The 2022/2023 BENEFIT FOA will invest up to $15.35M – $45.2M across 5 topic areas to allow all interested parties to research and develop high-impact, cost-effective technologies and practices that will reduce carbon emissions, improve flexibility and resilience, as well as lower energy costs.

Topic 1: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning and Water Heating: Technologies with improved materials, components, equipment design and engineering, lower cost manufacturing processes, and easier installation.

Topic 2: Thermal Energy Storage (TES): Development and validation of next generation plug-and-play TES products with improved cost and performance and ease of installation to accelerate adoption of TES in HVAC applications.

Topic 3: Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Development, validation, and demonstration of product innovations that reduce the cost of BESS integration, improve the coordination between distributed BESS and the electrical grid, as well as help meet building decarbonization targets.

Topic 4: Plug Loads/Lighting: Integration of plug load controls with connected lighting systems in commercial buildings with minimal cost and complexity to support building electrification.

Topic 5: Opaque Building Envelope: Development, validation, and demonstration of high-impact, affordable. opaque building envelope retrofit and diagnostic technologies.

The foundation makes grants to US based qualified charitable organizations. To date we have funded organizations that address the following areas of interest:

• Environment (US headquartered organizations operating programs in the US or elsewhere in the world),
• Human Services
• Disaster relief (US headquartered organizations responding to disasters in the US or elsewhere in the world on an occasional basis),
• Other (US headquartered organizations operating programs in the US or elsewhere in the world).

Nonprofit organizations that qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or public schools and libraries are eligible for contributions or grants. Our foundation has two grant cycles: June and December. A completed application must be submitted online, using the Common Grant Application, by midnight (23:59:59) Central Time (CT) on either April 30 or October 31.

Topics for the Department of Energy’s FY 2023 SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 1 Funding Opportunity Announcement are now available. The full Funding Opportunity Announcement will be released on August 8.  The following DOE program offices are participating in this solicitation:

• Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
• Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
• Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
• Office of Nuclear Physics (NP)

UMLRI’s Northstar Campus Pitch Day returns for its 3d year to showcase some of the Boston startup ecosystem’s most exciting, innovative and cutting-edge technology. This year’s first of two Pitch Day events will be taking place August 11th, 2022 at the Northstar Campus.  The Northstar Campus goal is to remove barriers to engagement and accelerate defense innovation, serving as the center of gravity for the New England startup and venture communities, academia, and local and federal partners, to support the Department of Defense.

DOE developed a $2.3 billion formula grant program to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis. The program will distribute up to $2.3 billion over five years and will provide grants based on a formula that includes, among other things, population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. Priority will be given to projects that generate the greatest community benefit providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy to everyone, everywhere, anytime.

Competitors are now invited to submit physical prototype systems, emphasizing technological innovation and challenging entrants to think outside the standard forms, materials, and price points of commercially available products. Up to six competitors earning the most points for innovation exceeding minimum performance requirements will share an award of $2 million.

The Prototype Phase has two separate tracks: a luminaire track and a connected systems track. Competitors may submit an entry for either track or separate entries for both tracks. DOE will evaluate each track’s submissions independently. Participation in the prior Concept Phase is not required to be eligible for subsequent phases of the L-Prize.

Prototype submissions will be evaluated in person by the Expert Reviewer Panel for energy efficiency, lighting performance, functionality, and sustainability features. Competitors can earn points for exceeding the minimum technical requirements and for additional technical innovations and approaches to support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture (UIE) program supports research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, and national importance that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural systems. The program includes food value chain stages: production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets.

The Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program is a capacity building grant program for under-resourced communities that enables cross-sectoral partners to deepen their relationships and develop processes, plans, and projects that will drive and sustain climate action. RCC seeks to strengthen local coordination, leadership, knowledge, and skills with a focus on increasing access to funding resources for project planning and implementation

The purpose of this notice is to request applications for special projects and programs associated with NOAA’s strategic plan and mission goals, as well as to provide the general public with information and guidelines on how NOAA will select applications and administer discretionary Federal assistance under this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). NOAA issues this BAA for extramural research, innovative projects, and sponsorships (e.g., conferences, newsletters, etc.) that address one or more of the following four mission goal descriptions contained in the NOAA Strategic Plan:

1. Climate Adaptation and Mitigation
2. Weather-Ready Nation
3. Healthy Oceans
4. Resilient Coastal Communities and Economies

The purpose of the RCP Program is to reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development. The program provides technical assistance and grant funding for planning and capital construction to address infrastructure barriers, restore community connectivity, and improve peoples’ lives. The variety of transformative solutions to knit communities back together can include: high-quality public transportation, infrastructure removal, pedestrian walkways and overpasses, capping and lids, linear parks and trails, roadway redesigns and complete streets conversions, and main street revitalization

On June 23rd, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CEMII) for Industrial Decarbonization through Electrification of Process Heating Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This FOA will provide up to $70 million in federal funding to develop and fund a new institute that will conduct research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) focused on developing and scaling electrified processes that reduce emissions, improve flexibility, and enhance energy efficiency of industrial process heating.

Full applications are due October 25, and concept papers are due August 9.

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Science and Technology Policy Fellowship offers candidates an opportunity to learn about the federal government and its role in advancing renewable energy with the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, D.C. SETO is interested in candidates with backgrounds including but not limited to physical and natural sciences, social science, engineering, policy, and entrepreneurship. Three levels of participation provide opportunities to a range of experience levels from recent graduates to experienced scientists and engineers to participate in the program. Selected candidates will receive a competitive stipend. Participants will use their expertise to support solar energy research and development by guiding strategy, designing funding programs, and managing SETO-funded projects in the following areas:

• Photovoltaic technologies
• Concentrating solar-thermal power technologies
• Grid systems integration technologies
• Behavioral science, strategic analysis, and technical assistance
• Manufacturing and technology transfer
• Environmental justice and finance
• Communication and stakeholder engagement