Energy Funding Matrix

Funding the clean energy transition has become a clear focus of the current administration. Recent pieces of legislation, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), have created dozens of grant, loan and financing programs for renewable energies. These opportunities were sourced across agencies and collected in a central location to ensure you find the relevant grant, loan or financing program that fits your organization’s renewable energy goals. MLS and Mintz have developed an ESG funding matrix that serves as an aggregate resource to help you leverage federal dollars in your clean and renewable energy efforts. This matrix is updated on a bi-weekly basis.

Opportunity	Federal Office	Technologies	Description
Advanced Biofuel Payment Program	USDA	Biofuels, Conservation, and Wastewater	Run by the US Department of Agriculture, this program supports an expanding production of advanced biofuels by paying advanced biofuelproducers for finished advanced biofuel products.Any entity that produces and sells advanced biofuel is eligible to apply. Applications are accepted in October of each year. To enroll, a producer must file an application and information by October 31st.
Advanced Energy Security Program to Secure Energy Networks	BIL, DOE	Grid Modernization and Transmission	The Advanced Energy Security Program is designed to increase the functional preservation of electric grid operations or natural gas and oil operations in the face of threats and hazards.
Advanced Processing of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals for Industrial…	DOE (BIL)	Solar, Wind, Batteries and Energy Storage, Biofuels, Conservation, and Wastewater, Hydroelectric, EV Charging and EV Vehicles, Building Energy Efficiency, Grid Modernization and Transmission	On August 21, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $30 million to help lower the costs of the onshore production of rare earths and other critical minerals and materials from domestic coal-based resources. The funding, provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help meet the growing demand for critical minerals in the United States, while reducing our reliance on offshore supplies.
ADVANCING U.S. THIN-FILM SOLAR	DOE, SETO	Solar	The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) intends to release the Advancing U.S. Thin-Film Solar Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) of up to $36 million for research, development, and demonstration projects on two major thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies: metal halide perovskite PV and cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV. This FOA will promote American leadership in thin-film PV technology, and the domestic manufacture of thin-film PV modules. This FOA will also support SETO in meeting Congressional direction provided in fiscal year 2023 to spend no less than $25 million each to support the advancement of both perovskite PV and CdTe PV technologies ($50 million in total). The FOA is expected to be released in September 2023 and is expected to be restricted to for-profit lead applicants.
American-Made Heliostat Prize	DOE (SETO)	Solar, Manufacturing	The American-Made Heliostat Prize is a $3 million competition designed to accelerate technology innovation through the design, development, and demonstration of key components of heliostats. Heliostats are devices that tilt mirrors to track the sun and reflect sunlight toward a receiver.
American-Made Solar Data Bounty Prize - Round 2	DOE (SETO)	Solar	The two-stage, $1.4 million prize is open to U.S.-based PV system owners and entities authorized to share data from PV systems. These owners are invited to submit at least five years of historical time-series data at a minimum of 15-minute time resolution for one or two of their systems. Datasets collected through this prize are meant to assist commercial and academic research and development efforts seeking to improve the accuracy of PV system modeling, and thus lower the risk associated with developing and operating those assets.
American-Made Solar Prize Round 7	DOE (SETO)	Solar	A $4 million prize program designed to spur innovations in U.S. solar hardware and software technologies and address challenges to rapid, equitable solar energy deployment.
BATTERY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM	DOE, EERE	Batteries and Energy Storage	This Funding Opportunity Announcement will support the Government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, the Research and Development activities funded under this Announcement will ensure relevance and responsiveness to the needs of electric vehicle manufacturers via working with, and through a consortium, that brings together a significant fraction of the major manufacturers of electric drive vehicles in the United States, to manage pre-competitive, vehicle-related Research and Development in advanced battery technology, with substantial involvement by the Department of Energy.
BIL: Request for Information on Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant Comp…	DOE (EERE)	Building Energy Efficiency	The Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (“SECP”) is seeking public input regarding the solicitation process and structure of the FOA to add funds to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Competitive Program (“EECGB”).
Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance …	USDA	Biofuels, Conservation, and Wastewater, Manufacturing	This program provides loan guarantees up to $250 million to assist in the development, construction, and retrofitting of new and emerging technologies. These technologies are: advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and biobased products. Unless otherwise specified by the Agency in a notice published in the Federal Register, application deadlines are 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on October 1 and April 1 of each year.