NY Green Bank is pleased to announce the launch of a $250 million Community Decarbonization Fund (CDF) and encourages Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and other specialty lenders to apply for this highly concessionary funding pathway to deliver climate justice to residents of disadvantaged communities (DACs). The CDF is expected to expand and accelerate the lending capacity of smaller community-based and mission-driven investors by channeling financing into sustainable infrastructure projects that benefit historically marginalized communities.

Organizations can apply for a Capital Project Grant, a Program grant, or they can apply for both. The total request in all circumstances cannot exceed $2,500,000.

1. Capital Project Grants
   Projects could include but are not limited to: new construction, remodeling existing structures, purchasing land, purchasing equipment, purchasing and installing energy efficient heating and/or cooling equipment, installing renewable energy systems, weatherizing facility, replacing roof and windows, installing/updating recreation fields.

   2. Program Grants
   Project examples could include but are not limited to mentoring, STEM education, environmental justice activities, renewable energy information, disaster preparedness, outdoor education, before or after-school education, volunteer programs, youth volunteer efforts, career or workforce training, programming for women, recreational or athletic activities, senior activities, veteran support activities, food access, and wraparound services (health services, behavioral services, licensed childcare).

To reduce harmful pollutants from millions of wood heaters, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), funded by the DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), will oversee a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) Call to accelerate wood heater innovation and develop the next generation of efficient and clean wood heaters. Applicant innovators, researchers and manufacturers will work collaboratively with and leverage the unique expertise of BNL or LBNL to develop and validate the performance of their innovative wood heater technology. Applicants are expected to collaborate with BNL or LBNL to develop a scope of work and appropriate budget for advancing their wood heater technology.

This opportunity will fund competitively selected CRADAs between BNL or LBNL and applicant innovators, researchers and manufacturers. All DOE-BETO funding will go directly to the National Laboratories to execute the scope of work for a 12 to 18 month project, with the partnering applicants committing a minimum of 20% cost share to the project.

The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program was established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help fund community-led projects that mitigate physical barriers to mobility and access, such as train tracks or highways. The Inflation Reduction Act established the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program that similarly funds projects that remove physical barriers as well as projects to improve walkability, safety, and affordable transportation access, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities. The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has released a joint Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will combine the two major discretionary grants into one NOFO.

Under the B2S program, EDA awards and manages a portfolio of grants designed to increase regional capacity to strengthen ecosystems that equitably and inclusively support diverse technology innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups. These regions are growing technology-driven businesses, creating high-skill, high-wage jobs, and building the industries of the future.

• The Venture Challenge funds organizations that enable startups to become the next generation of globally competitive, industry-leading companies and supports regions in overcoming barriers that prevent would-be innovators from accessing these opportunities.
• Capital Challenge awards provide programmatic and operational support for the formation, launch, or scale of investment funds that seek to provide access to the kinds of capital that enable technology companies to start and scale.

The Tech Hubs Program is an economic development initiative designed to drive regional technology- and innovation-centric growth by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies. This program will invest directly in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to transform into globally competitive innovation centers in approximately 10 years while catalyzing the creation of good jobs for American workers at all skill levels, both equitably and inclusively. EDA will designate at least 20 Tech Hubs across the country and will separately award approximately $15 million in strategy development grants to accelerate the development of future Tech Hubs. The Tech Hubs designation will be a widely recognized indicator of a region’s potential for rapid technology-led economic growth.

Sea Grant and the NOAA Climate Program Office seek to establish programs aimed at at placing people across the country into good jobs that advance climate resilience and assisting employers in developing a 21st century workforce that is climate literate, informed by climate resilience, and skilled at addressing consequent challenges. NOAA envisions making between 10-20 awards under this competition, at amounts ranging from $500,000-$10 million each. NOAA expects projects to range in duration from 24 months to 48 months, beginning no earlier than August 1, 2024. This opportunity is open to state, tribal, territorial and local governments, institutions of higher education, and non-profit organizations in coastal states or territories. Resources from NOAA’s Climate Program Office, Office for Coastal Management, and National Sea Grant Office and its partners will be available to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients to support these innovative efforts.

NOAA has launched a grant program to invest in holistic and collaborative approaches to coastal resilience at regional scales.  The program will support collaborative approaches to achieving resilience in coastal regions with an emphasis on risk reduction, regional collaboration, equity, and building enduring capacity.

The program has two funding tracks: Regional Collaborative Building and Strategy Development, and Implementation of Resilience and Adaptation Actions.  Track One supports building capacity for, development of, and collaboration on transformational resilience and adaptation strategies for coastal communities. Track Two supports implementation of transformational resilience and adaptation strategies and associated actions for coastal communities anchored in previous planning efforts.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (Office of Indian Energy) is soliciting applications from Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) to install clean energy technologies at TCUs.  The DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications for: (1) clean energy project and curriculum planning (Topic Area 1); and (2) clean energy technology and curriculum deployment (Topic Area 2).

The GRRP Comprehensive cohort provides funding to properties with a high need for investment in utility efficiency and climate resilience. Property owners need no prior experience with recapitalization transactions or green construction, as support will be provided to commission assessments and develop the property’s recapitalization plan. GRRP will provide up to $20 million per property or $80k per unit to cover:

• Added cost of a greener or more resilient alternative to a rehab
  component (for example, heat exchangers instead of a standard
  boiler)
• 50% of the GRRP Award is reserved for the cost of high impact utility efficiency, carbon reduction, renewable energy generation, and
  climate resilient investments (for example, solar or wind power)
• Transaction costs necessary to complete retrofit (up to 30% of the
  GRRP award)

The Solar Prize encourages the rapid development of innovative solar energy solutions capable of addressing the tough challenges facing the solar industry. Solar Prize competitors participate in three contests—the Ready!, Set!, and Go! Contests—to transform their ideas into reality in months, rather than years. Competitors have the chance to win part of $4.1 million in prizes to help them advance in the competition and accelerate the development of their solution.

Round 7 includes an optional additional challenge that focuses on advancing solar in underserved communities. Participants who choose to incorporate this initiative into their solutions have the chance to be considered for a new Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Contest and a bonus cash prize!

Local governments are critical partners in achieving a new energy vision for New York State. Municipal leaders play a critical role in affecting energy choices in their communities, both in terms of government operations, and also across homes, businesses, and community institutions. The Clean Energy Communities Program provides clean guidance, grants, direct technical support to communities, and recognition to local governments that demonstrate leadership in the area of clean energy.