Office Updates
Join the Livestream Plenary Sessions of the 2024 DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit
Tribes Leading the Way in Clean Energy
 Livestream the plenary sessions virtually Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30–11:30 a.m. PT.
More than 700 Tribal Leaders, staff, and partners will be attending the 2024 DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit this week on the homelands of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians in Temecula, California.
Summit Livestream: If you are not able to attend the event, tune in to the livestream on the Summit event page to experience the plenary sessions virtually Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30–11:30 a.m. PT.
Join the Conversation on Social Media: Whether you are joining in person or virtually by watching the livestream, join the conversation on social media. Follow @DOEIndianEnergy on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) and use the hashtag #TribalCleanEnergySummit.
Office of Indian Energy College Student Internships for Summer 2024 Now Posted!
 For 20 years, Sandia National Laboratories and the Office of Indian Energy has offered an internship program to college students. In this video, interns visited two California tribes, Campo Kumeyaay Tribe and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, to learn about the Tribes' successes.
The Office of Indian Energy, with support from Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia), offers a paid college student internship program for current full-time undergraduate and graduate students. Interns support tribal energy projects and help a cross-disciplinary team perform technical tasks in the field and at Sandia in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Applications are now available for two summer 2024 internship positions:
Applications are due by March 11. Please read the entire job posting and note the requirements in addition to a resume.
Webinar Recording: Successful Grant Applications for Tribal Clean Energy Projects
 Representatives from the Oneida Indian Nation and Forest County Potawatomi Community share their planning process and tips for submitting successful clean energy grant applications.
The webinar recording and slides are now available from our first webinar of the 2024 Tribal Energy Webinar Series, which focused on successful grant applications.
Representatives from the Oneida Indian Nation and Forest County Potawatomi Community presented their project planning process and tips for submitting a successful grant application.
The Office of Indian Energy also shared current and upcoming funding opportunities, an overview of our no-cost technical assistance for Tribes, and an update on the Indian Energy Purchase Preference impacting Tribal engagement with utilities.
Reminder: Tribal Entities—Apply to Host a Clean Energy Innovator Fellow!
 Apply today to host a Clean Energy Innovator Fellow! The goal of this program is to increase access to Tribal clean energy career opportunities and accelerate the national transition to resilient and affordable clean energy.
Indian Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, Regional or Village Corporations, Tribal Energy Offices and Utilities, and Non-profit Regional Intertribal Organizations are eligible to apply as Host Institutions. Fellows will be funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for up to two years, including a professional development allowance to advance their skills and expertise.
Applications for Host Institutions are open Feb. 1 to March 5, 2024 (application dates are subject to change).
News
NEW: DOE Tribal Nations and Native Communities Resource Guide
The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to working closely with Tribal Nations and Native communities to apply for and deploy transformative federal funding opportunities to build bright clean energy futures and, in turn, foster more economic prosperity.
With DOE’s resource guide, Tribal governments and nongovernmental partners can navigate, access, and utilize funding opportunities.
Download the Guide.
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DOE Arctic Energy Ambassadors Announced
DOE’s Arctic Energy Office recently announced the first cohort of the new Arctic Energy Ambassadors program.
The program provides training and support for 12 selected experienced practitioners from Alaska regions to improve energy security across Alaska.
The Ambassadors were selected in January 2024 for a two-year term, during which they will develop regional, place-based, and collaborative energy leadership in Alaska, along with resources and knowledge-sharing in alignment with DOE’s Arctic Strategy and the clean energy transition.
Congratulations to the selected Arctic Energy Ambassadors and their host organizations.
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Fact Sheet Available: Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program
 The Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program supports the engagement of Tribal Nations in activities related to the planning and development of U.S. offshore wind transmission. This technical assistance program, managed by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO), was created in direct response to Tribal input. It offers capacity building through educational resources, training, and on-call assistance from technical experts and researchers at DOE’s national labs.
Understanding the fundamentals of offshore wind energy planning and development is key for Tribes to participate in related activities.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces $562 Million for States and Tribes to Strengthen and Modernize America’s Power Grid
Allocation Request and Applications Now Being Accepted For Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Fiscal Year 2024 Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants.
 On Jan. 18, DOE released the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Administrative and Legal Requirements Document to open the allocation request and application period for FY24 grant funding. These grants help modernize the electric grid to reduce the impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring the reliability of the power sector.
As of Jan. 2024, DOE has awarded more than $772 million in FY22/23 grants to 52 participating states and territories and 103 Tribal entities to boost clean electricity, decrease energy costs, and keep the lights on for millions of Americans across the country. Now, an additional $562 million in funding is available through FY24 grants.
Applicants have until April 17, 2024 to request FY24 grant funds.
Tribal Entities Among 100+ Small Businesses and Organizations to Receive Vouchers to Accelerate Clean Energy Technology Adoption
On Jan. 22, DOE announced the selection of 111 entities that will receive vouchers to advance their clean energy technologies. The in-kind commercialization support will be provided by 33 supporting organizations in the form of DOE-funded vouchers, valued at roughly $9.8 million.
The entities were selected as part of the Department’s Voucher Program, which helps small businesses and other nontraditional partners access testing facilities or obtain third-party subject matter expertise needed to advance their technologies, business, or energy projects to the next level.
The selected entities will receive vouchers worth up to $250,000 each across five types of support, including analytical assistance (e.g., technoeconomic analyses, market readiness assessments), performance validation (testing, certification), and siting/permitting support for jurisdictions.
Selected Tribal entities include:
Funding Opportunities
Printable Flyer: Tribal Clean Energy Funding Opportunities
- Transmission Facilitation Program
- NEW: Rural Energy for America Technical Assistance Grant Program
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program.
Transmission Facilitation Program
$1.2 billion
Step 1 submission deadline: March 11, 2024.
On Feb. 6, DOE’s Grid Deployment Office announced a Request for Proposals for the second round of the Transmission Facilitation Program, a $2.5 billion revolving fund that helps overcome financial hurdles facing large-scale new and upgraded transmission lines.
Through the Request for Proposals, DOE anticipates deploying up to $1.2 billion in federal support to accelerate transmission buildout through capacity contracts, an innovative approach that increases the confidence of investors and potential customers while reducing risk for projects.
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This article from Utility Dive provides a helpful overview and explains the two-step application process.
Rural Energy for America Technical Assistance Grant Program
$16 million nationwide; $500 thousand for Alaska
Applications due March 15.
The intent of this funding is to generate the documentation necessary for successful applications to the Rural Energy for America Program, including, but not limited to:
- Conducting/facilitating renewable energy technical reports
- Conducting/facilitating Energy Audits
- SAM.gov support
- Assisting with Rural Energy for America Program application preparation
- Assisting with completion of environmental reports and/or required documentation.
EECBG Program
$8.8 million for Tribes
Full application due April 30.
The EECBG Program offers $8.8 million in clean energy funding to all federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Villages, and Corporations across the United States. This grant is noncompetitive with no cost matching. There’s also an alternative application option with fewer requirements (vouchers for equipment rebates and/or technical assistance).
For more information about allocations, the application, process, and eligible uses of funds, see the EECBG Guide for Tribes.
The EECBG program is designed to be flexible and to meet local needs: there are 14 different eligible use areas, ranging from:
- Strategy and planning
- Energy-efficient equipment and public and private building upgrades
- Community solar
- Workforce development and more.
Finally, join the EECBG Program Team’s Tribe-specific Office Hours. In these sessions, you can ask questions, simply listen in, or ask for a primer on the program. Upcoming sessions are every other Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Sign up here.
For more information or to ask questions, email eecbg@hq.doe.gov.
Events
- 2024 DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit
- EECBG Program Team’s Tribe-Specific Office Hours
- Energy Communities IWG Webinar
- Grid Resilience Formula Grants Tribal Office Hours.
2024 DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit
📅 Feb. 27–28 | Temecula, California (pre-conference events Feb. 26)
We invite Tribal Leaders, staff, and partners to come together to build networks, exchange ideas, and explore clean energy solutions that support Tribal energy sovereignty.
EECBG Program Tribal Office Hours
📅 Tuesdays Feb. 27, March 12, and March 26 at 4 p.m. ET
The EECBG Program team holds bi-weekly Office Hour Sessions specifically for Tribal members and their implementation partners. Come with questions or just to listen in!
Energy Communities IWG Webinar: Getting Started—Meeting Communities Where They Are
📅 March 6 | 1 p.m. ET
Join the Energy Communities Interagency Working Group (IWG) for a webinar highlighting key elements of the Getting Started Guide, a planning and action tool for community leaders, volunteers, and change agents whose communities are facing economic transition.
Grid Resilience Formula Grants Tribal Office Hours
📅 March 12 | Online
The GDO will be available to answer questions and offer guidance for Tribes about the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant FY24 Administrative and Legal Requirements Document.
- GDO will also hold a workshop specifically for Tribes at the 2024 DOE Tribal Clean Energy Summit on February 27–28, 2024, at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
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