MWBE Support Grants provide up to $1,000,000 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. This funding is not intended to benefit a single MWBE. Successful applicants will propose projects that address barriers faced by MWBEs, tackle both supply and demand needs, provide comprehensive wraparound services for individuals participating in their programs, leverage existing support systems, and propose robust partnerships.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) manages the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The MPP helps increase participation and maximize opportunities for small businesses to work with the Department. The DOE’s MPP seeks to foster long-term business relationships between small businesses and DOE prime contractors and to increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE prime contracts and subcontracts.

This program encourages DOE prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) certified by SBA under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (8(a)), other small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small businesses, historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs), and other minority institutions of higher learning to enhance their capabilities and improve their abilities to perform contracts and subcontracts for the DOE and other federal agencies.

For more information about the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program, contact the OSDBU office at 202-586-7377 or by email at [email protected]

The Accelerate California program is the newly re-branded Inclusive Innovation Hub program (iHub²), with the same goal as before! The program focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion and works to bolster the regional innovation ecosystem and strengthen innovation assets, business growth and job creation across underserved communities and support a diverse group of entrepreneurs.

Grid Catalyst is kicking off 2023 with a new opportunity for startups through our PowerNorth Incubator. Minnesota has a robust energy economy and innovation ecosystem of established companies, vibrant startups, leading research centers, government support, and cross-sector partnerships. This program will support hardtech startups on the pathway to commercialization and scaling by:

• Hosting incubator programming and a support system that is specifically curated for hardtech energy entrepreneurs and takes into consideration the technical feasibility and commercialization hurdles for those startups.
• Deepening collaboration with a network of partners, primarily mature energy and industrial businesses and leaders, who can invest in, mentor, and support entrepreneurs in this sector and region.
• Prioritizing diverse founders. To have a thriving energy innovation ecosystem, we are committed to elevating underrepresented founders in this sector.

In an effort to scale needed housing solutions, Enterprise and the Wells Fargo Foundation have teamed up to launch a new $20 million competition. The Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge will identify and propel implementation-ready innovations that transform current practices and reimagine access to affordable homes. Eligible applicants will compete for individual grants of $1 million, $2 million and $3 million to scale ideas that lay the groundwork for system-wide change. Winners also will receive two years of technical assistance to turn their ideas into real-world programs.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering $50,000 to $200,000 in prize awards for impactful and inclusive approaches to foster a thriving, collaborative national innovation support ecosystem to advance research and development (R&D) from ideas to impact. By fostering connections between entrepreneurs, advisors, mentors, partners, philanthropies, corporations, investors, and other shared resources, the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) will catalyze strategic ecosystem partnerships to build community and organizational capacity for the successful launch, growth, and scale of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-based entrepreneurs and startups.

Isotope R&D and Production (IP) FOA will support MSI-led efforts to increase diversity in the isotope workforce development pipeline. MSI-led teams will partner with sites funded by IP to engage in routine isotope production. Students will participate in isotope production related research, fostering the next generation workforce of isotope scientists and engineers. Efforts will also expand research and training capabilities of MSIs and opportunities for their faculty. Webinar: January 17^th, 12 pm EST. Register here.

The Nuclear Physics (NP) FOA will support workforce development and increased workforce diversity especially from underrepresented groups via a wide range of activities that increase entry points into the research community, support retention, and expanding research capabilities at institutions with historically low participation in nuclear science. Webinar: January 27^th, 3 pm EST. Register here.

The High Energy Physics (HEP) FOA will support training and research experiences in particle physics for members of underserved communities, with the goals of supporting investigators and building research infrastructure at institutions which have not traditionally been part of the particle physics portfolio and encouraging underrepresented populations to pursue STEM careers. Webinar: February 1^st, 2 pm EST. Register here.

The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) FOA will encourage the participation of underrepresented groups in FES’s fusion and plasma science and technology research portfolios by supporting sustainable research collaborations and undergraduate, graduate, and early career training opportunities between non-R1 institutions and/or MSIs and DOE national laboratories, SC designated user facilities, and DOE-sponsored facilities. Webinar: January 19^th, 3 pm EST. Register here.

The Basic Energy Sciences (BES) FOA will increase participation of underrepresented groups in BES’s research portfolio in condensed matter and materials physics, chemistry, geosciences, and aspects of biosciences by providing internship and research opportunities for students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty from non-R1 MSIs through partnerships with DOE national laboratories or R1 MSIs. Webinar: January 23^rd, 4 pm EST. Register here.