Notice of Intent to issue Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Notice of Funding Opportunity

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, has announced its intent to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled “Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator” with up to $50 million in available funding. This program will support research and development in critical minerals and materials (CMM), which are vital for technologies that underpin U.S. energy leadership, national security, and industrial competitiveness. The DOE’s objective is to strengthen the domestic supply chain by advancing industry-led partnerships to develop and pilot innovative processing technologies that have been proven only at the bench scale. These efforts aim to address significant challenges in high-impact areas by progressing innovations to validation and benchmarking stages, and by enabling testing in industry-relevant environments. The CMM Accelerator will also incorporate technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) to inform decision-making, optimize processes, and improve confidence in scaling up technologies. This approach is expected to bridge the gap between mid-stage innovation and private capital investment, leveraging existing DOE investments such as the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI Hub) and the Minerals to Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC). Technologies developed through the program are anticipated to have a clear path to domestic commercialization within three to seven years. The program’s goals include fostering partnerships to prototype and pilot proven technologies, validating materials and manufacturing processes that reduce demand or extend the life of critical materials, and addressing urgent supply needs through secure, sustainable manufacturing. The NOFO may include four anticipated areas of interest: processes in the rare earth magnet supply chain, including production from post-consumer and post-industrial sources; refining and alloying gallium, gallium nitride, germanium, and silicon carbide for semiconductors; cost-competitive direct lithium extraction and separation; and critical material separation technologies that co-produce value-added products from byproducts and scrap. DOE plans to fund multiple cooperative agreements with an estimated period of performance of one to four years. A Teaming Partner List is being compiled to help organizations find project partners, and interested parties may submit their contact details through the EERE eXCHANGE platform. The NOFO release is expected in October 2025 through the EERE eXCHANGE portal. Applicants must register with Login.gov, SAM.gov, eXCHANGE, FedConnect, and Grants.gov prior to applying. Each registration may take several weeks, so early action is recommended. Registration with Login.gov requires individual accounts, while SAM.gov registration requires obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Applicants must ensure that contact details are consistent across these platforms. Enhanced Identity Proofing will be required starting January 2025 for eXCHANGE login access, which may take up to 10 days. DOE will not award funding until all registration requirements are met, and failure to comply will result in disqualification. Applications must be submitted through the eXCHANGE system; Grants.gov will only serve as a posting platform for the opportunity. The DOE will provide mechanisms for applicant questions once the FOA is released, but no responses will be given prior to publication. Help desk contact information is available for each registration system to assist applicants in the process. For additional information on the NOFO release and teaming opportunities, applicants can monitor updates on the EERE eXCHANGE website. Questions about the opportunity prior to the NOFO release will not be addressed by DOE. The point of contact for this notice is Robert D. Kingsley, who can be reached at bob.kingsley@ee.doe.gov or by phone at 240-562-1670. The DOE emphasizes the urgency of meeting critical material demands and seeks to ensure that funded projects contribute to a sustainable and secure supply chain for the United States.