Nation. The Environmental Research Apprenticeship Program (ERAP) for College and University Students is designed to increase both the effectiveness and number of future environmental scientists and technicians by allowing trainees to collaborate with senior EPA-ORD scientists. The overall goal is to train the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) scientists and engineers to further the Agency’s mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, manage chemical risks, protect, and restore land, and protect America's water. The training will be conducted at EPA’s facilities in Ada, Oklahoma. Some examples of the fields of study for desirable trainees include (but are not limited to) those majoring in environmental science, water policy, chemistry, engineering, computer science, ecology, and physical and biological sciences.

The purpose of this solicitation is to develop and demonstrate the impact of a DC-powered HVAC heat pump in a self-contained module that includes solar PV and energy storage, also known as a DC HVAC nanogrid module, in residential and commercial settings.

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC) is seeking project proposals that:

(1) Address one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions and;

(2) Address natural resource protection issues that are important for California forestlands.

The critical monitoring questions are organized under 12 Research Themes. Four prioritized critical questions were determined by vote amongst the current EMC members at the beginning of each calendar year:

Are the FPRs and associated regulations effective in...

Question 1h: managing WLPZs to reduce or minimize potential fire behavior and rate of spread? Question 6c: managing fuel loads, vegetation patterns and fuel breaks for fire hazard reduction? Question 6d: managing forest structure and stocking standards to promote wildfire resilience? Question 12a: improving overall forest wildfire resilience and the ability of forests to respond to climate change (e.g., in response to drought or bark beetle; reducing plant water stress) and variability, and extreme weather events (evaluate ecosystem functional response to fuel reduction and forest health treatments)?

I. FUNDING AVAILABILITY. Funding available for newly proposed projects is anticipated as follows: $973,392 over three FYs beginning in 2024/25, comprising: $173,232 in FY 2024/25; $375,160 in FY 2025/26; and $425,000 in FY 2025/26.

II. AWARD LIMITATIONS. Applicants requesting more than the stated annual amount available for funding will not be considered. In the case that EMC funding for the full three years is awarded to one new project, project solicitation may not occur in the subsequent two FYs. While the EMC may choose to fund projects that span multiple FYs up to the annual funding cap, the EMC generally prefers to fund multiple research projects annually. Proposers should keep this in mind when developing their project and annual budget requests. Longer-term projects (greater than three years) may re-apply for funding for additional years through the competitive grants process advertised in the EMC’s Request for Proposals. Annual allocations are dependent upon demonstrated progress towards project completion pursuant to the project schedule and workplan.

a. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. Eligible projects will test one or more specific FPRs or other rule or regulation under the Board’s jurisdiction and which addresses one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions. Proposed projects must clearly apply to management activities on private timberlands in California. Projects on public land may be eligible for EMC funding provided they clearly apply to the activities and systems that also exist on non-federal timberland.

b. ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. Eligible applicants are local, state, and federal agencies including federal land management agencies; institutions of higher education; special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports); Native American tribes; private landowners; for-profit entities; and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.