The purpose of the REAP TAG Program is to enable applicants to provide technical assistance to Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses applying to REAP, with priority for Applicants assisting distressed or disadvantaged communities and for Applicants pursuing projects using underutilized technologies or seeking grants under $20,000. REAP TAG funds can be used for a wide variety of activities including recruitment of Renewable Energy or energy efficiency projects, identification of electrical engineering services, preparation of REAP applications for Agency financial assistance, as well as preparing reports and assessments necessary to request financial assistance.

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.

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.

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.

Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office seek to establish programs aimed at at placing people across the country into good jobs that advance climate resilience and assisting employers in developing a 21st century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000-$10 million each. NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months, beginning no earlier than August 1, 2024. This opportunity is open to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations in coastal states or territories. Resources from NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Office for Coastal Management, and National Sea Grant Office and its partners will be available to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients to support these innovative efforts.

The competition will award up to 60 grants to states, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits to expand access to residential and community solar projects, storage, and enabling upgrades in LI/DAC in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Funds may be used for both financial and technical assistance, and this may include subgrants, rebates, subsidies, other incentive payments, or loans.

The GRRP Comprehensive cohort provides funding to properties with a high need for investment in utility efficiency and climate resilience. Property owners need no prior experience with recapitalization transactions or green construction, as support will be provided to commission assessments and develop the property’s recapitalization plan. GRRP will provide up to $20 million per property or $80k per unit to cover:

• Added cost of a greener or more resilient alternative to a rehab
  component (for example, heat exchangers instead of a standard
  boiler)
• 50% of the GRRP Award is reserved for the cost of high impact utility efficiency, carbon reduction, renewable energy generation, and
  climate resilient investments (for example, solar or wind power)
• Transaction costs necessary to complete retrofit (up to 30% of the
  GRRP award)