Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003136
Connected Communities 2.0: Innovations to Manage Growing Transportation, Building, and Industrial Loads to the Grid (DE-FOA-0003136) is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), administered through the Golden Field Office. The program is aimed at a very practical problem showing up across the country: electricity demand is rising quickly in new places and new ways because of electrification in transportation (especially EV charging), upgrades in buildings (like heat pumps and electric appliances), and expanding industrial activity, along with newer computing-related loads. The FOA is designed to fund real-world demonstrations and tools that help customers, utilities, and grid planners manage these growing loads without sacrificing reliability, resilience, or affordability.
The FOA is structured around two main topical areas. The first is "Connected Communities 2.0," which focuses on grid-edge technical measures in buildings, industry, and transportation. In plain terms, this is about using technologies and controls on the customer side of the meter (and at the distribution edge of the grid) to make load growth more manageable and to strengthen resilience for both customers and the grid. It emphasizes coordinated solutions that can reduce peak demand, shift load to better times, and provide services that support distribution system operation. The second topical area is "Smart Charge Management (SCM)," centered specifically on EV charging across different contexts, including urban, suburban, and rural use cases. The goal there is to build confidence that managed charging can reliably provide flexibility and value to the grid, rather than EVs simply acting as an unmanaged source of new peak load.
A core theme of the opportunity is that the funded projects are expected to produce learnings that can be used by the people who actually make grid investment and policy decisions. That includes electric system planners and operators, utility strategic planning teams, regulators such as Public Utility Commissions (PUCs), and other local or regional stakeholders. The FOA explicitly ties technical demonstrations to planning and regulatory confidence, with the idea that proven approaches can help "right size" distribution investments. Instead of defaulting to expensive infrastructure upgrades everywhere, the program is looking for evidence that grid-edge measures and smart charging can defer or reduce traditional capacity expansion while maintaining service quality and keeping costs down for customers and ratepayers.
The cohort of awarded projects is framed around three primary goals. First, projects should demonstrate how smart, coordinated management of EVs and other distributed energy resources (DERs) can provide measurable grid support and reduce system costs at a scale large enough to matter. The FOA highlights integrated packages rather than one-off gadgets: energy efficiency, smart electrical panels, solar, heat pumps, controls, EV charging, and energy storage are all named as components that can be orchestrated together. The underlying message is that coordinated demand flexibility and DER integration can improve both grid operations and the customer value proposition, making adoption more economically attractive.
Second, the FOA wants projects that directly address acceptance and trust among utilities, regulators, and communities. That means showing not only that smart charge management and grid-edge measures work technically, but that they can be planned for, verified, and relied on as legitimate alternatives or complements to conventional distribution upgrades. This goal points toward demonstrations that include clear measurement and verification, transparent operational strategies, and planning approaches utilities and commissions can incorporate into standard processes.
Third, the FOA emphasizes resilience under increasingly stressed conditions. Funded efforts are expected to demonstrate ways communities and end-use customers can maintain or recover critical services during extreme weather events, cyber threats, and other reliability challenges, especially as society becomes more dependent on electricity for transportation and heating. The resilience angle is not limited to backup power; it also includes how grid-edge capabilities, controls, and coordinated resources can help the broader system ride through disruptions or reduce outage impacts.
On funding and award structure, the opportunity uses cooperative agreements, meaning DOE typically expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, through technical direction, milestone reviews, and active collaboration). The FOA states an estimated total program funding level of about $65 million, co-funded across multiple DOE offices, including BTO, VTO, SETO, IEDO, GTO, and OE, which signals a cross-cutting portfolio that spans buildings, vehicles, solar/DER, industrial energy, grid technology, and grid reliability concerns. The listed award ceiling is $6,000,000 per award. The Opportunity Category is discretionary, and the Funding Activity Category is energy, under CFDA 81.086. The eligible applicants field is shown as "Others," but the FOA directs applicants to review the full eligibility language in Section III.A of the official announcement.
For timing and submission, the original closing date is October 10, 2024. Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE portal (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov). Applicants need to register and create an account in the system prior to submission, and DOE provides a user guide through the Exchange manuals page (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx) after login. The FOA also notes that instructions for submitting questions, both about the FOA content and about the submission process, are provided in the full announcement posted on EERE eXCHANGE. For anything that determines whether an organization can apply, what cost share is required (if any), what constitutes a compliant application, and what criteria will be used to score proposals, the controlling source is the full FOA document on the Exchange site.Apply for DE FOA 0003136
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Connected Communities 2.0: Innovations to Manage Growing Transportation, Building, and Industrial Loads to the Grid" 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 2024-07-22.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-10-10. (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 $6,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Connected Communities 2.0 funding opportunity?
Connected Communities 2.0: Innovations to Manage Growing Transportation, Building, and Industrial Loads to the Grid (DE-FOA-0003136) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding opportunity from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), administered through the Golden Field Office. It supports real-world demonstrations and tools that help manage rapidly growing electricity demand driven by electrification in transportation (especially EV charging), building upgrades (like heat pumps and electric appliances), expanding industrial activity, and newer computing-related loads.
Why is DOE offering this FOA now?
The FOA is aimed at a practical grid challenge: electricity demand is rising quickly in new places and new ways. DOE is looking for approaches that help customers, utilities, and grid planners manage load growth while protecting reliability, resilience, and affordability.
Which DOE office is leading this opportunity?
The opportunity is issued by DOE EERE and administered through DOE's Golden Field Office.
What are the main topical areas in this FOA?
The FOA is organized around two topical areas: (1) Connected Communities 2.0, focused on grid-edge technical measures across buildings, industry, and transportation; and (2) Smart Charge Management (SCM), focused specifically on managed EV charging in urban, suburban, and rural contexts.
What does "Connected Communities 2.0" focus on?
Connected Communities 2.0 focuses on customer-side-of-the-meter and distribution-edge measures (grid-edge measures) that make load growth more manageable and strengthen resilience for customers and the grid. It emphasizes coordinated solutions that can reduce peak demand, shift load to better times, and provide services that support distribution system operation.
What does "Smart Charge Management (SCM)" mean in this FOA?
SCM is centered on EV charging and is intended to build confidence that managed charging can reliably provide flexibility and value to the grid, rather than EVs becoming an unmanaged source of new peak load.
What kinds of outcomes is DOE expecting from funded projects?
DOE expects projects to produce practical learnings that can be used by decision-makers who plan, operate, regulate, and invest in the power system. The FOA ties technical demonstrations to planning and regulatory confidence, with the goal of helping right-size distribution investments while maintaining service quality and controlling costs for customers and ratepayers.
Who is expected to use the results of these projects?
The FOA highlights intended users such as electric system planners and operators, utility strategic planning teams, regulators (including Public Utility Commissions), and other local or regional stakeholders involved in grid investment and policy decisions.
What are the three primary goals for the cohort of selected projects?
The FOA frames the project cohort around three goals: (1) demonstrate measurable grid support and system cost reductions from coordinated management of EVs and other distributed energy resources (DERs) at meaningful scale; (2) address acceptance and trust among utilities, regulators, and communities by demonstrating approaches that can be planned for, verified, and relied on; and (3) demonstrate resilience under stressed conditions (e.g., extreme weather, cyber threats, and other reliability challenges), including maintaining or recovering critical services.
What does DOE mean by "integrated packages" of technologies?
The FOA emphasizes coordinated solutions rather than isolated devices. It names components that may be orchestrated together, including energy efficiency, smart electrical panels, solar, heat pumps, controls, EV charging, and energy storage.
How does this FOA relate to traditional grid infrastructure upgrades?
A key objective is to generate evidence that grid-edge measures and smart charging can defer or reduce traditional capacity expansion and distribution upgrades in some situations, instead of defaulting to expensive infrastructure buildouts everywhere.
What does the FOA say about measurement, verification, and planning confidence?
The FOA specifically calls for demonstrations that help utilities, regulators, and communities trust that these approaches can be planned for and relied upon. It points toward clear measurement and verification, transparent operational strategies, and planning approaches that utilities and commissions can incorporate into standard processes.
How is resilience addressed in this opportunity?
The FOA emphasizes resilience not only as backup power, but also as the ability for grid-edge capabilities, controls, and coordinated resources to help communities and end-use customers maintain or recover critical services during extreme weather, cyber threats, and other disruptions, and to reduce outage impacts as reliance on electricity grows.
What type of award instrument is used?
The FOA uses cooperative agreements, which means DOE typically expects substantial involvement during the project period, such as technical direction, milestone reviews, and active collaboration.
How much total funding is estimated for the program?
The FOA states an estimated total program funding level of about $65 million.
What is the maximum funding per award?
The listed award ceiling is $6,000,000 per award.
Which DOE offices are co-funding the program?
The FOA notes the program is co-funded across multiple DOE offices, including BTO, VTO, SETO, IEDO, GTO, and OE, reflecting a cross-cutting portfolio spanning buildings, vehicles, solar/DER, industrial energy, grid technology, and grid reliability.
What is the CFDA number and funding category listed for this opportunity?
The FOA lists CFDA 81.086. The Funding Activity Category is energy, and the Opportunity Category is discretionary.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligible applicants field is shown as "Others," but the FOA directs applicants to review the official eligibility language in Section III.A of the full announcement. The full FOA document is the controlling source for eligibility requirements.
When is the application due?
The original closing date listed is October 10, 2024.
How do applicants submit an application?
Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE portal at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Applicants must register and create an account prior to submission.
Where can applicants find submission instructions and portal help?
DOE provides a user guide through the Exchange manuals page (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx) after login. The FOA also notes that instructions for submitting questions about FOA content and the submission process are provided in the full announcement posted on EERE eXCHANGE.
Where should applicants look for the official rules on cost share, compliance, and scoring?
The FOA states that the controlling source for eligibility, cost share (if any), what constitutes a compliant application, and the criteria used to score proposals is the full FOA document posted on the EERE eXCHANGE site.
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