Through a U.S. Department of Energy grant, the Tonto Apache Tribe installed a 76.5-kilowatt photovoltaic system on their administration building to reduce building energy use. Photo by Deb Lastowka, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs intends to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) later this year that will help promote tribal energy sufficiency by providing funding for Tribes to make their buildings more energy efficient and deploy community-scale clean energy systems.

Eligible applicants for this opportunity include Indian Tribes, Alaska Native regional and village corporations, tribal energy resource development organizations, and tribal consortia on whose Indian land the project will be located.

Applications from a consortium of Indian Tribes will be accepted but must be submitted by a single Indian Tribe acting as the applicant representing the consortium. Applications may also be submitted on behalf of an Indian Tribe(s) by an authorized tribal organization or inter-tribal organization, provided evidence of that authority is supplied as part of the application.

A Tribal Council Resolution from each participating Indian Tribe, declaration (or resolution) from each tribal energy resource development organization or tribal consortium, and letter of commitment from all other project participants will be required as a part of the application. If an application is being submitted on behalf of an Indian Tribe(s) by an authorized tribal organization or inter-tribal organization, evidence of that authority will be required as part of the application, along with a declaration (or resolution) from the tribal organization or inter-tribal organization and a letter of commitment from all other project participants. All resolutions, declarations, and letters of commitment must be specific to the FOA and must include any cost-sharing commitments.

The purpose of this notice of intent (NOI) is to provide potential applicants advance notice that the DOE Office of Indian Energy, on behalf of DOE, intends to issue an FOA titled "DE-FOA-0001390 - Deployment of Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects on Indian Lands." NO APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH THIS NOTICE. DOE plans to issue the FOA in or around the last calendar quarter in 2015.

In order to be notified when an FOA is issued and to be able to submit an application, prospective applicants must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A user guide for EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE eXCHANGE website after logging in to the system.

For more, see the full NOI (DE-FOA-0001391).

To stay up to date on opportunities like this, as well as other capacity-building resources for Tribes, join the DOE Office of Indian Energy’s email list