Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands – 2025 | DE FOA 0003547

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003547

Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands - 2025 is a planned U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity being previewed through a Notice of Intent (NOI), meaning it is not yet an open competition and the details may change before the actual Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is released. The program is being developed by DOE's Office of Indian Energy (under DOE's Golden Field Office) to support practical, on-the-ground energy projects on Tribal Lands, with a focus on deploying energy generation, energy efficiency, storage, and resilience-focused power systems that directly serve Tribal communities. Because this is only an NOI, DOE is not taking applications now and will not answer questions until the NOFO is officially issued, at which point DOE will provide a formal question-and-answer process.

The planned NOFO is expected to solicit applications from Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, as well as Intertribal Organizations and Tribal Energy Development Organizations. The intention is to fund multiple grant awards (financial assistance), supporting projects that move beyond planning and into installation and deployment. DOE anticipates a typical project period of about two to four years per award, and this timeframe includes a required 12-month verification period, which generally signals DOE will want recipients to document and validate performance after systems are installed (for example, confirming energy production, savings, reliability improvements, or other measurable outcomes).

DOE describes four Areas of Interest that applicants would propose under, depending on the type and scale of the project. Area of Interest 1 is aimed at individual Tribal buildings and supports installing energy generating systems and/or energy efficiency measures for those buildings. In practical terms, this could include building-serving renewable generation (such as solar), upgrades that reduce energy use (such as lighting, HVAC, building envelope improvements), or combinations of technologies that cut costs and improve building performance. Area of Interest 2 shifts from single-building projects to community-scale deployment and supports larger energy generating systems and/or energy storage projects on Tribal Lands that serve broader community needs. Area of Interest 3 focuses on resilience and emergency preparedness by supporting integrated energy systems designed to operate autonomously, independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid, to supply one or more Essential Tribal Buildings during outages or emergency situations. This category is essentially about ensuring critical facilities can keep operating when the main grid is down, often through integrated solutions that can include generation, storage, controls, and microgrid-capable configurations. Area of Interest 4 specifically targets electrification for Tribal buildings that currently have no electricity service at all, supporting integrated energy systems or energy infrastructure to provide power to buildings that are "unelectrified."

A key distinction in the notice is how DOE defines which buildings fit into which categories, especially regarding grid connection. For Areas of Interest 1 through 3, the targeted Tribal buildings are expected to be either grid-connected (meaning connected to the traditional centralized electric power grid) or connected to a stand-alone, isolated microgrid that already operates independently from the traditional grid. Area of Interest 4 is different by design: it is reserved for buildings that are unelectrified, meaning they are not connected to the traditional grid and also not connected to a stand-alone, isolated microgrid. In other words, Area 4 is for true first-time electrification needs rather than upgrades to existing service.

Funding levels are expected to vary by Area of Interest, with anticipated award ranges described as either $100,000 to $2,500,000 or $250,000 to $5,000,000 depending on the category. The NOI also indicates DOE expects to make multiple awards, though the public listing at this stage does not commit to a specific number of awards. The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 81.087, and the posted opportunity identifier is DE FOA 0003547. The listing shows an original closing date of 2025-02-28, but because this is an NOI and not the actual NOFO, that date should be treated as informational rather than a real application deadline. The NOI states that once the NOFO is released, applications will be due about 90 days after issuance, which is the more meaningful timing guidance for prospective applicants.

In terms of process and next steps, DOE plans to issue the NOFO in spring 2025. When it opens, applications will be accepted only through the IE-Exchange portal at https://ie-exchange.energy.gov, and submissions will not be accepted through the NOI announcement itself. Anyone who wants to track the release is encouraged to subscribe to the Office of Indian Energy email newsletter via https://energy.gov/indianenergy. Finally, DOE explicitly notes that an NOI does not guarantee a final funding opportunity: DOE may issue a NOFO similar to what is described, may issue a materially different NOFO, or may choose not to issue a NOFO at all.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands – 2025" 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 2025-01-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-28. (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.

Apply for DE FOA 0003547

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