Grants for Individuals - Energy

This competition provides over $4.2 million in cash prizes and resources to U.S.-based individuals and teams developing innovative solar energy technologies, with a focus on supporting solutions that benefit underserved communities.

This competition provides funding and support for teams developing innovative high-temperature seismic sensors to improve geothermal energy monitoring and enhance the understanding of subsurface conditions.

This grant provides funding and technical support to innovators and organizations developing sustainable solutions for reusing and repurposing end-of-life products, promoting a circular economy and reducing waste.

This initiative provides up to $100,000 in technical assistance vouchers to businesses and organizations seeking to commercialize scientific innovations through collaboration with experts at U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories.

This grant provides financial assistance to private homeowners of historic properties in Phoenix for exterior rehabilitation and restoration work to preserve their architectural integrity and enhance neighborhood aesthetics.

This grant provides funding for interdisciplinary teams of graduate students, researchers, and industry professionals to explore and propose solutions for integrating renewable energy into the U.S. electric grid.

The County of Maui is accepting applications for its Green Grants to provide substantial funding—approximately $1.7 million—to support projects that promote sustainability. Donor Name: County of Maui State: Hawaii County: Maui County (HI) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/29/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The Green Grants program is managed by the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division (EP&S). Projects led by—or with a focus on—women, youth, and traditional native Hawaiian practices and approaches are highly encouraged.  Starting July 12, 2024, applications are being accepted for the following grants: Environmental Protection Grant: Supports initiatives in invasive species management, environmental restoration, conservation and sustainability. A total of $490,000 is available for FY25, with a specific allocation of up to $10,000 for Waikapū community beautification projects.  Wetlands Restoration Grant: Funds organizations dedicated to wetland restoration in Maui County, offering $800,000 in FY25 to advance critical restoration efforts.  Renewable Energy Grant: Supports initiatives promoting renewable energy and enhancing energy efficiency throughout Maui County. FY25 provides $100,000 to support projects in this area.  Green Building and Resilient Housing Grant: Encourages sustainable building practices and resilient housing design and construction. FY25 funding is $100,000, with up to $56,000 designated for projects participating in the Living Building Challenge.  Equipment Purchase Grant: Assists organizations in acquiring essential equipment necessary for sustainability and environmental initiatives across all funding streams and limits mentioned above. Project Period Grants run for a full year, with options to align projects either by Fiscal Year (FY) or Calendar Year (CY) in 2025:  Fiscal Year (FY) 2025: July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025  Calendar Year (CY) 2025: January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025 Eligibility Criteria Funding is open to individuals, non-profit organizations, and for-profit businesses. For more information, visit County of Maui.

The County of Maui is accepting applications for its Green Grants to provide substantial funding—approximately $1.7 million—to support projects that promote sustainability. Donor Name: County of Maui State: Hawaii County: Maui County (HI) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 07/29/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The Green Grants program is managed by the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division (EP&S). Projects led by—or with a focus on—women, youth, and traditional native Hawaiian practices and approaches are highly encouraged.  Starting July 12, 2024, applications are being accepted for the following grants: Environmental Protection Grant: Supports initiatives in invasive species management, environmental restoration, conservation and sustainability. A total of $490,000 is available for FY25, with a specific allocation of up to $10,000 for Waikapū community beautification projects.  The Green Grants program is managed by the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management's Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division (EP&S). It provides substantial funding—approximately $1.7 million—to support projects that promote sustainability. Projects led by—or with a focus on—women, youth, and traditional native Hawaiian practices and approaches are highly encouraged. Project Period Grants run for a full year, with options to align projects either by Fiscal Year (FY) or Calendar Year (CY) in 2025:  Fiscal Year (FY) 2025: July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025  Calendar Year (CY) 2025: January 1, 2025–December 31, 2025 Eligibility Criteria Funding is open to individuals, non-profit organizations, and for-profit businesses. For more information, visit County of Maui.

The Youth Climate Action Fund to activate tens of thousands of young people ages of 15 – 24 years to design, produce, and govern urgent climate solutions in their cities Donor Name: City of Atlanta State: Georgia City: Atlanta Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 07/25/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: City of Atlanta, in partnership with 21st Century Leaders, will select projects that demonstrate youth-led innovations that support ambitious sustainability, clean energy and climate resilience goals. In addition to the microgrant program, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience will develop youth-focused activities such a youth climate action summit.  Projects eligible for microgrants may include: Youth-led awareness, education, research, and development initiatives, including: youth-led climate education programs; youth climate hackathons; youth-developed climate surveys and research; youth-informed clubs or curriculum; and youth-designed public art and awareness campaigns.  Youth-driven climate mitigation and adaptation projects, including: youth-led community gardening, tree planting, reforestation, and urban farming campaigns; youth-managed recycling and waste reduction programs; and youth-produced climate resilience workshops and disaster preparedness programs. Co-governed youth climate action plans, including: partnerships between city leaders and youth groups to inform climate-related policy ideas, decisions, or actions or the formation of youth climate ambassadors or advisory boards. Funding Information Award microgrants in the amount of $1,000 to $5,000.  Eligibility Criteria Open to Atlanta youth, ages 15 – 24 years old. Youth can submit applications individually or as a group. For more information, visit City of Atlanta.

Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD), with support from the City of Opelousas, and Opelousas Main Street (OMS), is excited to announce the fifth round of funding for the Building Improvement Grant (BIG) program. Donor Name: City of Opelousas State: Louisiana City: Opelousas Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement Deadline: 08/15/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: This grant program is designed to assist property and business owners in rehabilitating commercial buildings for the purpose of creating a positive visual impact, stimulating private investment and preserving the city’s historic identity and cultural assets. Funding Information This year the program will offer a total of $200,000 in grant funds for selected projects. The maximum amount that can be applied for is $10,000. Eligible Uses of Funds Building Improvement Grants are awarded for tangible and permanent building improvements, inclusive of the following: Restoration/Renovation of building Awnings (without signage) Brick cleaning or re-pointing of brick and other masonry Accent Lighting Removal of deteriorating or inappropriate materials visible from the street Window restoration Door replacement Restoration of original exterior/interior architectural features Interior work related to ceiling repair, electrical, plumbing Work on roofs, cornices, gutters and down spouts Cleaning, preparation and painting of walls and trim For more information, visit City of Opelousas.

This grant aims to fund innovative projects that increase demand flexibility in the Industrial, Agricultural, and Water (IAW) sectors, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing grid stability, and developing new technologies and strategies for load shifting, in line with California's goal of achieving a 7,000 MW load shift by 2030.

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund demonstrations of community-based virtual power plant (VPP) approaches and demonstrations of innovative energy management systems (EMS) in commercial buildings with the goal of increasing demand flexibility. Demand flexibility refers to comprehensive programs and strategies that align electricity consumption with dynamic grid conditions. These can include both event-based demand response (DR) and load shifting strategies. Accelerating demand flexibility is a key strategy for California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the state’s climate and clean energy goals reliably and affordably.    VPPs are portfolios of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as smart thermostats, rooftop solar photovoltaics, electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and smart water heaters that are actively controlled by software to benefit the power system, consumers, and the environment. While these resources have the potential to meet grid needs as reliably as conventional alternatives such as gas-fired generators, their advantages extend further, offering greater affordability and substantial decarbonization benefits.[3] However, research and development of both technologies and business models is needed to fully capitalize on and understand VPPs’ potential, especially the systems that feature predictive controls and require minimal consumer engagement. The examples of predictive controls relevant to this research include, but are not limited to, the use of artificial intelligence or model predictive controls for EV load shifting or building pre-cooling applications.   Projects will be funded in two groups. Group 1: Virtual Power Plants: Demonstrations that showcase community-based demand flexibility programs as a long-term (10 or more years) grid resource. Project teams must partner with local governments or non-profits to facilitate customer participation and smart device installations. Projects must evaluate the benefits and cost-effectiveness of community-based VPP approaches that use state-of-the-art DER management software (DERMS).   ·       Group 2: Commercial Building Energy Management in Low-Income or Disadvantaged Communities: Demonstrations of innovative EMS in commercial buildings focused on specific characteristics such as interoperability and adherence to open-source standards. Demonstrations require participation in electric investor-owned utility (IOU) or third-party DR programs and partnerships with device and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). These projects must showcase the latest advancements in energy management in the commercial sector and ensure technology adaptability, efficiency, and collaboration within the broader energy landscape.       

This grant provides funding for innovative projects that enhance energy storage technologies to improve grid reliability and support California's transition to 100% clean energy.

The 2024 Environmental Stewardship Pillar - Innovation Grant aims to support innovative projects that address environmental challenges in Appalachian Ohio. The grant focuses on enhancing community engagement across energy, economics, environment, and health sectors, promoting the circular economy, and expanding local organizations' capacity to access larger funding pools. Projects should involve schools, nonprofits, businesses, and other community groups in sustainable initiatives that drive forward-thinking solutions for cleaner air, water, green energy adoption, and diesel emission reduction. At least $16,000 is available for awards. Eligible applicants include public and nonprofit organizations, as well as individuals or groups working with a fiscal sponsor. Applications must be submitted online by August 2, 2024, and additional required documents must be emailed to [email protected] by the same deadline. Grant decisions will be announced no later than September 30, 2024. For inquiries, applicants may contact Kelly Morman at [email protected] or call 740-753-1111.

This project will develop technical and economic assessments of storing and retrieving hydrogen blends and/or pure hydrogen as well as California-specific decision-making tools, risk mitigation strategies, market and policy recommendations, and community engagement approaches related to those facilities.

The Recipients will implement the program in their awarded region to install energy-efficient electric appliances, energy efficiency measures, and related upgrades directly to low-income households living in single-family, multifamily, and manufactured homes in underresourced communities. Applications are required to (1) include community-based organizations (CBOs) for culturally appropriate outreach, education, and support for participating households and communities, and (2) include expertise in decarbonization of single-family homes, multifamily buildings, and manufactured housing.

This grant provides funding for a variety of entities, including governments, educational institutions, and farmers, to research and demonstrate the integration of solar energy systems with agricultural practices in Colorado.

This solicitation presents an opportunity to shift towards on-site clean, dispatchable generation technologies, addressing the evolving generation mix and ensuring an ample supply of resources to meet the demands of critical facilities during the net peak period while maintaining system reliability. These technologies are well-suited to ensure a reliable and resilient energy supply for critical infrastructure on-site, including communications, healthcare, government offices, and many more, to provide on-demand load and peak matching. As such, this solicitation will focus on advancing emerging clean, dispatchable generation technologies, such as fuel cells or linear generators, using 100 percent renewable fuels, especially for critical sectors like industrial and commercial that have operational needs during peak hours. The projects from this solicitation will be deployed in these critical sectors and will reduce their demand on the grid, thereby decreasing the reliance from fossil-gas power plants during times of high electricity demand. Expected outcomes include on-site pilot-scale deployment of cost-effective and highly efficient clean, dispatchable generation technologies that will support energy demand of critical facilities and reduce the strain from the state’s electric grid while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and criteria pollutants by curbing fossil-based generation. Ultimately, these projects will contribute to supporting the state's decarbonization goals, enhancing the reliability and strengthening the resilience of the state’s electric grid by increasing the availability of on-site clean, dispatchable generation technologies.

The James City County Stormwater and Resource Protection has opened the Clean Water Heritage Grant to applicants. Donor Name: James City County State: Virginia County: James City County (VA) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/01/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The goal of the Clean Water Heritage Grant Program is to promote the maintenance of privately owned neighborhood drainage systems and private stormwater management facilities (BMPs) in a manner that best supports the safety and general welfare of all County residents. What is a Neighborhood Drainage System?  Neighborhood drainage systems include structures such as inlets, pipes, vegetated or paved swales and outfall structures, located outside of the VDOT roadway, which move runoff originating on or off-site safely through residential areas in order to protect citizens and property. Roof and footing drains and privately installed on-lot drainage structures are not considered part of a neighborhood drainage system. What is a Stormwater Management Facility (BMP)?  Stormwater management facilities, also known as best management practices or BMPs, include structures that reduce the quantity of storm runoff and improve the water quality of the runoff. BMP components include, but are not limited to, inlets, pipes, vegetated or paved swales, ponds, bioretention features, embankments, outfalls and energy dissipation structures. Available Grants  Inspection Grants – Inventorying and mapping the existing drainage structures and inspecting the system for operating condition. Results are for planning future maintenance or for inclusion in a homeowners association (HOA) reserve study. Inspection may include a photo record or pipe video and documentation in GIS. Repair & Maintenance Grants – Repairs to maintain a drainage system. BMP Repair & Maintenance Grants – Repairs to maintain a BMP. Only non-routine maintenance or repairs will be considered. Funding Information Inspection: Up to $6,000 per award 75% – 25% split (JCC – Owner). Maintenance & Repairs: Minimum of $2,500 up to Maximum of $50,000 per award 50%-50% split. BMP Maintenance & Repair: Minimum of $2,500 up to Maximum of $50,000 per award 50%-50% split. Eligibility Criteria  Non-HOA Neighborhoods. HOAs with Public Roads. HOAs with Private Roads. For more information, visit James City County.

This grant provides financial support to applicants seeking federal funding for clean hydrogen projects, specifically those applying for opportunities from the Department of Energy.