Grid Resilience Grant Program

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is administering the Round 2 Pennsylvania Grid Resilience Grants Program (PA GRG), a competitive grant initiative designed to enhance the resilience and reliability of the state’s electric grid. This program is supported by federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) under Section 40101(d), which is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building a Better Grid Initiative. DEP has been allocated approximately $40.5 million over a five-year period, with $8 million available in this current round for new awards. These funds aim to support projects that prevent outages, mitigate the impacts of disruptive events, and promote clean energy expansion, especially in vulnerable rural and urban communities. The PA GRG program supports a wide range of resilience measures, including but not limited to weatherization, fire prevention systems, monitoring and control technologies, undergrounding and hardening of electrical equipment, and the use of adaptive infrastructure like microgrids. Projects that promote training and workforce development for grid resilience work are also eligible. However, the construction of new generation facilities or battery storage unrelated to emergency use is not permitted. Each award has a default performance period of five years, with the possibility of extension up to ten years. Eligibility is open to various types of electric utilities and stakeholders, including grid operators, generators, distributors, fuel suppliers, and relevant consortiums. A special provision known as the “Small Utility Set Aside” earmarks a portion of funds for entities that sell no more than 4,000,000 MWh of electricity annually. Cost match requirements are significant: a 100% match is required from standard applicants, but small utilities are only required to provide one-third of the award amount (or one-fourth of the total project cost). All matching funds must be documented with commitment letters and must meet strict eligibility criteria for allowable expenses. Applicants must first submit a Concept Paper before they are eligible to submit a Full Application. Concept Papers will be accepted from June 2, 2025, through August 8, 2025, and feedback will be provided by August 22, 2025. Full Applications can be submitted from September 1, 2025, through November 1, 2025. Applications must be submitted through the DCED’s Electronic Single Application (ESA) system. Email or hard copy submissions are not accepted. All applications must include detailed narratives, financial documentation, maps, technical specifications, and letters confirming matching funds. Incomplete applications or those with ineligible costs may be disqualified. Applications will be evaluated on several criteria including grid performance improvement (measured via SAIDI and SAIFI indices), environmental and economic benefits, job creation, community impact, technical readiness, and compliance with state and federal regulations. Applications must demonstrate alignment with state climate and energy strategies. Grantees will be reimbursed only for eligible project expenses incurred during the award period and are subject to federal oversight, performance tracking, and reporting, including quarterly and one-year post-completion follow-ups. The primary grant contact is Jessica Kelly, Energy Program Specialist at the DEP’s Energy Programs Office. She can be reached via email at jessikelly@pa.gov or by phone at 484.250.5771. Additional contacts include Amanda Eyer and Jon Wetzel for secondary support. For technical assistance with the online application portal, applicants can contact the Enterprise Help Desk at egrantshelp@pa.gov or 833.448.0647. All applicants are advised to review federal requirements such as Build America, Buy America, the Davis-Bacon Act, and applicable permitting before beginning their projects. DEP retains the right to inspect, audit, and revoke funds for non-performance or non-compliance.

Submit a strong Concept Paper to receive substantive feedback. Ensure all matching funds are documented with clear commitment letters. Do not begin project work before grant execution. Use ESA portal only for submissions.