Funding Wizard

This Request for Information (RFI) is soliciting feedback from state and local governments, building officials, contractors, designers, builders, other industry representatives, community organizations, academia, research laboratories, and other stakeholders on issues related to key provisions in Section 50131 of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The DOE Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) is interested in information on supporting the development, adoption, and implementation of the latest model building energy codes and zero building energy codes for residential and commercial, new and existing buildings (or equivalent codes, standards, or policies) throughout the U.S. in accordance with Section 50131 of the IRA. The IRA provides direction on certain high-level eligibility criteria and overall goals but does not detail how to develop and effectively implement an IRA codes program that will empower States and local jurisdictions to update their building energy codes and standards for new and existing buildings. Therefore, to further support program development, this RFI specifically seeks input on 1) selection criteria; 2) other funding sources, 3) compliance plans; and 4) existing-building opportunities. The information collected from this RFI will be used by DOE for planning purposes to develop a potential Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The information collected will not be published. This is solely a Request for Information and not a FOA. SCEP is not accepting applications at this time. A Notice of Intent (NOI) is being issued together with this RFI. Additional information regarding a potential FOA supporting Technical Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes or Standards is available in that NOI (DE-FOA-0003055). The full content of the NOI announcement can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov. The purpose of this RFI is to gather feedback from stakeholders prior to DOE potentially issuing a FOA. This RFI is not a FOA; therefore, DOE is not accepting applications at this time. All responses to this RFI must be provided as Microsoft Word attachments and submitted electronically to iracodes@hq.doe.gov no later than 5:00pm ET on April 26, 2023. A public workshop to gather additional input on this potential FOA will be held on April 18, 2023 at 2:00pm ET. To register for the public workshop, please visit: https://pnnl.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_yKIg2RtNRh6OQC53b1ba0A. The full content of the announcement can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov.

This Notice of Intent (NOI) is to inform state and local governments that the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) intends to issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Technical Assistance for the Adoption of the Latest and Zero Building Energy Codes or Standards Funding Opportunity Announcement.” SCEP anticipates funding state and local efforts to update building energy codes, or equivalent standards, and to develop effective code workforce, training, compliance and enforcement programs. This is solely a notice of intent and not a FOA. SCEP is not accepting applications at this time. The NOI describes a preliminary plan that will evolve during the FOA development process. The state cost share requirement that applies to traditional State Energy Program funding will not apply to this IRA funding. To ensure adopted codes are successfully implemented, Section 50131 will also specify that each jurisdiction receiving grant funds must implement a plan to achieve full compliance in new and renovated residential and commercial buildings. This compliance plan must include active training and enforcement programs and measurement of the rate of compliance each year. The purpose of this NOI is to alert stakeholders prior to DOE/SCEP potentially issuing a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). This NOI is not a FOA; therefore, DOE/SCEP is not accepting applications at this time. The full content of the announcement can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov.

This Funding Opportunity Announcement will support States in accelerating the deployment of smart manufacturing and high-performance computing technologies across their small- and medium-sized manufacturing firm base.

DE-FOA-0003047, Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS) To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with FOA name and number in the subject line). Questions about this FOA? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): “(A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that— (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.” ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established “learning curves” where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. By contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive – that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines “applied research” as an “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge…directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective” and defines “experimental development” as “creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes.” Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts”) should contact the DOE’s Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R&D for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). Program Overview: GOPHURRS (Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-Speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security) intends to fund a portfolio of new technologies based on bold and unconventional ideas that will transform the construction of underground medium voltage (MV, 5 – 46 kV) power distribution grids (e.g., primary feeders and laterals) in urban and suburban areas and reduce the cost of undergrounding electric power grids by at least 50% in order to improve the overall reliability, resilience, and security of power infrastructure in the United States. SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) and SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index) are two commonly used reliability metrics. In the United States today, SAIDI and SAIFI range approximately 5-8 hours and 1.5 times per customer, respectively, which is responsible for an economic cost to U.S. electricity consumers of $79 billion/year. Undergrounding powerlines is a proven way of improving the system reliability for both transmission and distribution grids as indicated in stark differences in SAIDI and SAIFI of overhead systems and underground systems (Figure 1). Despite the reliability benefits, the cost of burying distribution powerlines is significant, up to five to ten times that of overhead distribution lines, making it the major barrier to making such grid investment decisions. Furthermore, today's undergrounding processes pose safety concerns, such as damage to other buried utilities during construction, occupational safety and health hazards associated with tasks performed in a manhole, and lengthy surface disruptions and traffic detours affecting the safety of surrounding communities, making undergrounding a difficult project to undertake. The GOPHURRS program aims to reduce the time and cost required to underground by a factor of at least two when compared to traditional trenching-based methods. More specifically, GOPHURRS technologies will shift the paradigm of undergrounding from digging to drilling in order to leave the surface nearly untouched. In order to achieve this goal, GOPHURRS focuses on developing transformative technologies capable of achieving autonomous/trenchless utility installation, such as automated and rapid subsurface drilling along the terrain and concurrent conduit installation, while also avoiding hidden underground obstacles (e.g., existing infrastructure, geologic anomalies) with advanced look-ahead sensors (Figure 2). In addition, GOPHURRS aims to reduce the life cycle cost of an underground power system by developing reliable cable joint designs and installation systems, as cable joints are typically the first to fail during operation. The GOPHURRS program could reduce costs, increase speed, and improve the reliability and safety of undergrounding operations and the surrounding communities by developing such technologies focused on automation, damage prevention, and error elimination. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

DE-FOA-0003048, SBIR/STTR Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security (GOPHURRS) To obtain a copy of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) please go to the ARPA-E website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov. To apply to this FOA, Applicants must register with and submit application materials through ARPA-E eXCHANGE (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Registration.aspx). For detailed guidance on using ARPA-E eXCHANGE, please refer to the ARPA-E eXCHANGE User Guide (https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx). ARPA-E will not review or consider concept papers submitted through other means. For problems with ARPA-E eXCHANGE, email ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov (with FOA name and number in the subject line). Questions about this FOA? Check the Frequently Asked Questions available at http://arpa-e.energy.gov/faq. For questions that have not already been answered, email ARPA-E-CO@hq.doe.gov. Agency Overview: The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), an organization within the Department of Energy (DOE), is chartered by Congress in the America COMPETES Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-69), as amended by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358), as further amended by the Energy Act of 2020 (P.L. 116-260): “(A) to enhance the economic and energy security of the United States through the development of energy technologies that— (i) reduce imports of energy from foreign sources; (ii) reduce energy-related emissions, including greenhouse gases; (iii) improve the energy efficiency of all economic sectors; (iv) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (v) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy; and (B) to ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced energy technologies.” ARPA-E issues this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) under its authorizing statute codified at 42 U.S.C. § 16538. The FOA and any cooperative agreements or grants made under this FOA are subject to 2 C.F.R. Part 200 as supplemented by 2 C.F.R. Part 910. ARPA-E funds research on, and the development of, transformative science and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental missions of the Department. The agency focuses on technologies that can be meaningfully advanced with a modest investment over a defined period of time in order to catalyze the translation from scientific discovery to early-stage technology. For the latest news and information about ARPA-E, its programs and the research projects currently supported, see: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/. ARPA-E funds transformational research. Existing energy technologies generally progress on established “learning curves” where refinements to a technology and the economies of scale that accrue as manufacturing and distribution develop drive improvements to the cost/performance metric in a gradual fashion. This continual improvement of a technology is important to its increased commercial deployment and is appropriately the focus of the private sector or the applied technology offices within DOE. By contrast, ARPA-E supports transformative research that has the potential to create fundamentally new learning curves. ARPA-E technology projects typically start with cost/performance estimates well above the level of an incumbent technology. Given the high risk inherent in these projects, many will fail to progress, but some may succeed in generating a new learning curve with a projected cost/performance metric that is significantly better than that of the incumbent technology. ARPA-E funds technology with the potential to be disruptive in the marketplace. The mere creation of a new learning curve does not ensure market penetration. Rather, the ultimate value of a technology is determined by the marketplace, and impactful technologies ultimately become disruptive – that is, they are widely adopted and displace existing technologies from the marketplace or create entirely new markets. ARPA-E understands that definitive proof of market disruption takes time, particularly for energy technologies. Therefore, ARPA-E funds the development of technologies that, if technically successful, have clear disruptive potential, e.g., by demonstrating capability for manufacturing at competitive cost and deployment at scale. ARPA-E funds applied research and development. The Office of Management and Budget defines “applied research” as an “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge…directed primarily towards a specific practical aim or objective” and defines “experimental development” as “creative and systematic work, drawing on knowledge gained from research and practical experience, which is directed at producing new products or processes or improving existing products or processes.” Applicants interested in receiving financial assistance for basic research (defined by the Office of Management and Budget as “experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts”) should contact the DOE’s Office of Science (http://science.energy.gov/). Office of Science national scientific user facilities (http://science.energy.gov/user-facilities/) are open to all researchers, including ARPA-E Applicants and awardees. These facilities provide advanced tools of modern science including accelerators, colliders, supercomputers, light sources and neutron sources, as well as facilities for studying the nanoworld, the environment, and the atmosphere. Projects focused on early-stage R&D for the improvement of technology along defined roadmaps may be more appropriate for support through the DOE applied energy offices including: the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (http://www.eere.energy.gov/), the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (https://www.energy.gov/fecm/office-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management), the Office of Nuclear Energy (http://www.energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy), and the Office of Electricity (https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity). Program Overview: GOPHURRS (Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-Speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience, and Security) intends to fund a portfolio of new technologies based on bold and unconventional ideas that will transform the construction of underground medium voltage (MV, 5 – 46 kV) power distribution grids (e.g., primary feeders and laterals) in urban and suburban areas and reduce the cost of undergrounding electric power grids by at least 50% in order to improve the overall reliability, resilience, and security of power infrastructure in the United States. SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) and SAIFI (System Average Interruption Frequency Index) are two commonly used reliability metrics. In the United States today, SAIDI and SAIFI range approximately 5-8 hours and 1.5 times per customer, respectively, which is responsible for an economic cost to U.S. electricity consumers of $79 billion/year. Undergrounding powerlines is a proven way of improving the system reliability for both transmission and distribution grids as indicated in stark differences in SAIDI and SAIFI of overhead systems and underground systems (Figure 1). Despite the reliability benefits, the cost of burying distribution powerlines is significant, up to five to ten times that of overhead distribution lines, making it the major barrier to making such grid investment decisions. Furthermore, today's undergrounding processes pose safety concerns, such as damage to other buried utilities during construction, occupational safety and health hazards associated with tasks performed in a manhole, and lengthy surface disruptions and traffic detours affecting the safety of surrounding communities, making undergrounding a difficult project to undertake. The GOPHURRS program aims to reduce the time and cost required to underground by a factor of at least two when compared to traditional trenching-based methods. More specifically, GOPHURRS technologies will shift the paradigm of undergrounding from digging to drilling in order to leave the surface nearly untouched. In order to achieve this goal, GOPHURRS focuses on developing transformative technologies capable of achieving autonomous/trenchless utility installation, such as automated and rapid subsurface drilling along the terrain and concurrent conduit installation, while also avoiding hidden underground obstacles (e.g., existing infrastructure, geologic anomalies) with advanced look-ahead sensors (Figure 2). In addition, GOPHURRS aims to reduce the life cycle cost of an underground power system by developing reliable cable joint designs and installation systems, as cable joints are typically the first to fail during operation. The GOPHURRS program could reduce costs, increase speed, and improve the reliability and safety of undergrounding operations and the surrounding communities by developing such technologies focused on automation, damage prevention, and error elimination. To view the FOA in its entirety, please visit https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is requesting proposals for its Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) Program which provides grant funding for sustainable energy strategies that mitigate climate change, reduce reliance and expenditures on imported fuels, develop and utilize domestic energy sources, and improve the performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency in the territories.

The 2023 Conversion R&D FOA supports a main theme core to the BETO Conversion Program’s R&D mission: developing technologies to enable the conversion of waste and renewable resources to fuels and products with substantial greenhouse gas emissions reductions compared to the petroleum incumbent. The FOA addresses two specific technology pathways intended to develop improved technologies for generating clean syngas for upgrading to fuels as well as pathways for renewable chemical production. Each Topic Area seeks to reduce economic and technical risk, enabling BETO to help pave the way for industry to commercialize technologies that may reduce greenhouse gas emissions from hard to decarbonize sectors, such as aviation. Significant R&D is required to reach the ultimate goal of affordable, low-carbon transportation fuels and chemical products. The R&D activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to addressing the climate crisis by driving innovation and deployment of clean energy technologies. The Topic Areas in this FOA seek to address the following R&D needs: • R&D on gasification technologies, with an emphasis on syngas contaminant removal approaches that enable effective upgrading of products derived from gasification of renewable resources to liquid transportation fuels. • R&D on microbial conversion of renewable resources into chemical products, with an emphasis on processes with commercialization potential. Topic Area 1: Overcoming Barriers to Syngas Conversion The goal of this Topic Area is to improve the economics and reliability of gasification and syngas cleanup systems by eliminating technical barriers for conversion of renewable carbon and waste feedstocks to low carbon fuels. While upgrading syngas has been widely investigated, additional challenges remain due to process complexity and feedstock limitations associated with syngas cleanup. Projects selected from this Topic Area will facilitate conversion of acceptable biomass and waste feedstocks into SAF with a 70% reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions. Topic Area 2: Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts Subtopic 2a: Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts: This Subtopic seeks applications that are focused on engineering microbial hosts or biological (i.e., cell-free) systems to maximize production metrics, such as titer, rate, and/or yield, of a product of interest. Applicants should describe how the improvements they propose move the technology toward commercial relevance; applications will specifically be evaluated as to the likelihood that their technology improvement accelerates commercialization in the near term (~10 years). Subtopic 2b: Commercialization Opportunities for Decarbonization of the Chemicals Industry Through Biocatalysts: This Subtopic seeks applications that aim to improve biochemical production capabilities, with a focus on bioprocess improvements and integration at a larger scale. This includes projects targeting fermentation development and scale up as well as producing volumes of product required for validation with partners; such industrial partnerships should be clearly described. Questions regarding the FOA must be submitted to FY23conversionFOA@ee.doe.gov.

This Funding Opportunity (FOA), issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, on behalf of the Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) will advance the strategies identified in the Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap and Industrial Heat Energy Earthshot and will focus on cross-sector approaches for industrial decarbonization (such as thermal processing, low-carbon fuels utilization, and exploratory cross-sector topics), along with high-GHG-emitting subsectors (such as chemicals, iron and steel, food and beverage, cement and concrete, and forest products). By accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable technologies that increase efficiency and eliminate industrial GHG emissions, the research, development, and prototype or pilot-scale technology validation and demonstration activities to be funded under this FOA will contribute to a clean and equitable energy economy, bolster the technological and economic competitiveness of domestic manufacturing, and boost the viability and competitiveness of U.S. industrial technology exports. This FOA is part of an integrated industrial decarbonization technology development strategy for DOE’s basic and applied research offices. Rooted in the principles identified in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies with investments spanning foundational science; research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D); and technical assistance and workforce development. DOE’s highly coordinated RD&D investments – leveraging resources and expertise from the Offices of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), Nuclear Energy (NE), and Science (SC) – are designed to achieve deep decarbonization across the industrial sector, targeting both industry-specific innovations and crosscutting technologies. This technology development strategy complements the demonstration and deployment efforts led by DOE's Offices of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) and Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) and the Loan Programs Office (LPO). This FOA and its associated projects are distinct from any existing or forthcoming efforts funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or Inflation Reduction Act, including activities related to Industrial Demonstration Projects. The topics included are: Topic 1: Decarbonizing Industrial Heat Topic 2: Low-Carbon Fuels Utilization R&D Topic 3a: Enabling Flexible Industrial Energy Use Topic 3b: Enhanced Thermal Conductivity Materials Topic 4: Decarbonizing Chemicals Topic 5: Decarbonizing Iron and Steel Topic 6: Decarbonizing Food and Beverage Products Topic 7: Decarbonizing Cement and Concrete The eXCHANGE system is currently designed to enforce hard deadlines for Concept Paper and Full Application submissions. The APPLY and SUBMIT buttons automatically disable at the defined submission deadlines. The intention of this design is to consistently enforce a standard deadline for all applicants. Applicants that experience issues with submissions PRIOR to the FOA Deadline: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues. Applicants that experience issues with submissions that result in a late submission: In the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission that results in a late submission, the Applicant should contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance (exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov). The eXCHANGE helpdesk and/or the EERE eXCHANGE System Administrators (eXCHANGE@ee.doe.gov) will assist the Applicant in resolving all issues (including finalizing the submission on behalf of, and with the Applicant's concurrence). DOE will only accept late applications when the Applicant has a) encountered technical difficulties beyond their control; b) has contacted the eXCHANGE helpdesk for assistance; and c) has submitted the application through eXCHANGE within 24 hours of the FOA's posted deadline.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund a cooperative agreement that engages tribal government leaders and representatives on issues and activities involving the topics for which NE has responsibility such as advanced reactors, siting an interim storage and/or disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste, transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, cultural resource management, STEM education, environmental justice, etc. The cooperative agreement will support DOE policies and programs related to energy infrastructure and possible development on tribal lands, as well as deployment of nuclear energy technologies affecting Tribes. The purpose of NETWG is to help DOE accomplish its Tribal objectives and maintain and strengthen the government-to-government relationship between NE and Tribal Nations.As part of this cooperative agreement, the selected organization (awardee) would manage, organize, and execute Working Group Meetings pursuant to DOE General Counsel guidelines and requirements governing such Working Group meetings. The meeting management would include up to four meetings a year (depending on DOE’s needs and budget). The awardee staff would provide administrative and logistical support for NETWG meetings, including securing meeting and hotel space; arranging for Tribal representative travel to the meetings; researching and compiling information and materials relevant to the meeting topics; development of the meeting agendas; arranging for any associated tours of DOE and National Lab, and other nuclear facilities; providing on-site support; and taking notes and compiling meeting summaries. The awardee would conduct quarterly meetings of NETWG, providing expertise in programming, administration, logistics/travel, policy analysis and other necessary support to DOE-NE and members of NETWG. The awardee would also host conference calls or webinars to allow DOE-NE leadership and staff to provide updates to NETWG members on DOE-NE initiatives and activities. Awardee staff would provide assistance to DOE office(s) and working group members to research, develop and compile information relevant to meeting topic(s), preparing white paper reports pertinent to Tribal issues, and support working group members in order to prepare and participate in scheduled meetings.Potential applicants are invited to provide an application with a project period of up to five years that supports the objective of successfully conducting NETWG meetings and providing for appropriate Tribal engagement. NETWG, which was chartered under the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) would be staffed by the awardee to assist in engaging federally-recognized tribal governments and their designated representatives in DOE-NE activities. Through this agreement, NETWG member Tribes would contribute their expertise to DOE staff, DOE sites, and other Tribes on issues related to nuclear energy, and share information on best-practices related to tribal impacts from DOE activities and the importance of cultural resource management.Applications should demonstrate the ability of effectively working with Tribal organizations and coordinating the necessary meetings/webinars with DOE/NE. The proposed interactions could be adopted and implemented by NE with staff who would be involved in the Tribal affairs of the office. The intent for the awardee is to conduct successful oversight of Tribal meetings and efficient communication among all parties, including the ability to meet or exceed all necessary steps for appropriate government-to-government actions.

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund a cooperative agreement that engages state legislative leaders and representatives on issues and activities involving the topics for which DOE/NE has responsibility, including but not limited to: support for continued operation of existing reactors; development and deployment of advanced reactors; strengthening of the nuclear supply chain; consent-based siting an interim storage and/or disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste; transportation of fresh and spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; STEM education, workforce development; and, energy and environmental justice. The purpose of NLWG is to maintain and strengthen the government-to-government relationships between NE and state legislatures, while helping DOE/NE to accomplish its objectives. A principal project objective is to provide a better understanding for nuclear energy-related subject material to state legislators, and their staff allowing them to make informed policy decisions as well as to pass along the vital information to their colleagues and constituents.As part of this cooperative agreement, the selected entity would manage, organize, and execute NLWG meetings pursuant to DOE General Counsel guidelines and requirements governing such meetings. The meeting management would include at least two, but up to four, meetings a year (depending on DOE’s needs and budget). The awardee staff would provide administrative and logistical support for NLWG meetings, including securing meeting and hotel space; arranging for state representative travel to the meetings; researching and compiling information and materials relevant to the meeting topics; development of the meeting agendas, including invitations to and confirmations of expert speakers; arranging for any associated tours of DOE, National Laboratories or other relevant nuclear energy-related facilities; providing on-site support; taking meeting attendance and notes; and, compiling and posting meeting summaries and meeting materials on a website accessible to the public. The successful applicant (awardee) would also host conference calls and/or webinars to inform state legislative staff and allow DOE/NE leadership and staff to provide updates to NLWG members on DOE/NE initiatives and activities.The awardee would provide significant expertise in nuclear policy research and analysis and product preparation, including but not limited to meeting preparatory materials; white papers/policy papers or other educational materials, briefings; and, regular communications vehicles, such as a newsletter and/or website. These materials are intended to expand the knowledge and understanding of nuclear policy issues for states. The awardee may, in coordination with DOE/NE, develop new tools to assist state lawmakers as they promulgate and execute policies that address nuclear energy-related topics. As a condition of funding the project, DOE/NE will have final approval of all written material to be provided to NLWG members.Applicants are invited to provide an application with a project period of up to five years that supports the objective of successfully conducting NLWG meetings and providing for appropriate state legislative engagement. Applications should demonstrate the ability to work effectively with State legislators and their legislative staff and coordinate the necessary meetings/webinars with DOE/NE. The application should also demonstrate significant expertise in both the subject matter and with managing and executing effective and efficient communication strategies and tools that enable proactive engagement with state legislators and their staffs, promote an understanding of nuclear energy technologies and related issues, and provide actionable technical information toward the goal of enabling a robust exchange of information in a non-partisan manner.