Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program: Formula Awards - FY 2023
| Agency: | U.S. Department of Energy |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 81.128 |
| Office: | Office of the Under Secretary for Infrastructure Golden Field Office |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | Rolling |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 01/18/2023 |
| Match Required: | Recommended |
| Match Type: | Unspecified |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to achieve sustained impacts that put communities on a pathway to reducing fossil fuel use and total energy use, and improving energy efficiency. This program will provide financial and technical assistance to eligible states, units of local government, and Indian tribes to implement strategies to:
- Reduce fossil fuel emissions in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and, to the maximum extent practicable, maximize benefits for local and regional communities
- Reduce the total energy use of the applicant organization
- Improve energy efficiency in the transportation sector, the building sector, and other appropriate sectors
- Build a clean and equitable energy economy that prioritizes disadvantaged communities and promotes equity and inclusion in workforce opportunities and deployment activities, consistent with the Justice40 Initiative, as detailed on pages 13-16 of the Guide file
Eligible activities include:
- Development and implementation of an energy efficiency and conservation strategy (EECS)
- Retaining technical consultant services to assist in the development of an EECS
- Conducting residential and commercial building energy audits
- Establishment of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements
- Provision of grants to nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies for the purpose of performing energy efficiency retrofits
- Development and implementation of energy efficiency and conservation programs for buildings and facilities within the jurisdiction of the applicant organization
- Development and implementation of programs to conserve energy used in transportation
- Development and implementation of building codes and inspection services to promote building energy efficiency
- Application and implementation of energy distribution technologies that significantly increase energy efficiency
- Activities to increase participation and efficiency rates for material conservation programs, including source reduction, recycling, and recycled content procurement programs that lead to increases in energy efficiency
Refer to pages 6-8 of the Guide file, as well as the EligibleActivities file, for information regarding additional eligible activities.
Projects that include meaningful engagement and participation of workforce organizations, including labor unions, as well as underserved communities and under-represented groups, including consultation with tribal nations, are encouraged.
This program provides project blueprints, which are step-by-step roadmaps of select high-impact energy projects based on proven practices that applicants may choose to follow. Applicants that propose to spend funds exclusively on key activities listed in one or more blueprints may submit applications within an earlier application period and will have a streamlined and expedited application review process. Refer to pages 17-18 and 37-39 of the Guide file for additional information regarding project blueprints.
Formula awards will be provided through this program in the form of grants or vouchers. Vouchers may be used for technical assistance and/or equipment rebates. Only local governments and tribal entities may request vouchers, and these applicants must allocate 100 percent of requested funding to either a voucher or grant.
In addition to grants and vouchers, this program will provide technical assistance support to all award recipients to help accelerate their efforts and preparations to leverage other IIJA funding, including tools, online resources, access to experts, webinars, peer-learning opportunities, and local and regional workshops.
Eligible costs include personnel costs, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual costs, other direct costs, and indirect costs.
Optional webinars and optional office hour sessions are scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.
Program Office Notes:
The program officer confirmed that submission of pre-award information sheets is mandatory.
The program officer also stated that pre-award information sheets must be emailed to the address provided in the Contact section.
The program officer stated that pre-award information sheets are still currently being accepted as of August 2023 and that although there are currently no hard deadlines for submission, applicants are encouraged to submit pre-award information sheets as soon as possible.
Last Updated: December 17, 2024
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- States, which, for the purposes of this program, include the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Local governments
- Indian tribes
Refer to the Allocation folder for a list of eligible state, local government, and tribal entities.
Eligible entities are encouraged to team up with other neighboring or peer eligible entities to align project plans and efforts. Proposed teams must submit a joint application, with one eligible entity designated as the prime applicant. Refer to pages 10-11 of the Guide file for additional information regarding team applications.
Formula awards will be provided through this program in the form of grants or a vouchers. Only local governments and tribal entities are eligible to apply for vouchers. Applicants requesting vouchers are not required to submit grant applications at this time. Refer to page 33 of the Guide file for information regarding the voucher application process. Additional information regarding the voucher application process is attached as the VoucherInstructions file.
For grant applications, the funding agency will prioritize its review of applications based on the order in which applications are received as well as entity type, as follows in descending order:
- States
- Entities following blueprints
- Teams
- Entities with activities benefitting disadvantaged communities
- Entities with activities limited to energy efficiency and conservation strategy (EECS) development, technical consultant services, or other activities strictly limited to planning, analysis, and stakeholder engagement
- All other entities
Only one application may be submitted per eligible entity.
FY 2023 award recipients include:
- City of Bakersfield (CA)
- City of El Paso (TX)
- City of Mentor (OH)
- City of Medford (OR)
- Cobb County (GA)
Refer to the Award file for additional information on FY 2023 award recipients.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentNative American Tribe
State Government
Application Notes:
Prior to submitting an application, applicants must submit a mandatory pre-award information sheet by 8:00 p.m. ET on April 28, 2023.
The program officer stated that pre-award information sheets are still currently being accepted as of August 2023 and that although there are currently no hard deadlines for submission, applicants are encouraged to submit pre-award information sheets as soon as possible.
The program officer confirmed that submission of pre-award information sheets is mandatory.
The program officer also stated that pre-award information sheets must be emailed to the address provided in the Contact section.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis during the following submission windows:
- Period 1: January 18, 2023, to 8:00 p.m. ET on April 28, 2023
- Period 2: June 1, 2023, to 8:00 p.m. ET on July 31, 2023
- Period 3: September 1, 2023, to 8:00 p.m. ET on October 31, 2023
- Period 4: December 1, 2023, to 8:00 p.m. ET on January 31, 2024
The period 4 due date for the application has been extended to April 30, 2024. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt file.
For tribes, the period 4 due date for the application has been extended, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until May 31, 2025. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt2 file.
For local governments, the period 4 due date for the application has been extended, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until October 31, 2024. Additional information is included in the DueDateExt3 file.
State applicants as well as local and tribal government applicants proposing key activities listed in one or more project blueprints may submit applications in periods 1 and 2. All other local and tribal applicants must submit applications in periods 3 and 4.
Applications must be submitted online at www.page.energy.gov.
Applications must include:
- SF 424
- SF 424A
- SF LLL (if applicable)
- Contact information for principal investigator and business officer
- Teaming partners (if applicable)
- Budget justification
- Energy efficiency and conservation strategy (EECS) (if applicable)
- EECBG program activity file
- Certifications
- Electronic copy or web link to the applicant’s latest single or program-specific audit
- Environmental questionnaire (if applicable)
- Assurance letter or tribal resolution
- Assurance letter for Davis Bacon Act
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) statement of work (if applicable)
- Indirect rate agreement or rate proposal (if applicable)
Local and tribal government applicants that are requesting vouchers are not required to submit grant applications at this time. Refer to page 33 of the Guide file for additional information regarding the voucher application process.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
- SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.
Prior to submitting an application, applicants may submit an optional information collection form online at forms.office.com. The funding agency requests that information collection forms be submitted by January 17, 2023; however, information collection forms will be accepted after this date.
Optional webinars for this program have been scheduled as follows:
Application Webinar:
March 23, 2023
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
URL: teams.microsoft.com
Voucher Webinar:
April 13, 2023
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
URL: teams.microsoft.com
Technical Assistance Webinar:
May 4, 2023
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
URL: teams.microsoft.com
Refer to the TribalOfficeHours&TrainingSession and OfficeHours&Webinar files for information regarding additional optional office hour sessions, training sessions, and webinars that are scheduled for this program.
Recordings of webinars held for this program and presentation slides for the webinars can be found online at www.energy.gov/scep/eecbg-program-formula-hub.
Refer to the NOFA, Guide, and Pre-AwardInfoSheet files, as well as the EECSTemplate folder, for additional application information.
| Match Required: | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Match Type: | Unspecified |
| Actual Funds: | Unspecified |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program; however, applicants are encouraged to consider how they may leverage additional philanthropic and private sector funding to advance their goals and amplify the impact of awarded funding. Applicants are encouraged to include strategies to facilitate the leveraging of additional funding to the extent practicable in the application.
Funding Notes:
Funding is available to support formula awards through this program, as follows:
- A total of $299.2 million will be allocated to up to 1,878 eligible units of local government, as follows:
- A total of $149.6 million will be allocated under the units of local government-alternative 1 category, as defined on page 4 of the Guide file
- A total of $149.6 million will be allocated under the units of local government-alternative 2 category, as defined on page 4 of the Guide file
- A total of $123.2 million will be allocated to up to 56 state entities
- A total of $8.8 million will be allocated to up to 774 eligible tribal entities
Refer to the Allocation folder for lists of eligible allocation amounts for each eligible state, local government, and tribal entity.
Formula awards will be provided through this program in the form of grants or vouchers. The financial value of each voucher is expected to be equivalent to the formula award allocated to the eligible entity, and vouchers may be used for technical assistance and/or equipment rebates. Only local governments and tribal entities may request vouchers, and these applicants must allocate 100 percent of requested funding to either a voucher or grant. Refer to pages 32-34 of the Guide file for additional information regarding vouchers provided through this program.
In addition to grants and vouchers, this program will provide technical assistance support to all award recipients to help accelerate their efforts and preparations to leverage other IIJA funding, including tools, online resources, access to experts, webinars, peer learning opportunities, and local and regional workshops.
In general, once a complete application is received and reviewed by the funding agency, it typically takes up to 60 days to process a formula grant. Refer to page 9 of the Guide file for additional information regarding estimated grant processing time frames for each application type
For grants, the project and budget period will span three years for state applicants and two years for local and tribal government applicants. For vouchers, the project and budget period will span two years for local and tribal government applicants. Award recipients may request a no-cost extension of the project and budget period for grants and vouchers.
For state applicants, each state, except for the states listed as exempt on page 25 of the Guide file, is required to pass at least 60 percent of the total allocation amount through to cities and counties within the state that are ineligible for direct formula grants from the funding agency.
Award recipients may earn income in connection with project activities to defray project costs, as detailed on page 19 of the Guide file.
Administrative costs, excluding reporting costs, may not exceed 10 percent of the total award amount.
Funds may not be used for:
- Lobbying activities
- New buildings or construction
- Federal cost match
In November 2024, more than $17.7 million was distributed via 61 awards through this program. In August 2024, a total of $12.62 million was distributed via 35 awards ranging from $42,290 to $2,101,450. In June 2024, a total of $18.5 million was distributed via 24 awards ranging from $76,190 to $4,522,300. Refer to the Award file for details.
Contacts:
Program Staff
eecbg@hq.doe.gov
Agency Address
U.S. Department of Energy
1000 Independence Ave., SW
Washington D.C. 20585
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to the program staff.
The program officer stated that pre-award information sheets must be emailed to the address provided.
Applications must be submitted online at www.page.energy.gov.
Optional information collection forms must be submitted online at forms.office.com.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
Guide File: US17921_Guide_FY2023.pdf (540.7 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US17921_FAQ_FY2023.pdf (423.0 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_TribalOfficeHours&TrainingSession_FY2023.pdf (106.5 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_EligibleActivities_FY2023.pdf (503.4 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_DueDateUpdate_FY2023.pdf (84.2 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_Allocation_FY2023.zip (1.6 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_OfficeHours&Webinar_FY2023.pdf (165.1 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_DueDateExt3_FY2023.pdf (101.9 Kb)
Application File: US17921_Application_FY2023.zip (1.8 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_VoucherInstructions_FY2023.pdf (187.7 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_Overview_FY2023.pdf (234.3 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_DueDateExt2_FY2023.pdf (108.5 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_WebinarPresentation_FY2023.zip (18.2 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_Pre-AwardInfoSheet_FY2023.pdf (539.2 Kb)
NOFA File: US17921_NOFA_FY2023.pdf (407.8 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_DueDateExt_FY2023.pdf (102.3 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17921_Webinar_FY2023.pdf (94.4 Kb)
Award File: US17921_Award_FY2023.pdf (600.1 Kb)
Federal Forms:
SF 424 (144.4 Kb)SF 424A (131.6 Kb)
SPOC (67.7 Kb)
SF LLL (98.7 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains detailed program information and application guidelines. The Guide file contains additional program guidelines and detailed application instructions. The Application folder contains the required forms for submission; optional templates for the required assurance letters for the application; and a sample of the online activity file form for the application that should be used for reference purposes only. The Overview file contains a concise overview of this program. The Allocation folder contains lists of eligible allocation amounts for each eligible state, local government, and tribal entity. The Pre-AwardInfoSheet file contains the optional pre-award information sheet for submission. The Webinar file contains information on optional webinars scheduled for this program. The WebinarPresentation folder contains slides from webinar presentations held for this program. The EligibleActivities file contains additional guidelines regarding eligible activities for this program. The DueDateUpdate file contains the updated due date information for the pre-award information sheet. The VoucherInstructions file contains instructions for requesting a voucher through this program. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The DueDateExt file contains the updated period 4 due date for the application. The DueDateExt2 file contains information regarding the extension of the period 4 cut-off date for receipt of applications from tribes. The TribalOfficeHours&TrainingSession file contains information regarding optional office hour sessions and an optional training session for Indian tribes that are scheduled for this program. The OfficeHours&Webinar file contains information regarding optional office hour sessions and an additional optional webinar that are scheduled for this program. The DueDateExt3 file contains information regarding the extension of the period 4 cut-off date for receipt of applications from local governments. Additional program resources, including additional presentation slides for webinars held for this program, can be found online at www.energy.gov/scep/eecbg-program-formula-hub. The Award file contains information on FY 2023 award recipients. The required federal forms are attached. The SPOC file contains information on the state Single Point of Contact program.
December 17, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and appended to the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.
October 4, 2024
Recordings of webinars held for this program have been released, and a link to the presentations and presentation slides is available in the Application section.
September 24, 2024
Information regarding awards through this program has been released and attached as the Award file. A sample of award recipients has been added to the Eligibility section, and a brief summary of the awards has been added to the Financial section.
May 2, 2024
Information regarding the extension of the period 4 cut-off date for receipt of applications from local governments has been released and attached as the DueDateExt3 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
March 27, 2024
Information regarding optional office hour sessions and an additional optional webinar that are scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the OfficeHours&Webinar file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
March 15, 2024
Information regarding optional office hour sessions and an optional training session for Indian tribes that are scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the TribalOfficeHours&TrainingSession file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
March 8, 2024
Information regarding the extension of the period 4 cut-off date for receipt of applications from tribes has been released and attached as the DueDateExt2 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
October 25, 2023
An announcement concerning the changing of the period 4 due date for the application has been released and attached as the DueDateExt file. In addition, an updated list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program has been released and attached as the FAQ file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
September 1, 2023
Instructions for requesting a voucher through this program have been released and attached as the VoucherInstructions file. The Eligibility section has been updated accordingly.
August 24, 2023
An updated list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program has been released and attached as the FAQ file.
August 15, 2023
An announcement concerning the changing of the due date for the pre-award information sheet has been released and attached as the DueDateUpdate file. In addition, the program officer has provided clarification regarding the extended due date for the pre-award information sheet. Additional application forms for submission, a sample of the online activity file form for the application, and optional templates for the required assurance letters for the application have also been released and attached as the Application folder. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
July 13, 2023
An updated list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program has been released and attached as the FAQ file. The Eligibility and Financial sections have been updated accordingly.
May 4, 2023
Additional guidelines for eligible activities for this program have been released and attached as the EligibleActivities file.
April 10, 2023
The program officer provided additional information regarding pre-award information sheets. The Application and Contact sections have been updated accordingly.
March 31, 2023
An updated pre-award information sheet has been released and attached as the Pre-AwardInfoSheet file.
March 23, 2023
Information on additional webinars scheduled for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.
February 9, 2023
Slides from webinar presentations held for this program have been released and appended to the WebinarPresentation folder as the WebinarPresentation-LocalGovernment, WebinarPresentation-StatesandTerritories, and WebinarPresentation-TribalGovernments files. In addition, recordings of the webinars for this program have been released, and links to the presentations are available in the Application section.
Grant Keywords
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Community DevelopmentEnergy
Human Services
Transportation
Science/Technology