Minority-owned firms seeking to penetrate new markets — domestic & global — and grow in size and scale, can access business experts at a MBDA Business Center. Whether it’s securing capital, competing for a contract, identifying a strategic partner or becoming export-ready, your success is our priority. The Centers are located in areas with the largest concentration of minority populations and the largest number of minority businesses.
The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) established the Small Business Transportation Resource Centers (SBTRCs) through a network of grantees across the country. The SBTRCs work closely with the transportation contracting community and other technical assistance providers to serve small disadvantaged transportation businesses. SBTRCs provide an array of technical assistance to build the capacity of Small and Disadvantaged Businesses, making the businesses more competitive when bidding on DOT procurement opportunities and federally-funded contracts. Services include the following:
DOE’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity is administering the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS. The bonus credit provides a 10 or 20 percentage point increase to the investment tax credit for qualified solar and wind energy facilities with a maximum net output of less than five megawatts (AC). DOE will review applications and make recommendations to the IRS, which will allocate to up to 1.8 gigawatts (GW) of eligible solar and wind capacity per year.
A 10-percentage point increase is available to eligible solar and wind facilities that are installed in low-income communities or on Indian land and a 20 percentage point credit increase is available to eligible solar and wind facilities that are part of a qualified low-income residential building or a qualified low-income economic benefit project.
The DOE Communities LEAP (Local Energy Action Program) aims to facilitate sustained community-wide economic and environmental benefits primarily through DOE’s clean energy deployment work. This opportunity is specifically open to low-income, energy-burdened communities that are also experiencing either direct environmental justice impacts, or direct economic impacts from a shift away from historical reliance on fossil fuels. Under Communities LEAP, DOE matches selected communities with technical assistance providers who assist them with bringing their clean energy planning and economic development vision to life.
GRANTED supports ambitious ideas and innovative strategies to address challenges and inequalities within the research enterprise. The research enterprise is broadly defined and includes administrative support and service infrastructure such as, but not limited to, human capital, research development and administration, research analytics, technology transfer and commercialization, corporate relations/public-private partnerships, research integrity, compliance and security, research policy, administration of student research training, and research leadership. Strengthening this administrative infrastructure supporting research and STEM training is necessary to fully utilize the Nation’s talent and capabilities and empower America’s organizations that engage in or support research, to participate in a diverse, equitable, and internationally competitive research enterprise.
EmPower Massachusetts offers multiple stages of investment in communities and community-based organizations so that they can explore, develop, and implement program models or projects that provide access to the benefits of clean energy for previously underserved populations. Implementation grants provide funding to implement community-based programs or projects that increase the access to the benefits of clean energy to and/or reduce energy burden on previously underserved population priority groups.
In partnership with Mom Your Business, First Founders Inc., and TEACHERS &, the Philly Gets Back in the Black Tech Pitch Contest will identify and select Black-owned businesses to participate in a transformative contest. These businesses will have the opportunity to demonstrate their innovative use of technology, with a focus on tech-enablement and innovation that enhances productivity and drives revenue growth. To further support the growth of Black-owned tech businesses, Mom Your Business and its partners will target twenty-five new and aspiring tech entrepreneurs for the Back in the Black Bootcamp. This intensive four-week program will provide focused training and mentorship in key business development areas, including branding, marketing, and operations.
The Community Benefits Grant Program is an innovative partnership between Clean Power Alliance (CPA) and Calpine Energy Solutions. This annual program provides grant funding to organizations working to advance clean energy, green jobs, environmental education and stewardship, and energy equity and diversity in the communities that CPA serves.
NY Green Bank is pleased to announce the launch of a $250 million Community Decarbonization Fund (CDF) and encourages Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other specialty lenders to apply for this highly concessionary funding pathway to deliver climate justice to residents of disadvantaged communities (DACs). The CDF is expected to expand and accelerate the lending capacity of smaller community-based and mission-driven investors by channeling financing into sustainable infrastructure projects that benefit historically marginalized communities.
The Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete Pilot Program) will invest $200 million in persistently distressed communities to create and connect people to good jobs. This program will create renewed economic opportunity in communities that have for too long been forgotten. To do so, the program targets areas where prime-age (25-54 years) employment significantly trails the national average, with the goal to close this gap through large, flexible investments. As part of EDA’s place-based economic development approach, the Recompete Pilot Program aims to meet communities where they are by offering grant opportunities that ensure sustainable and equitable economic growth across the United States.
Through this opportunity, WPTO aims to identify promising, potentially high-impact research ideas from minority-serving colleges and universities, especially new entrants or those who have not recently worked with the WPTO. Eligible researchers could have a wide range of expertise, including water power-related engineering and other technology-specific expertise , but also expertise in social science, biological and environmental sciences, local governance processes, energy system integration, community-scale power systems, and other related areas. Researchers whose work has robust and deep ties to their communities and will be able to leverage those ties in their projects are particularly encouraged to apply.
CPO is seeking applications for two individual competitions in FY24. These 2 competitions are to expand creation and implementation of actionable, place-based climate information for community heat resilience.
Competitions 1 (NIHHIS Center of Excellence – Center for Community Climate & Health Observations, Monitoring & Evaluation) and 2 (NIHHIS Center of Excellence – Center for Climate and Health Assessments, Policy, and Practice) will support the new NIHHIS Centers of Excellence. The first center will provide technical and other assistance in developing community science observations to inform equitable heat resilience action while the second center will focus on technical and other assistance in planning, taking action on, and evaluating equitable heat resilience informed by prior observations and monitoring.
