Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Request for Information on Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program | DE FOA 0002883

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002883

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) and the Golden Field Office, issued this notice as a Request for Information (RFI) tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program authorized under Title V, Subtitle E of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The central purpose is not to award funding right now, but to gather practical, on-the-ground feedback from the public to help DOE design a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the competitive portion of EECBG, specifically the part created under Section 40552. The competitive program is intended to support units of local government, including Indian Tribes, that are not eligible to receive EECBG formula grants directly from DOE, with the overarching goals of reducing fossil fuel emissions and lowering energy use within their jurisdictions.

This RFI is essentially DOE asking stakeholders what a strong, workable competitive grant program should look like before DOE finalizes the rules, scoring, structure, and expectations that would appear in a later FOA. DOE highlights that it wants to use the program to unlock additional investment beyond federal dollars, focus resources on communities with high needs, reduce the paperwork and compliance load where possible, and build lasting local capacity so jurisdictions can keep delivering energy savings and emissions reductions over time rather than only during the grant period. DOE also states that information submitted in response to the RFI will be used for internal planning and will not be published.

The questions DOE is seeking input on give a clear picture of what may matter most in a future competition. First, DOE wants ideas on partnership structures and models that could help applicants achieve bigger results, including ways to leverage public and private financing, regional collaborations, and implementation partnerships that extend the reach of federal funding. Second, DOE is looking for input on technical assistance needs, meaning what kinds of support smaller or under-resourced governments and their partners would need to apply successfully and then implement projects effectively. Third, DOE is asking for recommendations on program criteria and metrics, which signals that DOE is thinking carefully about how to measure success, likely including energy saved, emissions avoided, cost effectiveness, and possibly broader community impacts.

DOE also explicitly asks for suggestions on how to reduce administrative burden while still guarding against waste, fraud, and abuse, which points to a desire for a program that is accessible to smaller jurisdictions without weakening oversight. In addition, DOE is requesting input on employment impacts and expanding union jobs, reflecting an interest in how the program can support quality job creation and workforce standards. Equity, environmental justice, and energy justice priorities are another major topic area, indicating DOE intends to prioritize fair distribution of benefits and address communities that have historically faced disproportionate pollution burdens or limited access to clean energy investments. DOE is further seeking feedback on market adoption and industry sustainability, which suggests an emphasis on projects that can scale, encourage durable local markets (for example, contractors, equipment supply chains, and service providers), and avoid one-off efforts that do not persist after funding ends. Finally, DOE calls out Build America, Buy America requirements, signaling that domestic sourcing and compliance expectations may be a meaningful element of any future FOA and that DOE wants early input on how to implement those requirements in a realistic way.

From an administrative standpoint, the public listing identifies this as a discretionary opportunity (not formula funding), with funding activity in the energy category and CFDA number 81.128. The opportunity number is DE FOA 0002883. It was posted December 15, 2022, and the original closing date for submitting information was January 13, 2023. Importantly, the posting makes clear that this is not a FOA and DOE is not accepting applications, does not expect awards under this notice, and may or may not release a future FOA based on what it learns through the RFI process. In other words, the immediate action requested from stakeholders was feedback to shape a possible future competitive grant solicitation, not project proposals or funding requests.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Request for Information on Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.128.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 15, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 13, 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 $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for DE FOA 0002883

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: