Tribes Can Apply for Funding from the DOE's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program

The Department of Energy (DOE) is establishing Formula Grant Application Instructions and management information for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program, including (1) Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD), (2) IIJA Formula Allocations to States, Local Governments and Indian Tribes, (3) IIJA Application Checklist, (4) IIJA EECBG Program Pre-Award Information Sheet, and (5), IIJA Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy Templates.

The EECBG Program assists eligible states, units of local government, and Indian Tribes, as described below (herein called “entities” or “eligible entities”) in implementing strategies to:

• Reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and, to the maximum extent practicable, maximizes benefits for local and regional communities

• Reduce the total energy use of the eligible entities

• Improve energy efficiency in the transportation sector, the building sector, and other appropriate sectors

• Build a clean and equitable energy economy that prioritizes disadvantaged communities and promotes equity and inclusion in workforce opportunities and deployment activities, consistent with the Justice40 Initiative

To learn more about this opportunity, including your Tribe’s allocation, check out the following page:

EECBG Program Formula Grant Application Hub | Department of Energy

DOE Doubles the Funding Available Under the 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Deployment Grant

On March 22, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the funding available under the Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands – 2024 (DE-FOA-0003298) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) doubled, increasing from $25 million to $50 million.  

Through this FOA, the DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations, Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations, to install clean energy technology on Tribal lands.

Applications are due May 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

• Download the full FOA document to learn more and apply.

• View the informational webinar recording and slides.

$120 Million Available to Enhance Climate Resilience in Tribal Communities

On March 14, the Department of the Interior announced that more than $120 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will fund 146 projects to help Tribal communities plan for and implement projects to tackle severe climate-related environmental threats to their homelands.  

This investment will help Tribes proactively plan for and adapt to these threats and safely relocate critical community infrastructure, where necessary.

It is the largest amount of annual funding awarded to Tribes and Tribal organizations in the history of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Climate Annual Awards Program, with 102 Tribes and 9 Tribal organizations receiving funding.  

“Indigenous communities are facing unique and intensifying climate-related challenges that pose an existential threat to Tribal economies, infrastructure, lives and livelihoods,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are making transformational commitments to assist Tribes and Tribal organizations as they plan for and implement climate resilience measures, upholding our trust and treaty responsibilities and safeguarding these places for generations to come.”  

• View the FY 2023 Annual Awards Summary for full project descriptions.

$225 Million available to Tribes through DOE's Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate Program

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) has up to $225 million to grant to Tribal governments and Alaska Native entities for Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates. This program will provide up to $14,000 per eligible household for energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades.

DOE has issued new and revised resources for Tribes to apply for their Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates funding. This program will provide up to $14,000 per eligible household for energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades to be administered by Tribal entities.

Tribal Budget Justification Workbooks: Tribes will use this workbook to describe how they plan to budget their program funds across the applicable number of funding tranches. Tribes should use the workbook that corresponds with their expected award size based on the tranche approach outlined in the Administrative and Legal Requirements:

• One Tranche: $500,000 or less to receive 100% of funds in tranche

• Two Tranches: $500,000 - $3 million

• Three Tranches: $3 million or more.

Getting Started on the Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Application: This resource identifies tasks and resources for Tribes when applying for their funding.

View the full list of application resources for Tribes, and refer to DOE’s Program Design and Implementation page for additional resources.

$300 Million Available for Tribes and Territories Under EPA's CPRG Implementation Grant Program

EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG ) Implementation Grant program is a major funding opportunity with approximately $300 million earmarked for Tribes and territories (up to $25M per award for the Tribal competition) to implement projects that reduce GHG emissions without any matching requirement from the Tribe. Eligible project areas include energy generation, transportation, energy efficiency, and environmental management.

Recognizing the urgency to address GHG pollution contributing to climate change, the federal administration established the $5 billion CPRG program as part of the 2022 IRA. Across the country, communities are experiencing more deadly wildfires and storm surges, more extreme drought and water scarcity, and dangerous levels of flooding, among other impacts. The Fourth National Climate Assessment found that intense extreme weather and climate-related events, as well as changes in average climate conditions, are expected to continue to damage infrastructure, ecosystems, and social systems that provide essential benefits to communities. If left unchecked, future climate change is expected to further disrupt many areas of life and exacerbate existing challenges to prosperity posed by aging and deteriorating infrastructure, stressed ecosystems, and long-standing inequalities.

However, with this challenge comes an opportunity to invest in a cleaner economy that will spur innovation and economic growth while building more equitable, resilient communities. Accordingly, the CPRG tribes and territories competition for implementation grants is designed to enable tribes and territories to achieve the following goals:

• Implement ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond

• Pursue measures that will achieve substantial community benefits (such as reduction of criteria air pollutants (CAPs) and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs))

• Complement other funding sources to maximize these GHG reductions and community benefits

• Pursue innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be “scaled up” across multiple jurisdictions. This competition is also designed to incentivize eligible applicants to apply for funding together as a coalition to implement GHG reduction measures regionally.

Find out more about how your Tribe can pursue up to $25 million for carbon reduction projects here:

About CPRG Implementation Grants | US EPA