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The Minnesota Department of Commerce seeks to work with and facilitate connections with local and Tribal governments, utilities, businesses, communities and other entities interested in energy-related partnerships. The opportunities outlined below are funded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other federal programs.
Developing Minnesota's Hydrogen Economy with Community Engagement
The Great Plains Institute, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Governor?s Office, invites you to participate in an introductory Hydrogen 101 webinar on Tuesday, March 21st at 9 AM CST. The goal of the webinar is to provide a 101 on hydrogen, highlight opportunities for community engagement around developing a clean hydrogen economy in Minnesota, and to launch an effort to convene stakeholders from underserved communities in discussion around ways that hydrogen can equitably benefit all Minnesotans.??
We hope you can join us as we walk through the basics of hydrogen and shed some light on the federal Hydrogen Hub opportunities. There will be a second, follow up conversation on Tuesday, March 28th at 9am CST for further discussion based on the materials presented.??
Register here: link to register *Note that this link will not directly enter you into the webinar; you will be prompted to fill in your details and will then?receive the?webinar link.*?
Developing Minnesota?s Hydrogen Economy with Community Engagement?
Tuesday, 21 March from 9-10 AM Central?
- 9 am | Welcome / Minnesota Memorandum of Understanding with other Midwest states / Goals for community engagement ? Governor's Office/Commerce (Confirmed)
- 9:10 | Hydrogen 101 ? GPI (Confirmed)
- 9:40 | Hydrogen Hub Opportunity ? Xcel (invited)
- 9:50 | Initial feedback from participants / Information about the next hydrogen workshop
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Recent and Expected Federal Funding Activity
The federal government issues a variety of announcements related to federal funding opportunities: Requests for Information (RFI), Notices of Intent (NOI) and Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). More information can be found on the Commerce Federal Funding Opportunities?web page or by clicking the links below.
To facilitate a quick review of this newsletter, the subject matter of included items is previewed here; full details can be found in the body of the newsletter.
- Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA), Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD), Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), and Requests for Applications (RFA)
- 40103 - Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas
- Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities
- Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer & More Sustainable Products
- Industrial Decarbonization & Emission Reduction Demonstration-to-Deployment
- Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program
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Requests For Proposals (RFP)
- DOE?s REMADE Institute Announces $10 Million to Advance Circular Economy Technologies
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Notices of Intent (NOI)
- IIJA 40512 ? Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program
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Prizes
- Direct Air Capture Prizes
- Prize to Strengthen Microelectronic Supply Chains Through Microbattery Design & Commercialization
- Building Up Prize
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Technical Assistance
- Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments
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Webinars
- EECBG Informational Webinars
- EPA Competition Process
- EPA ? What to Expect When you?re Expecting?a Grant
- Innovative Agri-Solar Design
- Systems Integration Webinar Series 2023
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Workshops, Meetings, Conferences
- US Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office ? 2023 Project Peer Review
- Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit
- 2023 National Energy Codes Conference
- Advancing Towards 100% Clean Energy: A State-Federal Summit
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Publications
- Bioenergy?s Role in Soil Carbon Storage Workshop Summary Report
- EVGrid Assist Resources, Reports, and Tools
- EPA?s Clean Energy Financing Toolkit for Decisionmakers
- DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - Publication and Product Library
- Dual-Use Photovoltaic (PV) Technologies
- MN Department of Commerce Energy Office Web Pages
- Draft DOE Study Identifies Pressing National Electric Transmission Needs
- New Online Resources for Finance Professionals on Residential Solar Lending
- How to Apply for a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
- Starting with Solar: A Preliminary Assessment of Solar Energy Systems in Residential New Construction
- Clean Energy Tax Credits
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Scholarships
- Solarpunk Futures: Illustrating the Future of Solar Scholarship
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IRA and IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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IIJA 41008/IRA 50161 - Industrial Decarbonization & Emission Reduction Demonstration-to-Deployment
- DE-FOA-0002936
- Concept Papers Due: April 21, 2023
- Application Due: August 4, 2023
- This FOA makes available approximately $6 billion in federal funds for projects that will validate low-GHG emitting industrial facilities capable of manufacturing products and materials with low-carbon footprints. DOE aims to fund projects in the highest emitting, hardest-to-abate industries where rapidly deployed decarbonization technologies can have the greatest impact: iron, steel, steel mill products, aluminum, cement, concrete, glass, pulp, paper, industrial ceramics, chemicals, and other energy intensive industrial processes.
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IIJA Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA)
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40103 - Energy Improvement in Rural or Remote Areas
- DE-FOA-0002970
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Deadlines:
- Concept Papers: April 14, 2023 - 4:00 PM CT
- Application: June 28, 2023 - 4:00 PM CT
- Informational Webinar March 29, 2023 - 11:00 AM CT
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Goals:?1) Deliver measurable benefits to energy customers in rural or remote areas by funding replicable energy projects that lower energy costs, improve energy access and resilience, and/or reduce environmental harm. 2) Demonstrate new rural or remote energy system models using climate-resilient technologies, business structures that promote economic resilience, new financing mechanisms, and/or new community engagement best practices. 3) Build clean energy knowledge, capacity, and self-reliance in rural America.
IIJA Request for Applications (RFA)
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Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities
- EPA-I-OCSPP-OPPT-FY2023-001
- Deadline: June 6, 2023
- To address environmental justice priorities and improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by providing Pollution Prevention (P2) technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) on source reduction.
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Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer & More Sustainable Products
- EPA-I-OCSPP-OPPT-FY2023-002
- Deadline: June 20, 2023
- To address environmental justice by providing P2 technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by increasing the supply, demand, and use of safer and more sustainable products, such as those that are certified by EPA?s Safer Choice Program, or those that conform to EPA?s Recommendations for Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing.
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Pollution Prevention Grants - Informational Webinars
- EPA?s national P2 Program will host four informational webinars to provide information on both grant opportunities, the P2 grant programs, and the application process. Time will be provided during the webinars for questions from participants, which include:
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Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
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11101/11401 - Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program
- Applications Due: May 30, 2023 ? 10:59 PM CT
- NOFO
- The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). This NOFO offers up to $700 million to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities.
- Eligible applicants include: States or political subdivisions of states, metropolitan planning organizations, local units of government, tribes, special purpose districts, authorities with ownership of publicly accessible transportation facilities.
- Webinars:
Request for Proposals
- DOE?s REMADE Institute Announces $10 Million to Advance Circular Economy Technologies
- This Request for Proposals (RFP) solicits proposals for projects in two areas:
- Traditional Research and Development (R&D) ? Projects that will develop tools and technologies consistent with the research priorities in the REMADE Roadmap.
- Technology Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D) ? Projects that demonstrate the potential to transform the recycling and remanufacturing industries through technological innovation.
- Letters of Intent/Project Abstract Due: March 27, 2023
- Proposals Due: April 26, 2023
- View the full request for proposals
IIJA Notice of Intent (NOI)
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IIJA 40512 ? Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) Program
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DE-FOA-0002996|FOA When Announced: DE-FOA-0002997
- Establishment of Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs and the establishment of Building Training and Assessments Centers (BTACs).
Non-IIJA Notice of Intent (NOI)
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Applied Research and Development Projects to Drive Industrial Decarbonization
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DE-FOA-0002997 Anticipated announcement in March 2023
- This upcoming funding opportunity is part of an integrated, industrial decarbonization technology development strategy for DOE?s basic and applied research offices. Rooted in the principles identified in the 2022 Industrial Decarbonization Roadmap, DOE is building an innovation pipeline to accelerate the development and adoption of industrial decarbonization technologies with investments spanning foundational science; research, development, and demonstrations (RD&D); and technical assistance and workforce development. This FOA will also advance the goal of the Industrial Heat Shot?, which aims to develop cost-competitive industrial heat decarbonization technologies with at least 85% lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.??
Prizes
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Direct Air Capture Prizes
- The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management has opened applications for two Direct Air Capture (DAC) Prizes, awarding up to $7.7 million in cash prizes and technical assistance across both challenges. Together, the prizes advance technological innovation in the direct air capture industry and help achieve emissions reduction targets.
- The DAC Pre-Commercial?Energy Program for Innovation Clusters Prize, offering up to $3.7 million in cash prizes, is open to incubators and accelerators with impactful ideas to develop resources for energy startups and direct air capture entrepreneurs.
- The DAC Pre-Commercial Technology Prize, offering up to $4 million in cash prizes and technical assistance, is accepting applications for innovative, scalable technology solutions that address critical needs in the direct air capture industry.
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Prize to Strengthen Microelectronic Supply Chains Through Microbattery Design & Commercialization
- Phase 1 Applications Due: June 29, 2023
- This two-stage competition will award up to $1.1 million in federal funding and performance and safety testing services with DOE national laboratories to innovative small-capacity battery design projects that will yield improved performance, safety, and recyclability.
- Phase 1 - Idea: The first phase will select the best ideas for a new microbattery design. During Phase 1, competitors will develop and submit technical designs and schematics for microbatteries that serve a specific application (like grid monitoring devices) and meet certain performance goals (like a specific storage capacity, cycle lifetime, safety, or recyclability) that go beyond what is commercially available today.
- Phase 2 - Test: During this second phase, competitors will create prototypes they can submit to DOE national labs for performance and safety testing. Competitors will also work to determine potential cost to manufacture their designs at scale. By the end of this contest, participants will develop a realistic plan to commercialize and manufacture their technology. Note: Only selectees from phase I will be eligible for participation in phase II.
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Find out more information about this prize opportunity, including deadlines and how to apply.?
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Building Up Prize
- The Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity initiative is hosting a series of technical assistance webinars described below to help potential applicants develop a strong Buildings Upgrade Prize
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Introduction to Community-Driven Planning ? Monday, April 10, 2023 - 12:00 ? 1:30 PM CT Registration
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Accessing Funding Sources for Affordable Housing and Equity-Eligible Commercial Building Retrofits ? Wednesday, April 12, 2023 ? 11:30 AM ? 1:00 PM CT Registration
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Energy Efficiency Programs 101 ? Friday, April 14, 2023 ? 12:00 ? 1:30 PM CT Registration
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Considerations for Underserved Commercial Buildings ? Wednesday, April 26, 2023 ? 12:30 ? 1:30 PM CT Registration
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Drivers of Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing ? Friday, April 28, 2023 ? 12:00 ? 1:30 PM CT Registration
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Choosing your Building Upgrade Zone: Structural Equity Considerations ? Wednesday, May 10, 2023 ? 12:30 ? 2:00 PM CT Registration
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Building Upgrades: An Opportunity for Workforce and Economic Inclusion ? Thursday, May 11, 2023 ? 11:00 AM ? 12:30 PM CT Registration
Technical Assistance
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Waste-to-Energy Technical Assistance for Local Governments
- Due Date April 14, 2023
- BETO will fund up to 40 hours of subject matter assistance to municipalities topics, including:
- Waste resource information
- Infrastructure considerations
- Techno-economic comparison of energy and resource recovery options
- Evaluation and sharing of case studies (to the extent possible) from similar communities/projects
- Equity assessments.
- For more information, including eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Technical Assistance web page.
Webinars
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Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program
- DOE will be releasing new information about the EECBG Program, including informational webinars about the grant application process, vouchers option, and the DOE technical assistance available to support eligible entities. The first pre-Step?to apply for the EECBG Program is completing the Pre-Award Information Sheet, which is due on April 28th, 2023, by email to [email protected].
- Grant Application Webinar: Thursday, March 23rd at 1:00 PM CT. Learn in-detail about how to apply for an EECBG Program grant. ?Access the link to attend here.
- Voucher Program Webinar: Thursday, April 13 at 2:00 PM CT. Learn more information about the voucher option for the EECBG Program. The webinar will provide insight on eligible uses, limitations, and the application process. ?Access the link to attend here.
- Technical Assistance Webinar: May 4 at 2:00 PM CT. Hear from DOE about the range of technical assistance available from DOE to manage EECBG Program awards and enhance their impacts. Access the link to attend here.
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EPA Competition Process ? Learn how to find and successfully apply for EPA grants.
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EPA ? What to Expect When you?re Expecting?a Grant
- March 29, 2023 - 12:00 PM CT
- EPA will review what grant recipients need to do and look for when they receive a grant award, discuss how to understand terms and conditions of grants, and talk through EPA?s oversight once a grant is awarded.?
- Register
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Agrivoltaics
- Join the AgriSolar Clearinghouse for a webinar series on agrivoltaics, the co-location of solar and agriculture on the same land.
- March 23, 2023 ? 12:00 PM CT
- Webinar: Innovative AgriSolar Design
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Recent Advances in Experiments and Modeling of Grid-forming Systems
- Solar Energy Technical Office (SETO) Systems Integration team is hosting a monthly webinar series. Register for their next webinar titled ?Recent Advances in Experiments and Modeling of Grid-forming Systems?.
- March 29, 2023 ? 3:00 PM CT
- Systems Integration Webinar Series 2023
Workshops, Meetings & Conferences
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US Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office ? 2023 Project Peer Review
- April 3 ? 7, 2023 at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Denver, Colorado
- Nearly 300 projects in BETO?s research and development portfolio will be presented to the public and systematically reviewed by external subject-matter experts from industry, academia, and federal agencies.
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Registration is?still open!?? Conference Agenda
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Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit
- April 11 ? 13 at the Capital Hilton in Washington DC
- Workshops will take a deeper dive into some of the key challenges and technologies impacting our partners. Topics include building performance standards, navigating DOE tools for decarbonization projects, federal grants for energy projects, tracking?data, and many more.
- Register
- Agenda
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2023 National Energy Codes Conference
- May 2 ? 4, 2023 at the Palmer House Hilton, Chicago, IL
- The National Energy Codes Conference is the only national technical assistance event dedicated solely to building energy codes, providing attendees a great opportunity to network with peers, engage with leading industry experts, and learn about the latest innovative technologies and solutions in the buildings sector. This year?s conference will cover a variety of important codes topics like decarbonization, resilience, and the new DOE energy codes funding opportunities from BIL and IRA.
- Registration
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Click here to book your lodging at the conference hotel group rate.
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Small Business and Forum Expo
- July 11 ? 12, 2023 ? New Orleans, LA
- Hosted by the Department of Energy?s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, DOE's 2023 Small Business Forum & Expo is designed specifically to connect small businesses with the Department?s program offices, power marketing administrations, laboratory and technology centers, and prime contractors to help advance the Agency?s missions.
- Agenda
- Registration
Publications
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Bioenergy?s Role in Soil Carbon Storage Workshop Summary Report
- This report includes key takeaways from the workshop?s technical sessions and presentations, which focused on soil carbon storage mechanisms, optimization strategies, agricultural and forest management practices, research and development needed to support policy, and tools for decision making.
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Download?the?workshop summary report to learn how BETO is supporting soil carbon storage ? a critical component for decarbonizing the nation?s transportation, agriculture, and industrial sectors.
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EVGrid Assist Resources, Reports, and Tools
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EPA?s Clean Energy Financing Toolkit for Decisionmakers
- EPA recently released a public online tool called the?Clean Energy Financing Toolkit for Decisionmakers?to help state and local decisionmakers understand a range of financing programs available across multiple sectors and to learn from existing state and local examples. The tool includes a dozen clean energy financing program types that state and local governments can pursue to fund clean energy investment, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transportation, and electrification.
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DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy - Publication and Product Library
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Draft DOE Study Identifies Pressing National Electric Transmission Needs
- The Needs Study provides information about present and anticipated future capacity constraints and congestion on the nation?s electric transmission grid and serves as DOE?s triennial state of the grid report. Findings of the Needs Study will provide public insight into areas of the power grid that would benefit from increased transmission capacity.
- DOE is requesting feedback on the Draft National Transmission Needs Study, specifically on the analysis used, conclusions, or any other comments or suggestions for improving the study.
- Public comments and questions about the draft Needs Study can be submitted by emailing [email protected].?Public comments must be submitted as an email attachment in PDF format.
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Resources for Finance Professionals on Residential Solar Lending
- The guide answers frequently asked questions on getting started, distinguishing types of solar financing, evaluating risk and creditworthiness, understanding technical information, and guidance on low-income household financing. It also lists free training opportunities, as well as resources for themselves and to share with clients.
- New Online Resource for Finance Professionals on Residential Solar Lending
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An Assessment of Solar Energy Systems in Residential New Construction
- The Solar Technologies Office (SETO) encourages researchers across disciplines to apply for funding to support innovative projects that advance solar solutions.
Scholarship
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Solarpunk Scholarship Competition Illustrates the Future of Solar Energy
- April 30, 2023 ? 10:59 PM CT
- The Solarpunk Futures: Illustrating the Future of Solar undergraduate scholarship competition offers students the opportunity to create solarpunk art that communicates the potential of SETO-funded technology and win up to $5,000 toward their next semester.
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Federal Tax Credits Under the Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 created and updated several energy-related tax credits and deductions that may affect federal tax returns for individuals and businesses. For details ? including tax credits for clean vehicles, energy efficiency, and other provisions ? see?Credits and Deductions Under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022?on the IRS website.
For Stakeholders Planning on Applying Directly to the U.S. Government for Funding
NOTE: Due to the high demand of UEI requests and SAM registrations, entity legal business name and address validations are taking longer than expected to process. Entities should start the UEI and SAM registration/update process immediately as the processing time to complete a registration/update currently may take weeks to months. This includes address and expired registration updates. If entities have technical difficulties with the UEI validation or SAM registration process they should utilize the HELP feature on SAM.gov. SAM.gov will work entity service tickets in the order in which they are received and asks that entities not create multiple service tickets for the same request or technical issue. Additional entity validation resources can be found here: GSAFSD Tier 0 Knowledge Base - Validating your Entity.
The MN Commerce Department is your partner for energy-specific federal funding opportunities
Interested in partnering with the Commerce Department on funding opportunities or have questions? Email?[email protected].?Stay updated on the latest programs, opportunities and RFPs by clicking subscribe below.?
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