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Office of Indian Energy News

Jan. 21, 2026

Welcome to the monthly Office of Indian Energy newsletter! In each issue, we share the latest Tribal energy news, funding, events, and opportunities.

Office Updates

Eric Mahroum Named Director of the Office of Indian Energy

In case you missed it, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has named Eric Mahroum as the new Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs as of Jan. 12, 2026. “I’m excited to serve as the Director of the Office of Indian Energy and bring my deep appreciation for Indian Country,” said Mahroum. “While in DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs, I oversaw programs that made available hundreds of millions of dollars to Indian Tribes and Alaska Native corporations. That experience, paired with my previous work with Tribes across the country and years in the energy industry, well-positioned me to help Tribes unleash American energy in line with the Trump administration’s priorities.”  Director Mahroum has a track record of forging partnerships, promoting innovation, and connecting entrepreneurs with America’s dynamic energy sector. Read the announcement.

Announcing the 2026 Tribal Energy Webinar Series

DOE's Office of Indian Energy is pleased to announce its 2026 Tribal Energy Webinar Series. Quarterly webinars will focus on three themes: Unleashing Tribal Energy Resources, Tribal Energy Program Review Mini-Series, and Creating the Enabling Framework to Advance High-Value Energy Projects. These webinars will give participants information to advance Tribal energy development and foster peer-to-peer learning.  

Over the next few months, join us for the first set of webinars: 

• February 12: Beyond Land Leases: Harnessing Data Centers for Tribal Economic Development
  
  
• March 12: Office of Indian Energy Program Review Mini-Series: Alaska Energy Focus
  
  
• March 18: Successful Power Project Development Best Practices

Visit our webinars page to register for any of these events and watch for more webinars to be announced soon!

Data Centers: Exploring the Opportunity for Tribes

Hearing the buzz about data centers? Data center expansion is driving massive investments and could be a big economic opportunity for Tribes. Read our latest blog to learn about opportunities and considerations for Tribes in data center development.

COMING SOON: Energy & Minerals Partnerships for Academic-Industry Career Training

The Energy & Minerals Partnerships for Academic-Industry Career Training (EMPACT) opportunity aims to enhance the nation’s capacity for a highly skilled energy workforce to help establish America’s energy dominance. Up to $11.3 million is available to institutions of higher education (trade and vocational schools, colleges, and universities), of which up to $2.3 million is exclusively for Tribal colleges and universities. Awards will facilitate the development of hands-on training and credentialing programs in skill sets supporting the natural gas, oil, coal, and critical minerals industries by establishing regional academic-industry consortia.

EMPACT is a collaboration between the DOE Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office and Office of Indian Energy.

News

DOE Reopens Second Round of Energy Storage Innovations Prize

DOE’s Office of Electricity recently announced the reopening of the Energy Storage Innovations Prize Round 2. This $300,000 prize competition invests in new, innovative, and promising energy storage solutions to address niche markets and to grow a community of energy storage innovators. Round 2 builds on the success of the first Energy Storage Innovations Prize and will focus on less conventional use cases (e.g., remote communities, extreme operating conditions) and innovative (less mature) energy storage technology solutions, across all duration scales, to advance the market landscape.

Individuals, academia, non-federal government entities, small businesses, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other inventors in the United States working on emerging energy storage innovations are invited to join the challenge today!

Submissions are due by March 13, 2026.

Available Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities

The following opportunities are available to federally recognized Indian Tribes, Alaska Native corporations, Intertribal organizations (including Tribal consortia), Tribal energy development organizations, and Tribal colleges and universities. We encourage interested Tribes to confirm the program availability, eligibility, and resources shared below by reaching out directly to the points of contact. View the full list of funding and technical assistance opportunities on the Office of Indian Energy website.

• Feeder of the Future Prize
• Mine of the Future—Proving Ground Initiative
• National Fish Passage Program
• State and Tribal Response Program
• Digitizing Utilities Prize Round 3: Resilient Grid Innovation
• Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership

Feeder of the Future Prize

Submissions due January 29

Encourages the development of advanced distribution system feeder and circuit designs that align with the evolving demands of 21st-century power delivery, including dynamic loads, onsite generation, and distributed devices.

Mine of the Future—Proving Ground Initiative

Submissions due January 30

Invests in the infrastructure and technologies to transform U.S. mining practices and speed the development of secure and resilient domestic Critical Minerals and Materials (CMM) supply networks of the future.

National Fish Passage Program (Department of the Interior)

Applications due January 30

Provides technical and financial assistance to partners to remove instream barriers and restore aquatic connectivity, improve community safety, and support local economies.

State and Tribal Response Program (Environmental Protection Agency)

Applications due March 6

Empowers states, Tribal Nations, territories, and communities to build strong partnerships and local capacity to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields.

Digitizing Utilities Prize Round 3: Resilient Grid Innovation

Applications due April 14

Team partnerships across energy and technology sectors will facilitate the transformation of digital systems, data analytics, and grid resource integration for the electric sector.

Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (C-MAP)

Piloting support services

C-MAP is piloting support services for community microgrid systems. Please note this is not a funding opportunity.

Regards,
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
1000 Independence Ave. SW | Washington, D.C. 20585

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