DE-FOA-0003298: CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT ON TRIBAL LANDS - 2024 | DE FOA 0003298

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003298

DE-FOA-0003298, Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands - 2024, is a discretionary grant funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Indian Energy, administered through the Golden Field Office. The program is designed to help Tribal communities move from planning to on-the-ground deployment by funding real installations that improve energy reliability, reduce energy costs, and strengthen resilience on Tribal lands. The FOA focuses on practical, deployable projects rather than research, aiming to deliver measurable energy benefits to Tribal buildings and communities.

Eligible applicants are Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, as well as Intertribal Organizations and Tribal Energy Development Organizations (as defined in the FOA and Appendix A). The funding is organized into four Topic Areas that reflect common Tribal energy needs. Topic Area 1 supports clean energy generation systems and/or energy efficiency measures for Tribal buildings. This can include building-focused projects where the primary goal is to reduce building energy use, lower utility bills, or add onsite generation serving a specific Tribal facility. Topic Area 2 funds community-scale clean energy generation systems or community energy storage deployed on Tribal lands, supporting broader service beyond a single building and enabling community-level energy solutions. Topic Area 3 targets integrated energy systems capable of autonomous operation, meaning systems designed to operate independently from the traditional centralized grid during emergencies; the intent here is to power one or multiple essential Tribal buildings during outages and improve overall community resilience. Topic Area 4 is aimed at electrification, providing electric power to Tribal buildings that are currently unelectrified, addressing basic access and service where grid power is not available.

DOE expects to make about $25 million in federal funding available under this announcement and anticipates making roughly 5 to 10 awards, though it reserves the right to make awards in one, multiple, or none of the Topic Areas depending on application quality and program priorities. The total federal funding per award can be as high as $5,000,000 (award ceiling). The FOA also notes a specific modification (Modification 0001) affecting Topic Area 3: for Subtopic Area 3.a, "Powering Essential Tribal Building(s)," the referenced amount was changed from $2,000,000 to $2,500,000, reflecting an increased ceiling or allocation for that subtopic as described in the FOA text.

A central requirement of this opportunity is the non-federal cost share. By default, applicants must provide at least 20 percent of the total allowable project cost from non-federal sources (with DOE covering the remaining federal share). The FOA allows applicants to request a cost share reduction from 20 percent down to 10 percent, but only if the request is justified by financial need. The financial-need basis is tied to community economic indicators, specifically the poverty rate and/or the median household income of the Tribal community expressed as a percentage of the statewide median household income. Requests to reduce cost share below 10 percent are not considered. Applicants must include any cost share reduction request as part of the application and follow the FOA instructions and required forms/templates available on the IE-Exchange platform.

In practical terms, this FOA is best suited for Tribes and eligible Tribal entities that are ready to build: installing solar, wind, biomass, hydro, or other clean generation where appropriate; implementing building retrofits and efficiency measures; deploying batteries or other storage at a community scale; or developing microgrid-style integrated systems that can keep critical facilities operating during grid disruptions. It also directly supports projects that bring first-time electrification to buildings without power, which can be especially relevant for remote locations where extending conventional utility service is difficult or cost-prohibitive. The application deadline listed for the opportunity is May 30, 2024, and the full solicitation, definitions, and application package materials are hosted on DOE's IE-Exchange website (https://ie-exchange.energy.gov/).

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0003298: CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT ON TRIBAL LANDS - 2024" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-02-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for DE FOA 0003298

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