POWERING UNELECTRIFIED TRIBAL BUILDING(S) - 2022 | DE FOA 0002771

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002771

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of Indian Energy and administered by the Golden Field Office, released the grant opportunity "POWERING UNELECTRIFIED TRIBAL BUILDING(S) - 2022" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0002771) to help bring electricity to Tribal Buildings that currently have no electric service. The central goal is straightforward: fund projects that will provide reliable electric power to buildings owned by or serving Tribal communities when those buildings are not connected to the conventional utility grid and are also not already served by an off-grid integrated energy system. In this announcement, "unelectrified" is defined very specifically as a building that is not tied into the traditional centralized electric grid and not connected to an independent integrated energy system operating separate from that grid.

The funding is offered as a discretionary grant under the DOE energy assistance program area (CFDA 81.087). DOE anticipates making about 10 awards, with a maximum (award ceiling) of up to $4,000,000 per award. The opportunity was created on November 1, 2022, and the original application closing date was February 23, 2023. While the detailed technical requirements, required attachments, and submission steps are contained in the full announcement on the DOE Indian Energy Exchange site (https://ie-exchange.energy.gov/), the high-level structure is organized around two project pathways that applicants can choose from depending on what makes the most sense for their location, costs, logistics, and long-term operations.

Projects are grouped into two topic areas. Topic Area 1 focuses on deploying integrated energy system(s) to serve unelectrified Tribal Buildings. In practice, an "integrated energy system" typically means a coordinated set of generation and supporting equipment that can provide power independently, often combining technologies such as solar, wind, battery storage, controls, and in some cases backup generation, all designed to operate as a cohesive power system for the building or cluster of buildings. The emphasis is on an engineered solution that can reliably deliver electricity where extending the traditional grid may be impractical, too expensive, or otherwise not feasible. Topic Area 2 focuses on energy infrastructure solutions, which generally means the physical electrical infrastructure needed to bring power to these buildings. Depending on local conditions, this could include distribution upgrades, service extensions, interconnection equipment, or other infrastructure necessary to energize buildings that currently lack service, whether that involves connecting to existing systems or building the infrastructure required for electrification.

Eligible applicants are limited to Tribal entities and Tribal organizations. Specifically, DOE lists eligibility for Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments). The program also explicitly includes Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations under the umbrella of "Indian Tribes" for purposes of this funding opportunity. In addition, intertribal organizations and Tribal Energy Development Organizations are eligible, which is important for projects where multiple communities coordinate on shared planning, delivery capacity, or regional solutions.

Overall, this FOA is designed to address a basic but persistent infrastructure gap in Indian Country: buildings that are still not electrified and therefore cannot reliably support essential services, community operations, housing-related needs, health and safety systems, communications, education, or other day-to-day functions that depend on electricity. By funding either integrated off-grid (or independently operating) systems or the infrastructure required to supply electricity, the program aims to turn unelectrified Tribal Buildings into powered facilities with dependable electric service. For the official scope, application requirements, cost share rules (if applicable), allowable technologies and costs, and the specific evaluation criteria DOE uses to score applications, applicants are directed to the full FOA posted at https://ie-exchange.energy.gov/.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "POWERING UNELECTRIFIED TRIBAL BUILDING(S) - 2022" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 01, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 23, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for DE FOA 0002771

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