State Energy Grants

This funding opportunity supports non-governmental organizations and individuals in Montana with water-related projects that provide public benefits, such as septic upgrades and water conservation, requiring a cost-sharing commitment.

This program provides funding to organizations in Michigan to help low-income households access solar energy, prioritizing projects that serve predominantly low-income subscribers.

The Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program is aimed at developing a skilled workforce to support clean jobs in Illinois. The program, funded by the state, is anticipated to offer 13 awards with a total funding amount of $37,900,000. No specific award range is specified. The program is open for applications starting July 7, 2023, and will close on June 30, 2024, at 5:00 PM. Technical assistance for applicants is available, with a session scheduled for July 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM; registration link for the session is provided in the original document.

This program, initiated by the Commerce And Economic Opportunity department of Illinois, aims to accelerate the adoption and implementation of clean energy solutions by engaging prime contractors. The program anticipates awarding 3 grants totaling $9,000,000, with individual grants ranging from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000. Eligible projects should align with the state's goals to enhance clean energy infrastructure and capabilities. A technical assistance session is offered on 04/10/2024 at 3:00 PM. Registration is required via the provided link.

The Farmland Preservation Grant program provides funding to buy development rights on farmlands to ensure they remain available for farming in the future. Donor Name: Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office State: Washington County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/01/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Grant recipients also may use some of the funding to restore natural functions to improve the land’s viability for farming. The program is part of the larger Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which was created in 1990 to buy land for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation, to keep pace with a growing population. In 2005, the state Legislature expanded the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program to include preservation of significant farmland. Typical Projects Buying a conservation easement on farmland threatened with development. Funding Information No grant limits, except for the following: Enhancement and restoration elements may not exceed more than half of the total acquisition costs, including match toward acquisition. Farm stewardship plans may not exceed $10,000. Eligible Projects Land acquisition through easements and leases (required for all projects). Public access is not required. Enhancement or restoration, such as installing fences to keep livestock out of streams, replanting riverbanks, restoring historic water runoff patterns, improving irrigation, and installing solar well pumps. These activities must further the ecological functions of the farmland. Combination of land acquisition and either restoration or enhancement Stewardship plans. Who May Apply? Cities Counties Nonprofit nature conservancy corporations or associations State Conservation Commission. Ineligible Projects Acquisition of rights for less than 25 years, of land already owned by the government, or of property acquired via a condemnation Consumable supplies such as fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, except as a one-time application in an otherwise eligible restoration activity Elements that cannot be defined as fixtures or capital items Environmental cleanup of illegal activities, such as meth labs Indoor facilities Organizational operating expenses or overhead Purchase of maintenance equipment, tools, or supplies Restoration work done before a grant agreement is signed Transfer of development rights. For more information, visit WSRCO.

The solicitation is to fund a project that will evaluate the feasibility of using existing underground gas storage facilities to store clean renewable hydrogen in California. Donor Name: California Energy Commission (CEC) State: California County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 06/28/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: 3 Years Details: 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. Project Focus  Research under this solicitation will support comprehensive technical and economic feasibility assessments of at least two existing underground gas storage facilities in California for their potential to store clean renewable hydrogen. The project is encouraged to assess a selection of geographically diverse sites (i.e., a Northern California site and Southern California site). The project must meet the following requirements: Engage with local communities and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) located around the selected sites for the study and assess the communities’ awareness of and support for underground hydrogen storage. Leverage feedback and learnings from this engagement to inform an experimental design responsive to community interests and concerns. Inform communities of project results and potential impacts of underground hydrogen storage. Study the characteristics of two selected sites representing existing underground gas storage facilities in California and conduct experiments to assess potential impacts of introducing hydrogen to the selected sites. Experiments should be inclusive of use cases involving storage as well as retrieval of hydrogen blends and sufficiently pure hydrogen for separation and end-use needs. Proposals for small-scale pilot testing or field experiments are eligible but must include a robust risk mitigation strategy. At a minimum, experiments should examine: Well integrity including the direct impacts to equipment and mechanical barriers from hydrogen exposure, and the impacts of subsurface environmental and microbial changes following hydrogen injection. Deliverability and reservoir dynamics such as permeability, viscosity, injection and withdrawal optimization, and potential hydrogen losses due to leakage, microbial activity, and time-dependent changes in the subsurface environment. Necessary mitigation measures (e.g., material selection, inspection tools, operational changes) to ensure safety and reliability. Conduct a quantitative risk assessment and techno-economic analysis for converting the selected underground gas storage facilities to store clean renewable hydrogen . This assessment will: Compare costs and risks of potential use cases, considering interactions with connected gas infrastructure (e.g., storage and delivery of hydrogen blends, storage of hydrogen blends with separation at the surface, storage and distribution of pure hydrogen). Estimate levelized cost of hydrogen storage, levelized total capital costs, and operations and maintenance costs for the selected sites, leveraging existing frameworks such as the Local-Scale Framework for Techno-Economic Analysis of Subsurface Hydrogen Storage,  considering California-specific characteristics. Develop recommendations for Gas IOUs, CBOs, policymakers, and relevant stakeholders to support decision making on next steps pertaining to the role of underground hydrogen storage in California, which may include additional R&D or demonstrations. Optional but desired project elements include: Compare the levelized cost of hydrogen storage and life-cycle emissions between underground hydrogen storage and alternative storage options like hydrogen carriers and conversion of hydrogen into synthetic methane. In addition to studying existing underground gas storage facilities, also examine potential of storing hydrogen in saline aquifers in preferable locations that allow for reuse of existing gas pipeline infrastructure. Funding Information There is up to $3,000,000 available for the grant awarded under this solicitation. The minimum funding amount for the project is $2,500,000. The maximum funding amount is $3,000,000. Grant Period November 1, 2024 – September 30, 2027. Eligibility Criteria  This solicitation is open to all public and private entities. Demonstration projects in this solicitation must be located in the service territory of a California gas Investor Owned Utility (Gas IOU), which includes Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, and Southern California Gas Company. All projects in this solicitation must benefit Gas IOU ratepayers. For more information, visit CEC.

The Oregon Department of Energy is pleased to announce the third round of funding through the agency’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program. Donor Name: Oregon Department of Energy State: Oregon County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/10/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Public bodies include counties, municipalities, and special government bodies such as ports and irrigation districts. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis and priority will be given to projects that support program equity goals, demonstrate community energy resilience, and include energy efficiency and demand response. Grant dollars are available for four types of projects: planning a renewable energy project, planning a renewable energy project that also has a resilience component, construction of a renewable energy project, or construction of a renewable energy project with a resilience component. Eligible projects include renewable energy generation systems like solar or wind, as well as energy storage systems, electric vehicle charging stations, or microgrid technologies paired with new or existing renewable energy systems. Eligible applicants are encouraged to partner with community groups, non-profits, private businesses, and others on potential projects. Funding Information Planning a community renewable energy project: $100,000. ​Planning a community energy resilience project: ​$100,000. ​Constructing a community renewable energy project: $1,000,000. ​Constructing a community energy resilience project: $1,000,000. Eligibility Criteria  The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program is open to Oregon Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities. For more information, visit ODOE.

Grid Enhancement Grant Subaward Program Program Description The Grid Enhancement Grant Subaward program allocates funds for utility infrastructure investments in Arkansas. Leveraging federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this program aims to modernize and strengthen America’s power grid, particularly against natural disasters, while fostering economic development within the state. The funding will support projects delivering direct benefits to Arkansans by bolstering grid resilience, mitigating outages during disasters, and promoting investments in the state’s grid workforce. Program Objectives Funds provided through this subaward program are intended to achieve the following objectives: Increase the Reliability of the Arkansas Electric Grid Achieve Whole Community Impact Support the Development of the State’s Grid Workforce For further details on these objectives, refer to the state Program Narrative below. Eligible Entities Eligible applicants encompass Arkansas electric utilities such as investor-owned electric utilities, electric cooperatives, and municipal electric utilities. Additionally, electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, electricity generators, transmission owners or operators, distribution providers, and fuel suppliers are eligible. Timeline Application period opens: April 2, 2024. Deadline for proposal submission and SF-424 form: 5 PM CT, Friday, July 19, 2024. DFA encourages eligible entities to review the application, guidance, and FAQ document promptly. Questions should be directed to [email protected] by April 30, 2024. DFA will respond to broadly applicable questions by updating the FAQ document due to the program's competitive nature. For additional information or inquiries, please contact [email protected].

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is inviting proposals for source water protection projects. Funding is authorized through section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act as administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. These funds are a potential source of support for drinking water protection projects in Nebraska. Program overview, grant process, general program information, funding priority, project requirements and format are outlined in the attached guidance. Project proposals will be reviewed by staff at Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and representatives of other organizations. Projects recommended by the reviewers will be forwarded to the Director of NDEE for approval. Any questions you may have regarding this invitation may be submitted to the Source Water Coordinator at the address below. Questions will be answered directly and then posted on the NDEE website for reference. Proposals must be submitted to the NDEE office in Lincoln by 5:00 PM July 1, 2024.

This program provides financial assistance to low-income families to improve their homes' energy efficiency, helping them save on energy costs while ensuring their health and safety.

This program provides funding to public school districts and area career and technical schools for necessary improvements to their facilities.

This program provides financial assistance to low-income families to improve their home's energy efficiency, helping them save on energy costs while ensuring their health and safety.

This program provides funding to public housing authorities, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to improve energy efficiency in homes occupied by low-income residents in areas facing environmental challenges.

This program provides financial support to eligible Pennsylvania companies for employee training in key industries to enhance workforce skills and improve business competitiveness.

The Equitable Energy Future Grant Program, initiated by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, aims to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in historically disadvantaged communities. With an estimated total program funding of $25.5 million, the program offers grants ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. These grants are designed to support equity investment eligible communities, provide on-the-job training, and facilitate the development of projects that benefit low-income households and community-based businesses. The program encourages projects that generate or save energy, with a significant focus on involving equity eligible contractors and workforce from CEJA or FEJA programs. Applicants are encouraged to leverage other funding sources to enhance cost-effectiveness and project impact.

This program provides free technical assistance to small Pennsylvania businesses to help them improve their operations and competitiveness by connecting them with expert resources and solutions for specific technical challenges.

This program provides financial assistance ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses in Pennsylvania that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has launched the Community Solar Energy Sovereignty Grant Program, aimed at supporting the pre-development and development of community solar projects. With an allocation of $8.5 million, the program offers grants ranging from $50,000 to $1,000,000 to facilitate community ownership and energy sovereignty in Illinois, particularly in equity investment eligible communities. These include areas affected by economic exclusion and pollution, as identified in the Restore Reinvest Renew (R3) Areas and Environmental Justice Communities. The program emphasizes community benefits, local wealth building, and addresses capital barriers in disadvantaged populations. Activities eligible for funding include early stage planning, team organization, site identification, financing, and customer outreach, with a focus on creating sustainable community solar cooperatives.

The Illinois Energy Transition Navigators Program, funded by the state's Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, aims to establish a network of community-based providers throughout Illinois to facilitate community education, outreach, and recruitment. These providers will connect individuals to clean energy workforce and contractor development programs, with a focus on equity investment eligible communities and individuals. The program has a budget of $6 million and expects to award 13 grants ranging from $250,000 to $600,000. It targets specific hub regions and operates on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis.

The Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant aims to support Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses in developing and commercializing new technologies that will be created or manufactured in the state. The grant addresses the market's underinvestment in early-stage technologies by offering financial support of up to $250,000, with the possibility of exceeding this amount for projects impacting multiple advanced industries. Eligible businesses must be involved in creating disruptive technology, be registered and in good standing with the Colorado Secretary of State, have a significant presence in Colorado, provide a 2-to-1 non-State funding match, and have limited prior financial support and revenues. Preference is given to applicants with ties to Colorado research institutions, entrepreneurship programs, and those recognized by investment groups for their commercial potential. Applications are accepted biannually Grant renewed every year. Grant Summer Annual deadline: July to September