Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program Section 40209 | DE FOA 0003294

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003294

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program (Section 40209) is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity (FOA DE-FOA-0003294) administered through the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) listed as the agency. It is a discretionary grant program using a cooperative agreement award instrument, meaning DOE expects active involvement during the project period rather than a hands-off reimbursement style award. The program draws from BIL appropriations spanning fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to stand up and implement the Advanced Energy Projects Grant Program, with a central focus on supporting industrial projects located in eligible energy communities. In this FOA, DOE indicates it plans to provide roughly $425 million in total support, targeting projects led by small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMMs), and anticipates making about 25 awards, with individual awards potentially as large as $100 million.

This particular posting reflects Modification 000002 to the FOA, which mainly clarifies and tightens the written guidance rather than changing the program’s basic intent. The modification updates page number references in the FOA guide, clarifies language related to what qualifies as "other advanced energy property," and refines the eligibility demonstration tied to an "energy bills requirement" referenced in Section III.A.i. It also updates Appendix I (Eligible SAEP Guidance) to further clarify what counts as "other advanced energy property." In practical terms, applicants should read the modified sections carefully because these kinds of clarifications often affect how an applicant documents eligibility and how DOE interprets whether a proposed manufacturing or recycling output falls inside the program’s eligible categories.

The FOA is organized around two Areas of Interest (AOIs). AOI 1, Clean Energy Manufacturing and Recycling, is aimed at expanding U.S. capacity to manufacture and recycle the materials, components, and systems needed for the clean energy transition. DOE is looking for projects that either build new facilities or re-equip or expand existing manufacturing or recycling facilities. The purpose is to increase domestic production and recycling of "advanced energy property," which generally refers to the kinds of products, components, or processing capabilities that enable clean energy deployment and resilient supply chains. Projects under AOI 1 can include both manufacturing and recycling, as long as the applicant can show the facility’s outputs align with the FOA’s definition and guidance for eligible advanced energy property.

AOI 2, Industrial Decarbonization, focuses on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the U.S. manufacturing sector by supporting significant emissions reductions at existing facilities and by enabling new builds that result in low-carbon materials. AOI 2 is split into two subtopics. Under AOI 2a, DOE is seeking projects that re-equip an existing industrial or manufacturing facility with equipment specifically designed to substantially reduce that facility’s GHG emissions. Under AOI 2b, DOE is seeking projects that establish new facilities or re-equip or expand existing manufacturing or recycling facilities that produce materials with substantially lower carbon intensity than an appropriate industry benchmark. AOI 2b also includes an explicit feedstock restriction: the low-carbon materials supported under this subtopic must not be derived from a primary feedstock of palm fatty acid distillates or fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and petroleum. That limitation is a clear screening criterion and should be addressed directly in the technical narrative and supporting documentation for any AOI 2b application.

In terms of key logistics, the opportunity number is DE-FOA-0003294 and the CFDA number is 81.253 (Energy). The original closing date listed is July 1, 2024. The listing shows eligible applicants as "Others," which usually signals that eligibility is defined in the FOA text rather than limited to a narrow class like only states or only universities; in this case, DOE highlights that the funding is intended to support projects by small- and medium-sized manufacturers in eligible energy communities. Applicants should therefore be prepared to document both organizational fit (such as company size status if required by the FOA) and geographic/community eligibility, along with any specific compliance items described in Section III and the updated guidance sections noted in the modification.

Overall, this grant opportunity is designed to do two things at once: strengthen domestic clean energy manufacturing and recycling supply chains (AOI 1) and cut industrial emissions while scaling low-carbon production (AOI 2). DOE is emphasizing real, facility-level investments, such as building, upgrading, and expanding plants, and it is pairing that with eligibility and documentation requirements that ensure projects are both located in the right communities and aligned with the defined advanced energy and decarbonization outcomes described in the FOA.

• The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program Section 40209" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.253.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-01. (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 $100,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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