Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003065
DE-FOA-0003065 is a Department of Energy (DOE) Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing that the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP), through its Schools and Nonprofits program, plans to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "Renew America's Nonprofits." The purpose of the anticipated FOA is to help nonprofit organizations lower building energy use and utility bills, cut carbon emissions, and free up operating dollars that can be redirected into mission-critical services. The opportunity is tied to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding and sits within DOE's broader effort to expand energy efficiency upgrades in community-serving facilities.
A central feature of the planned program is an "aggregation model." Instead of treating every nonprofit building as a separate standalone grant application, DOE intends to fund prime nonprofit partners who can bundle many nonprofit facilities into a single portfolio of retrofit projects. The idea is that an aggregator (the "Prime Recipient") can provide technical assistance, project development support, and administrative capacity that many individual nonprofits do not have on their own. By bundling projects, DOE expects to move funds faster, encourage innovative delivery models, strengthen local engagement, and mobilize local workforces to complete energy upgrades across a wide range of nonprofit buildings.
Eligible applicants, as stated in the notice, are nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). These eligible nonprofits would apply to serve as Prime Recipients and are expected to assemble a portfolio of nonprofit-owned and nonprofit-operated buildings that need energy efficiency improvements. Portfolios are expected to show clear potential for (1) meaningful energy savings and utility cost reductions, (2) measurable emissions reductions, (3) strong cost-effectiveness, and (4) alignment with Justice40 (J40) objectives, which emphasize delivering benefits to disadvantaged communities and improving equity outcomes. In practical terms, applicants would need to demonstrate not just that upgrades are needed, but that they are financially and technically sound and designed to deliver equitable benefits.
Under the approach described, DOE anticipates that Prime Recipients would issue subawards for individual retrofit projects, with subaward amounts up to $200,000 per nonprofit building project. The notice provides an illustrative example to show how aggregation might look: a portfolio could include around 25 projects averaging $150,000 each, totaling roughly $3.75 million in combined project value. While the NOI does not list a finalized total funding amount or a finalized number of awards, it signals that DOE is thinking in terms of multiple projects per recipient rather than one building at a time, which is meant to scale impact across communities.
Administratively, it is important that this posting is explicitly an NOI, not an active FOA. That means DOE is signaling intent but is not yet accepting full applications under the described terms, and the agency emphasizes that details may change or the FOA may not be issued at all. The notice also states that SCEP will not respond to questions about the NOI; once a formal FOA is released, DOE will provide an official question-and-answer process for potential applicants. The listed agency is DOE's Golden Field Office, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding in the energy domain (CFDA/Assistance Listing 81.086). The original closing date shown (2023-05-11) reflects the NOI posting timeline rather than a confirmed future application deadline for the eventual FOA.
To help organizations prepare and form strong consortia, DOE is compiling a "Teaming Partner List." This is meant to help nonprofits and other potential collaborators find partners, coordinate roles, and build application teams capable of managing portfolios of projects. For prospective Prime Recipients, the practical takeaway is that DOE is encouraging early coalition-building and portfolio development: identifying candidate nonprofit buildings, estimating energy and emissions impacts, developing cost-effective retrofit scopes, and structuring partnerships that can deliver technical assistance and compliant subaward management at scale, with a particular emphasis on equitable outcomes consistent with Justice40.Apply for DE FOA 0003065
- The Golden Field Office in the energy, iij sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0003065: NOTICE OF INTENT TO ISSUE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW (BIL) FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT FY23 RENEW AMERICA'S NONPROFITS" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-11.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-11. (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: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): DOE Notice of Intent DE-FOA-0003065 - "Renew America's Nonprofits"
1) What is DE-FOA-0003065?
DE-FOA-0003065 is a Department of Energy (DOE) Notice of Intent (NOI) issued by the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) under the Schools and Nonprofits program. It announces DOE's intent to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) expected to be titled "Renew America's Nonprofits."
2) Is this an active funding opportunity right now?
No. This posting is an NOI, not an active FOA. DOE is signaling intent, but it is not currently accepting full applications under the terms described in the notice.
3) What is the purpose of the anticipated "Renew America's Nonprofits" FOA?
The anticipated FOA is intended to help nonprofit organizations lower building energy use and utility bills, cut carbon emissions, and free up operating dollars that can be redirected into mission-critical services.
4) What federal funding source is connected to this planned program?
The opportunity is tied to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding and fits within DOE's broader effort to expand energy efficiency upgrades in community-serving facilities.
5) Who is the eligible applicant according to the NOI?
Eligible applicants, as stated in the notice, are nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education. These eligible nonprofits would apply to serve as Prime Recipients.
6) What is a "Prime Recipient" in the model described?
In the approach described by DOE, a Prime Recipient is an eligible nonprofit applicant that would receive DOE funding and then assemble and manage a portfolio of energy retrofit projects across multiple nonprofit facilities. Prime Recipients are expected to provide capacity that individual nonprofits may lack, such as technical assistance, project development support, and administrative management.
7) What is the "aggregation model" and why is DOE using it?
The aggregation model is a portfolio approach where many nonprofit facilities are bundled into a single set of retrofit projects rather than treated as separate, standalone grant applications. DOE expects aggregation to help move funds faster, encourage innovative delivery models, strengthen local engagement, and mobilize local workforces to complete energy upgrades across a wide range of nonprofit buildings.
8) What types of buildings or facilities are expected to be included in a portfolio?
Portfolios are expected to include nonprofit-owned and nonprofit-operated buildings that need energy efficiency improvements. The NOI frames the work around community-serving nonprofit facilities.
9) What outcomes does DOE expect portfolios to demonstrate?
According to the notice, portfolios are expected to show clear potential for: (1) meaningful energy savings and utility cost reductions, (2) measurable emissions reductions, (3) strong cost-effectiveness, and (4) alignment with Justice40 (J40) objectives focused on delivering benefits to disadvantaged communities and improving equity outcomes.
10) What is Justice40 (J40) in this context?
The NOI references Justice40 (J40) as an equity-oriented objective emphasizing that benefits should be delivered to disadvantaged communities and that outcomes should improve equity. Applicants are expected to align proposed portfolios with these objectives.
11) How would funding flow to individual building retrofit projects under this model?
DOE anticipates that Prime Recipients would issue subawards for individual retrofit projects within their portfolio.
12) Is there a limit on the size of a subaward per nonprofit building project?
Yes. The notice states that subaward amounts are anticipated to be up to $200,000 per nonprofit building project.
13) Does the NOI provide an example of how large a portfolio might be?
Yes. The NOI provides an illustrative example where a portfolio could include around 25 projects averaging $150,000 each, totaling roughly $3.75 million in combined project value. This example is illustrative and not a finalized requirement.
14) Does the NOI state the total amount of funding or number of awards?
No. The NOI does not list a finalized total funding amount or a finalized number of awards. It does, however, signal an emphasis on multiple projects per recipient to scale impact rather than focusing on one building at a time.
15) Can DOE change the program details described in the NOI?
Yes. The NOI explicitly notes that details may change, and DOE also indicates that the FOA may not be issued at all.
16) Will DOE answer questions about the NOI?
No. The notice states that SCEP will not respond to questions about the NOI. DOE indicates that an official question-and-answer process will be provided once a formal FOA is released.
17) Who is the DOE office associated with this notice?
The listed agency is DOE's Golden Field Office.
18) How is this opportunity categorized by DOE?
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding in the energy domain, with CFDA/Assistance Listing 81.086.
19) What does the "closing date" shown in the posting mean?
The original closing date shown (2023-05-11) reflects the NOI posting timeline rather than a confirmed future application deadline for the eventual FOA.
20) What is the DOE "Teaming Partner List" mentioned in the notice?
DOE is compiling a Teaming Partner List to help nonprofits and other potential collaborators find partners, coordinate roles, and build application teams capable of managing portfolios of projects.
21) Why is DOE encouraging teaming and early coalition-building?
Because the program is designed around an aggregation model, DOE is encouraging organizations to form partnerships and consortia that can identify candidate nonprofit buildings, estimate energy and emissions impacts, develop cost-effective retrofit scopes, and structure partnerships that can deliver technical assistance and compliant subaward management at scale, with an emphasis on Justice40-aligned outcomes.
22) What should a prospective Prime Recipient be doing to prepare based on the NOI?
Based on the notice, practical preparation includes building a coalition, developing a portfolio of candidate nonprofit facilities, estimating potential energy savings and emissions reductions, identifying cost-effective retrofit scopes, and clarifying how the portfolio will deliver equitable benefits consistent with Justice40.
23) Are individual nonprofits expected to apply building-by-building directly to DOE?
The central design described in the notice is that DOE would fund Prime Recipients to manage aggregated portfolios and issue subawards for individual building projects, rather than treating each nonprofit building as a separate standalone grant application to DOE.
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