The goal is to have 2-3 Power Connectors with skillsets in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion service and support to quickly and easily engage as new prizes join the American-Made Challenges platform and as current prizes have repeat or overlapping needs, or as new needs are identified for other DOE/EERE commercialization programs.

The Power Connector shall provide expertise in the areas of JEDI, energy security, and environmental justice. Willingness to help expand and enhance the ability and impact of our programs to reach and serve individuals in groups historically underrepresented, in STEM, and disadvantaged communities. This work
could include, but not be limited to, focusing on providing access to resources that will help improve commercialization opportunities for individuals and businesses in these communities, building regional/place-based hubs to assist these communities in preparing for program/prize participation, recruiting diverse organizations into appropriate support network programs, assisting with developing new programs and incentives for these communities, reviewing and providing feedback for program plans, goals, incentives/rewards, and submissions with a JEDI focus, and more.

To apply, submit a two-page letter of intent (LOI) and a slide by March 3rd.

NREL is exploring possible expansion of the American-Made Challenges program to include an educational/upskilling component – separate from the current prize programs or Network efforts. The goal is to offer a stand-alone (i.e. not a part of any particular prize) online training program that people could engage with on their own time and receive a certificate or accreditation for. Given the various preexisting online classes and courses, NREL hopes to engage with partners that have existing online learning curriculums to offer or build new ones on existing platform.

To apply, submit a two-page letter of intent (LOI) and a slide by March 3rd.

Together with Clean Energy Trust, Nicor Gas is proud to support the launch of the Nicor Gas Multicultural Innovator Award – a $25,000 equity and inclusion grant to support the development of a clean energy technology startup with a minority founder or CEO. In addition to the grant, recipients of the inaugural award – part of Clean Energy Trust’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiative – will receive 12 months of business mentorship and heightened exposure to investors and customers. Entrepreneurs and businesses making a positive environmental impact throughout the state will be considered.

Small Illinois businesses, or those with a substantial presence in the state, with a focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart buildings and cities, energy storage, water, ag-tech, digital solutions for operational efficiencies, reduced maintenance costs, customer engagement and/or worker training and management may be eligible to apply for the award. Other company criteria include:

• Founder or CEO who identifies as Black, Indigenous and/or person of color
• 2-12 full-time employees
• No more than $3 million in funding raised; must be able to demonstrate at least three to six months of funding runway
• Can be product or service-based; does not need to be market-ready, but is preferred

Evergreen Climate Innovations is on a mission with the U.S. Bank Foundation to support underserved and underrepresented cleantech entrepreneurs. The U.S. Bank Foundation Cleantech Inclusion Award is a grant awarded to entrepreneurs who are female and/or people of color and who are building innovative companies that benefit the environment, create jobs, and drive economic development.

ETIPP employs a community-driven approach to identify and plan strategic clean energy and energy resilience solutions that address a community’s specific challenges. This approach leverages the experience and expertise of local community leaders, residents, and organizations with the ETIPP partner network. The ETIPP partner network connects selected communities with regional nonprofit or academic organizations, energy experts at DOE research institutions, and DOE offices to navigate options for addressing local clean energy and energy resilience challenges.

By participating in ETIPP, communities receive substantial support from ETIPP experts in the form of technical assistance on energy analysis and planning (see Technical Assistance below). Each community is also supported by an ETIPP regional partner that can assist with identifying and developing a community’s needs and goals.

The Civic Innovation Challenge is a multi-agency, federal government research and action competition that aims to fund ready-to-implement, research-based pilot projects that have the potential for scalable, sustainable, and transferable impact on community-identified priorities. It aims to flip the community-university dynamic, inviting communities to identify civic priorities ripe for innovation and to then partner with researchers to address those priorities. Teams of researchers and civic partners will submit proposals to one of two community-identified tracks by May 5th: ‘Living in a Changing Climate’ and ‘Resource & Service Equity.’

Bloomberg Philanthropies and Kapwa Consulting recently announced the Climate Challenge Justice 40 Capacity Building Fund (J40 Fund). The purpose of the J40 Fund is to provide funding to support community-based organizations to engage and partner with their local government to advance community-led projects that align with the Justice40 Initiative.

Investment areas include: clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable housing, training and workforce development, the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution, and the development of critical clean water infrastructure.

The fund is managed by Kapwa Consulting, LLC, who will issue approved awards as direct professional service subcontracts to qualified contractors. Contract amounts for community-based organizations are estimated to be up to $30,000. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the pool of funds is depleted; to apply to Round 3, do so by April 14th.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is working to bring sustainable, affordable housing to communities throughout California.

The Next EPIC Challenge: Reimagining Affordable Mixed-Use Development in a Carbon-Constrained Future is a competition challenging multi-disciplinary project teams to design and build a mixed-use development – using cutting-edge technologies and advanced construction practices – that’s affordable, equitable, emissions-free, and resilient to climate change impacts and extreme weather events. For more information, click here and join the CEC virtually on Thursday, January 21 for a pre-application workshop.

Additionally, on Thursday, January 28, 2021, join the first Empower Innovation Event, focused on connecting diverse stakeholders to accelerate building sustainable, affordable housing in California’s communities. The goal is to help local governments, community leaders, developers, and clean energy technology innovators meet and learn from each other, starting conversations that may lead to further opportunities for collaboration. Register today. 

If you have any questions or want to learn more about how to get involved in the Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge Program, please reach out to Hannah Schanzer ([email protected]).

The DOE Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) is launching a $1,000,000 prize competition to award cash prizes to the nation’s most innovative incubators for creative plans to build clusters supporting entrepreneurs and innovators launching businesses focused on energy-related technologies. OTT welcomes incubators, organizations that aid in the development of new business ventures, business accelerators, co-working startup communities, or any other organizations that self-identify as advocates for innovation and entrepreneurship. This prize also seeks to strengthen innovation clusters or geographic concentrations of specialized skills, industries, and technologies that have the ability to turn their talents towards energy innovation.

To compete, competitors must submit a ten-slide presentation and a 90-second video. OTT anticipates selecting up to 20 winning competitors for cash prizes of $50,000 each.

Nexus and IN2 are granting two $15,000 grants for clean energy startups that can demonstrate positive impacts on underserved communities. New Energy Eligibility Criteria for $15,000 Clean Economy Grants:

a) Location: must be a California-based clean energy organization
b) Number of employees: must have at least two W2 employees
c) Must demonstrate impact on underserved communities
d) Must demonstrate financial need and urgency

This FOA supports STEM Workforce Development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and the DoD STEM Mission. This announcement encourages programs or projects that improve the capacity of education systems and communities to create impactful STEM educational experiences for students and teachers, and prepare the 21st century STEM workforce. AFRL’s Workforce Development programs or projects include, but are not limited to:

• Internships (High School through Doctoral)
• Fellowship Apprentice/Residency Programs
• College or University project-based learning programs
• Formal or informal workforce development programs or projects that align with the Federal STEM Strategy and DOD STEM Mission

An enduring challenge to ARPA-E’s mission is that even technologies that achieve substantial technical advancement under ARPA-E support are at risk of being stranded in their development path once ARPA-E funding ends (averaging $2.5M over three years).

The SCALEUP FOA builds upon ARPA-E-funded technologies by scaling the most promising. Stranding promising ARPA-E-funded technologies in their development pathways leaves substantial intellectual property developed with American taxpayer dollars vulnerable to adoption by foreign competitors, who can and do capture it for continued development – and economic benefit – overseas. This harms national competitiveness, as U.S. industries often lose the lead on the development, scaling, and manufacturing of technologies necessary to compete in rapidly evolving global energy markets. These scaling energy technology projects will meet ARPA-E’s statutory direction to achieve the above goals by “ accelerating transformational technological advances in areas that industry by itself is not likely to undertake because of technical and financial uncertainty”.^[2]