Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development – 2025 | DE FOA 0003400

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003400

The Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development - 2025 opportunity (DOE FOA 0003400) is currently presented as a Notice of Intent (NOI) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Indian Energy, letting potential applicants know that DOE plans to release a formal Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) in the near future. Because it is only an NOI, none of the details are final and DOE explicitly notes that the eventual FOA could change significantly from what is described here, or it may not be issued at all. DOE also indicates it will not answer questions about the NOI itself; a question-and-answer process would only be available after the FOA is officially released. Once the FOA comes out, applications are expected to be due roughly 90 days later.

The planned FOA is aimed at supporting Tribal clean energy efforts at earlier stages of project development, from planning through pre-deployment development work. DOE expects to solicit applications from Indian Tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, as well as Intertribal Organizations and Tribal Energy Development Organizations. The work is organized into three Areas of Interest. Area of Interest 1 focuses on tribal clean energy planning, which generally means activities like developing or updating energy plans, prioritizing community energy goals, and building a roadmap for future projects. Area of Interest 2 focuses on feasibility and viability assessments for deploying clean energy technologies on Tribal Lands, which typically includes more detailed technical and economic evaluation, site assessment, resource analysis, market and interconnection considerations, and other due diligence needed to determine whether a project makes sense and how it could be structured. Area of Interest 3 supports clean energy project design and development activities for deployment on Tribal Buildings or Tribal Lands, which is usually the step closer to construction and can include engineering and design work, advanced development studies, permitting and related approvals planning, procurement planning, financing and business model development, and other actions needed to position a project to move into implementation.

DOE anticipates awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of grants, with a typical period of performance of about two to three years per award. Total funding anticipated under the planned FOA is approximately $25 million. Individual award sizes are expected to vary by Area of Interest, with a range from about $100,000 up to $2,500,000. The notice also signals an expected recipient cost share requirement of 10 percent of total allowable project costs. At the same time, DOE indicates it may allow certain eligible applicants to request a cost share reduction from 10 percent down to 0 percent, based on community economic indicators, specifically the poverty rate and the median household income of the tribal community relative to the statewide median household income.

For process and logistics, DOE says the FOA was planned for release in late Spring 2024 in the narrative section, while the listing also includes government-system fields such as an original closing date of 2026-01-21; applicants should treat the NOI language and the eventual FOA as the controlling source once issued, since the agency stresses that details are subject to change. When the FOA is released, applications will be accepted only through the IE-Exchange portal (https://ie-exchange.energy.gov), and DOE emphasizes that no applications will be accepted in response to the NOI itself. Interested parties are encouraged to subscribe to the DOE Office of Indian Energy email newsletter via the Office of Indian Energy website (https://energy.gov/indianenergy) to receive a notification when the FOA is published. The notice also points prospective applicants to review the attached NOI for required registrations that must be completed in advance of submitting an application, which is often a key practical step because federal submission systems can take time to set up.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development – 2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-01-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0003400

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: