The $15 million Energizing Rural Communities Prize challenges individuals and organizations to develop partnership plans or innovative financing strategies to help rural or remote communities improve their energy systems and advance clean energy demonstration projects. The Energizing Rural Communities Prize has two tracks, both following a two-phase timeline:

• The Partner track—with a $10 million cash prize pool—will support plans to connect rural or remote communities to government funding, technical assistance, or a network of partners that can help implement clean energy demonstration projects.
• The Finance track—with a $5 million cash prize pool—will support plans to access capital or to develop community ownership models to help finance clean energy demonstration projects in rural or remote areas.

At Cradle to Commerce, we curate the most compelling climate technologies from 4 national labs. We connect inventors and entrepreneurs with these curated climate technologies, and with critical resources such as state-of-the-art test beds, prototyping facilities, and seed funding for technology advancement. We provide entrepreneurship training and access to early commercialization partners, mentors, and investors.

Join the world’s largest multi-sector commercialization program for emerging deep technologies. Showcase, pitch and connect your innovations for licensing and investment opportunities with leading corporate, investment and federal prospectors.

The launch of the $50M 2030 Fund signals to the market that Massachusetts is increasing its commitment to the commercialization of climate technologies. MassCEC invests impactfully and countercyclically in Massachusetts’ brightest climate technology innovators.  Our investments support climatetech companies as they de-risk their technology, reach early commercial milestones, and attract growth funding. Equity investments average about $500k in early-stage financings. MassCEC also offers venture debt, ranging from $100k to $1.5M.

Since 2013, IncubateMass has provided funding to Massachusetts incubators with the goal of growing the clean energy innovation ecosystem and commercializing cleantech startups through incubator membership. This funding supports incubator activities such as

• build-out of facilities or infrastructure
• equipment purchases
• networking events and workshops
• growing strategic clusters
• professional development of incubator staff

Grants are up to $175,000 per year and award payments are typically tied to incubator management deliverables and startup member milestones.

The Catalyst Program provides grants of up to $75,000 to researchers and early-stage companies looking to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies. Specifically, the program is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of transforming new ideas from the research stage to commercially viable technologies to increase industry and investor interest. All awardees gain access to a vast network of partners, expert local market and policy insights, and mentoring from MassCEC and MassVentures, while all finalists receive complimentary pitch coaching and business mentoring.

In parallel with Catalyst, MassCEC and MassVentures will award up to two additional grants of up to $75,000 each for projects led by eligible (certified or certifiable) women-owned or minority-owned early-stage companies, to demonstrate initial prototypes of their clean energy technologies.

The “Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops” funding opportunity will improve the production of environmentally sustainable feedstocks for bioenergy through two topic areas:

1. Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low-Carbon Intensity Feedstocks, and
2. Algae Crop Protection

The funding will also support projects that cultivate and protect algae crops, an abundant and renewable biofuel source vulnerable to loss from predation, organic competition, and pest infestation.

Now in its third year, the AWS Space Accelerator, delivered by TechConnect, is a hybrid technical, business, and mentorship opportunity open to space startups from around the globe who are looking to power their space missions using AWS. The 2023 programming will take place from May 1 – May 25. Applications are open now through March 6. Startups will advance to a final round of selection on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged.

The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. The maximum grant amount is $1,000,000 and there is a matching funds requirement of one-third.

Grant and matching funds may be used to operate an agriculture innovation center, and to provide the following services to agricultural producers: Business development services; Market development services; Financial advisory services; Process development services; Organizational assistance; Value chain coordination; or Product development.

The Department of Energy’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) manages the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP). The MPP helps increase participation and maximize opportunities for small businesses to work with the Department. The DOE’s MPP seeks to foster long-term business relationships between small businesses and DOE prime contractors and to increase the overall number of small businesses that receive DOE prime contracts and subcontracts.

This program encourages DOE prime contractors to assist small disadvantaged businesses (SDB) certified by SBA under section 8(a) of the Small Business Act (8(a)), other small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses (WOSB), service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB), historically underutilized business zone (HUBZone) small businesses, historically black colleges and universities (HCBUs), and other minority institutions of higher learning to enhance their capabilities and improve their abilities to perform contracts and subcontracts for the DOE and other federal agencies.

For more information about the DOE’s Mentor-Protégé Program, contact the OSDBU office at 202-586-7377 or by email at SmallBusiness@hq.doe.gov

Because the challenges climate tech startups face are not one-size-fits all, our flexible and virtual 18-month accelerator is designed to meet your startup exactly where you are. From day one you get matched with a D³ connector, who acts as your bridge into our powerfully curated network of partners.