Funding Opportunities

Supports actionable and scalable solutions to advance energy efficiency and efficient electrification upgrades in existing U.S. buildings.

NREL has posted a sources sought notice seeking Technical Assistance providers and Regional Navigators to support Buildings UP related program areas such as:

• Project financing
• Project aggregation and customer acquisition
• Equipment ownership structures
• Soft cost reduction
• Workforce training
• Contractor development
• Alignment with affordable housing constraints
• Communications
• Community engagement
• Project delivery

Responses Due Feb. 9

The DOE invites eligible companies to apply to Phase I, Release 2 opportunities. Topic descriptions for this FOA can be found on the DOE SBIR/STTR website.

Full Application Deadline: 21 February (note: requires previous submission of LOI)

This FOA will invest up to $80 million across two topic areas — one for high-impact energy efficiency and health improvements and the other for innovative energy technology packages — to support projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts.

Given the importance of making schools resilient, healthy, and zero carbon to support their critical role in communities, the ABC Collaborative especially encourages eligible entities to apply to this funding opportunity and can provide support to ABC-relevant proposals.

ABC Collaborative Informational Webinar: 17 January

Concept Paper Deadline: 26 January

Full Application Deadline: 21 April

This FOA will invest up to $45 million across five topic areas to research and develop high-impact, cost-effective technologies and building retrofit practices that will reduce carbon emissions, improve flexibility and resilience, and lower energy costs.

Concept Paper Deadline: 7 February

Full Application Deadline: 5 April

The West Gate Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program offers promising entrepreneurs a career-changing opportunity to access NREL's expertise and capabilities to speed the development of their startup's core technologies.

Application Process Opens: November 2023

This $13 million solicitation from Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is for new energy projects that will help federal facilities improve the efficiency of their operations and reduce their carbon footprint. It will fund projects addressing clean energy supply; load management; storage and resilience; energy efficiency; and mitigation and/or adaptation to effects of climate change.

Application Deadline: 28 February

Want to have a shot at winning several thousand dollars and come up with an innovative plan to reduce carbon emissions? You are invited by the U.S. Department of Energy to enter the $25K Carbon Management Prize. This prize seeks interdisciplinary teams of students - from engineering, chemistry, and the social sciences. Check it out and begin following the prize.

To get your questions answered, learn from experts, and meet other students from across the country interested in climate solutions, you are invited to attend webinars at 7:00 PM ET on either January 25 or February 2nd. By attending, people will qualify for one-on-one application support from climate experts at Entrepreneur Futures

If a student can't attend this Webinar, people can join our mailing list for one-on-one support in our office hours by emailing Mayra Martins at mmartins@entrepreneurfutures.org

Submission Deadline: 28 February

On Aug. 16, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden signed the landmark Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The law includes $391 billion to support clean energy and address climate change, including $8.8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency and electrification projects.

These home energy rebate programs will help American households save money on energy bills, upgrade to clean energy equipment and improve energy efficiency, and reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that the historic home energy efficiency and electrification consumer rebates authorized will save households up to $1 billion annually. 

Responses are due no later than 8:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 3, 2023 and may be submitted either through Office Form or via email at IRAHomeRebates@hq.doe.gov.

$2.4 million in cash prizes and technical assistance vouchers will be granted to innovators who can help simplify the electrification processes for contractors and implementers.

Contact: Alyssa Watson, alyssa@adlventures.com

Deadline: 8 March

The Department of Defense’s ESTCP demonstration/validation program is seeking proposals for innovative environmental and installation energy technology demonstrations as candidates for funding beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

Pre-Proposal Deadline: 9 March

MassCEC’s MWBE Support Grants provide up to $1 million across three years in grant funds and technical support to organizations that address the barriers faced by MWBEs in the clean energy sector and provide MWBEs with the skills and resources to thrive. Grantees develop or expand programs that provide support to existing MWBEs entering the clean energy sector and/or assist in the creation of new MWBEs in the sector.

Application Deadline: 10 March

The Community Power Accelerator^TM connects developers, investors, philanthropists, and community-based organizations to create an ecosystem of partners that work together to get more equity-focused community solar projects financed and deployed. Part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Community Solar Partnership (NCSP), the accelerator will create a pipeline of credit-ready community solar projects—particularly those that provide benefits to underserved communities—and connect them with mission-aligned investors and philanthropic organizations to get these projects funded.

Join the accelerator and apply for the Community Power Accelerator Prize by March 15.

The California Energy Commission will invest up to $15 million in projects to develop, test and demonstrate zero-carbon, cost-effective, prefabricated homes that can be readily deployed, particularly in under-resourced communities including California Native American Tribes. Projects that maximize the spending of CEC funds in California will be given preference.

Pre-Application Workshop (optional but encouraged): 31 January

Application Deadline: 17 March

MassCEC’s Equity Workforce Training Implementation Grants provide up to $1,200,000 across two to three years in grant funds and technical support to applicants developing or expanding programs that provide job training and support services to underserved individuals seeking employment in the clean energy sector.

Application Deadline: 20 March

The Tech Deployment Track is an eight-month accelerator program that compresses the time, proximity, and attention required to forge partnerships, identify projects, and move promising climate tech companies toward deployment of their products or services in Alaska.

Application Deadline: 15 May

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency.

The EECBG Program Formula Grant Application is now open for eligible entities!

Visit the Application Hub to learn how to apply for $430 million in clean energy and energy efficiency funding.

The Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program provides communities with expertise and tools to achieve their clean energy goals. C2C is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by NREL.

C2C connects local governments, tribes, electric utilities, and community-based organizations with national laboratory experts and customized, cutting-edge analysis to achieve clean energy systems that are reflective of local and regional priorities. By bringing together innovative technology, state-of-the-art modeling, and unique abilities to test clean energy plans before installing them in the field, C2C can help close the gap between clean energy ambitions and real-world deployment. Communities lie at the heart of C2C, recognizing that when it comes to clean energy, each community has different institutional contexts, resources, challenges, opportunities, and ambitions. C2C fosters community-led innovation with tailored support, from goal-setting and project development to technology deployment.