Funding Digest June 9, 2023
Photo (c) Eti Bonn-Muller
Summer is here in DC. It’s a relief yet, saddened to hear and witness the devastation of the Canadian Wildfires. Growing up on L.I, we knew Canada as the land of snow, endless winters, and fairly good hockey players.
Shocking to see this photo of the southbound smoke from Ontario taken by a colleague from a Manhattan apartment. Hearts go out to our Canadian neighbors and wounded Mother Earth.
We need to act, so let’s get to it and switch gears to climate initiatives so you can act to shake off the stagnant empathy fatigue.
International, federal, and state & local pressures and opportunities as Canadian wildfires, weather systems disruptions, and volcanic rumblings in the Philippines began yesterday.
On the international level, according to a William Worley article published today in Devex, Egyptian President Nasr is pushing for more accountability from wealthier nations.
Worley reports on a need for more grants over loans that present an unbearable burden.
Worley reports on Nasr’s position, “Core financing for the Climate Loss and Damage Fund, a controversial reserve that puts rich countries on the hook for compensating countries — usually much poorer — for natural disasters, should be ‘grant-based or extreme, extreme, extreme concessionality,’ says Egypt, which holds the climate negotiations presidency.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Government and U.S. States are working to provide opportunities to rebuild and reinvent transportation and ways of working in a sustainable way.
According to Jacob Owens of The Delaware Business Times, Delaware just received $65M+ from ARPA for nonprofit service centers.
This aligns with the administration's efforts to blend inclusion, climate technology, and supporting the social sector.
Owens reports, “The fund created by the Biden administration’s ARPA in 2021 supports the expansion of high-speed broadband internet access, both through the physical expansion of cable networks to communities and through the development of centers where the public can access it.”
ARPA-E funds innovative energy technology projects that are not yet market ready.
From new wind turbine designs and transportation fuels made from bacteria to innovative energy storage solutions and smaller, more efficient semiconductors, ARPA-E projects can potentially change how we generate, store, and use energy.
Biden is advancing a response to climate change through multiple agencies, initiatives, and executive orders. One of note is an MOU between the Department of Energy and the Department of Labor to expand the energy workforce.
The Department of Energy, The Department of Labor, and the AFL/CIO partner on lithium ion battery production, wind turbine manufacturing, and solar technology. DOE supports five lithium battery manufacturing pilot training programs in energy and automotive communities with a $5 mil investment.
Although the proposal window for the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program is in the past, there are plenty of opportunities for those who want in on climate tech. B Corps, contractors, universities, and direct service nonprofits are needed as states and agencies must implement their promise to Uncle Sam.
“The $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the nation’s power grid against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.”
“These programs will accelerate the deployment of transformative projects across the nation to help ensure the reliability of the power sector’s infrastructure, ensuring all American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity anytime, anywhere.”
Three days left to submit for DOE’s Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship program that funds recent graduates and organizations to develop and promote clean energy solutions to decarbonize the power system, electrify transportation and industry, and make the U.S. power system more resilient, equitable, and inclusive.
Keep on doing good; if you think you can’t, you can’t. If you think you can, you can. Mindset is everything. Take a shot. See what happens. You got this.
☀️Pete
Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants: USDA Rural Development program provides funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to improve energy efficiency. More flexible Inflation Reduction Act Changes. Contact your State Energy Coordinator. Application Deadline: 6 quarterly Cycles
Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant Program U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers funding for clean and reliable drinking water systems, sanitary sewage disposal, sanitary solid waste disposal, and stormwater drainage to households and businesses in eligible rural areas. Application Deadline: Ongoing
Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development grants eligible communities funds to prepare for or recover from an emergency threatening safe, reliable drinking water availability.
Application Deadline: Ongoing
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development grants to very-low and low-income homeowners to repair homes damaged in a Calendar Year 2022 Presidentially Declared Disaster Area. Review the list of Presidentially Declared Disasters by State and County to determine your eligibility.
How do I get started? Contact a USDA home loan specialist in your area. Application Deadline: Open
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development provides funding to construct broadband networks in rural areas that do not currently have broadband service. Application Deadline: 6/20/2023
SEARCH - Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development funding for financially distressed rural communities of less than 2,500 people to assist with feasibility studies, design assistance, and technical assistance on proposed water and waste disposal projects. Application Deadline: Open
U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers grants to help low-income, rural communities with the initial planning and development of applications for their Water and Waste Disposal loan/grant and loan guarantee programs. Application Deadline: Ongoing
Rural Energy Savings Program U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development provides loans to entities that agree to make affordable loans to help consumers implement cost-effective, energy efficiency measures to lower energy bills for rural families and businesses and reduce barriers to investment in energy efficiency projects or activities. Application Deadline: Open
Broadband Technical Assistance Program The U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development offers this program to support technical assistance projects such as conducting feasibility studies, completing network designs, and developing broadband financial assistance applications. Funding is also available to help organizations access federal resources and to conduct data collection and reporting. Read the full news release. Application Deadline: 6/20/2023