Local governments are critical partners in achieving a new energy vision for New York State. Municipal leaders play a critical role in affecting energy choices in their communities, both in terms of government operations, and also across homes, businesses, and community institutions. The Clean Energy Communities Program provides clean guidance, grants, direct technical support to communities, and recognition to local governments that demonstrate leadership in the area of clean energy.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) aims to expand the Department of Energy, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management’s carbon management portfolio through support for research and development projects in the programmatic areas of Point Source Carbon Capture and Carbon Storage. Areas of interest include: carbon conversion technology, carbon dioxide removal technology, point source carbon capture technology, carbon storage technology.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Collegiate Competition (GCC) invites teams from collegiate institutions to develop real-world geothermal solutions while competing for cash prizes and gaining resume experience in the renewable energy industry. Registration will open in August 2023 for teams of three or more undergraduate and/or graduate students. Start forming your team today! Students of any discipline can participate, and multidisciplinary teams are encouraged. Final competition deliverables will be due in December 2023.

Looking to implement energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy and decarbonization projects, or other sustainability initiatives? The Funding and Incentives Resource Hub can help you navigate and discover the many rebates, funding opportunities, and other incentives including those available through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Through this program, NYSERDA has up to $10 million in co-funding for New York-based clean hydrogen research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects for which federal funding is also being sought and actively applied for. This NYSERDA funding can help achieve federal funding award cost-sharing requirements (subject to applicable contracting laws, rules, and regulations).

The US Department of Energy, the Israel Ministry of Energy, jointly with the Israel Innovation Authority and the BIRD Foundation invite you to apply for grant funding through BIRD Energy. This program develops innovation through US-Israel cooperation on a range of clean energy technologies, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, natural gas, and energy-water technologies. To be considered, a project proposal should include:

• R&D cooperation between two companies or between a company and university/research institution (one from the US and one from Israel).
• Innovation in all areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency
• Innovation that scales up carbon-free technologies and reduces carbon emissions
• Significant commercial potential; the project outcome should lead to commercialization.

The Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT Program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum products within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.

The Powering Affordable Clean Energy (PACE) program is part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Under PACE, USDA Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will forgive up to 60 percent of loans for renewable energy projects that use wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, or biomass, as well as for renewable energy storage projects. At least 50 percent of the population served by your proposed renewable energy project must live in communities with populations of 20,000 or fewer.

The new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJ TCGM) Program is a competition to select multiple Grantmakers around the nation to reduce barriers to the federal grants application process communities face and increase the efficiency of the awards process for environmental justice grants. Grantmakers will design competitive application and submission processes, award environmental justice subgrants, implement a tracking and reporting system, provide resources and support to communities, all in collaboration with EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.