This program is specifically focused on conducting research, development and demonstrations (RD&D) to develop and implement replicable microgrid solutions for underserved and Indigenous communities in remote, rural, and islanded regions throughout the United States.

DOE’s Office of Electricity’s research partners will develop and demonstrate advanced microgrid-enabling technologies, including renewable generation and storage systems, multi-nodal small-scale high-voltage direct current, advanced demand-side management strategies, and microgrid control systems.  The FOA also includes opportunities to address non-technical barriers to deployment of microgrids in these communities, such as lack of local technical expertise and supply chain challenges.

The State-Based Home Energy Efficiency Contractor Training Grants (CTG)
program will provide States the ability to develop and implement a state workforce energy program that prepares workers to deliver energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy improvements, including those covered under the Home Energy Performance-Based, Whole House Rebate Program (HOMES) and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program (HEAR).

The goals of the program are to:1. Reduce the cost of training contractor employees by providing workforce development tools for contractors, their employees, and individuals including, but not limited to, subsidizing available training, testing and certifications.2. Provide testing and certifications of contractors trained and educated to install home energy efficiency and electrification technologies and deliver residential energy efficiency and electrification improvements. 3. Partner with nonprofit organizations to develop and implement a State sponsored
workforce program that attracts and trains a diverse set of local workers to deliver the influx of new federally-funded energy efficiency and electrification programs—including but not limited to the IRA-funded Home Energy Rebate programs.

NOAA Ocean Exploration is soliciting proposals that support NOAA Ocean Exploration’s education priorities, which include increasing the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the education program; and developing education resources to complement virtual and hybrid education delivery.

NOAA Ocean Exploration is soliciting proposals that:  Connect NOAA Ocean Exploration’s exploration resources to the expanded delivery of  virtual and hybrid professional development experiences for educators; thus increasing   the opportunities to provide high quality education content and experiences to the public  about ocean exploration. Expand the available audience for NOAA Ocean Exploration  education content, in terms of quantity, diversity, and geographic location.  Invest in projects and partners that are leading STEM education programming for diverse  youth in middle school, high school, undergraduate, and/or community college to learn   about the ocean, develop or advance STEM skills, and increase awareness of ocean   science and exploration careers.  Invest in a future ocean workforce that is more representative of U.S. demographics by  funding projects that minimize barriers to entry and retention of diverse learners from communities historically marginalized from ocean science and exploration industries.

The fund will provide grants to support two-to-three national clean financing institutions, enabling them to partner with the private sector to provide accessible, affordable financing for tens of thousands of clean technology projects nationwide. These national nonprofits will enable individuals, families, nonprofits, governments, small businesses, and others to access the capital they need to deploy a diverse suite of clean technology projects in their homes, businesses, and communities, which will reduce pollution while creating jobs, accelerating progress toward energy security, and lowering energy costs. By mobilizing significant amounts of private capital, these national nonprofits will ensure that every dollar of public funds generates several times more in private investment. At least 40% of the funds from the National Clean Investment Fund will be dedicated to low-income and disadvantaged communities, including those that are rural communities, Tribal communities, communities with environmental justice concerns, energy communities, and persistent poverty counties.

The Clean Communities Investment Accelerator will provide grants to support two-to-seven hub nonprofit organizations, enabling them to provide funding and technical assistance such as such as providing training, market analysis, technical support, and structuring expertise as well as financial market-building act to public, quasi-public, not-for-profit, and non-profit community lenders working in low-income and disadvantaged communities—supporting the goal that every community in the country has access to the capital they need to deploy clean technology projects. These hub nonprofits will enable hundreds of community lenders to finance clean technology projects in low-income and disadvantaged communities while also mobilizing private capital and building the enduring capacity of community lenders to finance these projects for years to come.

EPA is seeking applications from eligible entities to establish and operate an Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (EJ TCTAC) for EPA Region 8. The Region 8 EJ TCTAC will provide technical assistance, training, and other eligible forms of assistance, resources, and support to program participants throughout EPA Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming). To community groups, nonprofits, local governments and others to build capacity for navigating federal, state and private grant application systems, writing strong grant proposals, and effectively managing grant funding.

In addition, these EJ TCTACs will provide guidance on engagement with governmental processes, community outreach, meeting facilitation, and translation and interpretation services for limited English-speaking participants, removing barriers and improving accessibility for communities with environmental justice concerns. Each of the technical assistance centers will also create and manage communication channels to ensure the communities they serve have direct access to resources and information.

ARPA-E seeks proposals for novel scalable superconducting manufacturing methods that can increase the production rate and significantly reduce the cost of high-quality superconducting tapes or wires with uniform performance parameters. Projects as part of this Exploratory Topic will work to develop novel fabrication methods for HTS tape or wire that can concurrently increase continuous tape length, reduce electrical variation along the tape, increase overall production rate while also, significantly reducing the production costs and maintaining a high level of tape performance.

The four funding lanes are EV Fast Track, Hydrogen, EV Jump Start, and Public Charging. Regardless of funding lane, projects must be for MD/HD ZEV infrastructure only. EnergIIZE Commercial Vehicles (Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero- Emission Commercial Vehicles) is the nation’s first commercial vehicle fleet infrastructure incentive project. Funded by the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program and implemented by CALSTART, EnergIIZE provides incentives for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure equipment for medium- and heavy-duty (MD/HD) battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles operated and domiciled in California. EV Jump Start is one of four funding lanes under EnergIIZE.

USACE/ERDC has been working on developing methods and tools for resilience quantification in complex systems, including watershed resilience. Recent framework for resilience implementation needs to be adjusted to communities in the Southeast Region who experience emergencies from flooding and coastal storm damage.

The objective of this program is to review resilience quantification methodology and processes of community engagement. Reconciling community needs and methodological gaps should result in methodological advancement.  Extension from individual projects acting on specific communities to watershed and regional approaches is required. This work would focus on amplification from specific threat scenarios acting on individual vulnerabilities of specific communities toward multiple compounding threats acting at watershed-wide scale.

The program will form partnerships with and fund eligible U.S.-based organizations to develop business accelerators to identify and support small businesses across ocean-based climate resilience theme areas to attract capital, mature their technologies, and scale their business models for climate impact and economic prosperity. Those theme areas are ocean-based renewable energy, coastal and ocean carbon sequestration monitoring and accounting, hazard mitigation and coastal resilience, ecosystems services, including change detection, change analysis and change adaptation and mitigation and other ocean, coastal and Great Lakes-based climate resilience theme areas as determined by the applicant.

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.

The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program was established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help fund community-led projects that mitigate physical barriers to mobility and access, such as train tracks or highways. The Inflation Reduction Act established the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program that similarly funds projects that remove physical barriers as well as projects to improve walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has released a joint Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will combine the two major discretionary grants into one NOFO.