Past Water Power Funding Opportunities | Department of Energy

This page provides a brief summary of the Water Power Technologies Office’s past funding opportunities and selections organized by the fiscal year (FY) in which they were released.

For information about current opportunities, see the Current Opportunities page.

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower	Technical Assistance	Technical Assistance for Hydropower Hybrids and Pumped Storage Hydropower	3/1/2024	Statements of interest due 4/1/2024	TBD
Hydropower; Marine Energy	Fellowship	Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship - Host Institution Applications	2/1/2024	3/12/2024	TBD
Hydropower, Marine Energy	SBIR/STTR	SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2	1/18/2024	3/12/2024	TBD
Marine Energy	FOA	Funding Notice: Installation Noise Reduction and Reliable Moorings for Offshore Wind and Marine Energy	9/29/2023	3/1/2024	TBD
Marine Energy	Research Program	Apply Now for the Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program	9/18/2023	12/1/2023	TBD
Hydropower; Marine Energy	Prize	Make a Splash Photo and Video Contest	8/9/2023	11/17/2023	U.S. Department of Energy Announces Water Power Photo and Video Contest Winners

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy	FOA	Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: U.S. Tidal Energy Advancement	5/8/23	Topic Area 1: 7/25/2023 Topic Area 2: 10/19/2023	Biden-Harris Administration Invests Nearly $16 Million to Advance Marine Energy in the U.S.
Hydropower; Marine Energy	Grant	WPTO and MSRDC Seed Grants for Marine Energy and Hydropower	8/2/23	10/13/23	WPTO Announces Nearly $1.2 Million to Support Water Power Research at Minority-Serving Institutions
Hydropower	Prize	Hydropower Operations Optimization (H2Os) Prize Phase 4	7/19/23	8/16/23	Winners Announced in Final Phase of Hydropower Operations Optimization Prize
Hydropower; Marine Energy	FOA	WPTO and NSF Engineering Research Initiation Special Emphasis Areas	6/15/23	9/15/23	TBD
Marine Energy	Prize	Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize (InDEEP) Phase I	3/27/23	8/25/23	DOE Announces Winners in First Round of Prize Focused on Novel Wave Energy Technologies
Crosscutting	Collegiate Competition	Hydropower/Marine Energy Collegiate Competition	3/27/23	4/24/23	U.S. Department of Energy Announces Winners of the 2023 Hydropower and Marine Energy Collegiate Competitions
Hydropower; Marine Energy	SBIR/STTR	SBIR Phase II Release 2	2/27/23	4/18/23	Six Small Businesses Receive Funding for Marine Energy Research and Development
N/A	SBIR/STTR	SBIR/STTR Program Phase I Release 2	12/12/22	2/21/23	Eighteen Small Businesses Receive Funding for Hydropower and Marine Energy Research and Development
Hydropower	NOTA	HydroWIRES Technical Assistance Program	11/9/22	3/10/23	WPTO Announces $4.3 Million in Technical Assistance for the Hydropower Community
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0002801: Advancing Fish Passage and Protection Technologies	10/31/22	3/27/23	U.S. Department of Energy Invests $6.3 Million in Environmentally Sustainable Hydropower with Research to Advance Fish Passage and Protection Technologies
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0002731: Funding Notice: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Innovative Technologies to Enable Low-Impact Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydropower Growth	10/19/22	3/6/22	Biden-Harris Administration Invests More Than $13 Million to Enhance Continued Deployment of Hydropower
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0002802: Funding Notice: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Pumped Storage Hydropower Wind and Solar Integration and System Reliability Initiative	10/19/22	12/15/22	TBD
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0002800: Funding Notice: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Stakeholder Insight into Hydropower R&D Issues	10/19/22	11/18/22	Biden-Harris Administration Invests $3.7 Million in Project to Deepen Relationships and Trust Among Key Parties to Improve Hydropower Research and Development
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002793: Marine Energy Systems Innovation at Sea	9/29/22	3/2/23	U.S. Department of Energy Invests Nearly $10 Million to Advance Marine Energy

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower, Marine Energy	Lab Call	Hydropower and Marine Energy Lab Call	N/A	12/9/22	WPTO Announces over $16 Million in New National Lab-Led Hydropower and Marine Projects
Hydropower	Prize	WPTO Announces Third Phase of Hydropower Operations Optimization Prize	9/29/22	11/11/22	DOE Announces Winners of Hydropower Operations Optimization Prize
Marine Energy	Graduate Student Research Program	Applications Now Open for Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program	9/13/22	12/2/22	Five Students Selected for Marine Energy Graduate Student Research Program
Hydropower	Prize	Hydropower Operations Optimizations (H2Os) Prize Phase Two	7/7/22	8/19/22	WPTO Announces Phase Two Winners in Hydropower Operations Optimization Prize
Hydropower	RFI	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 243 and 247 Hydroelectric Incentive Programs	6/30/22	9/6/22	N/A
Marine Energy	Prize	Marine Energy Collegiate Competition	4/7/22	5/8/22	DOE Announces Winners of 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition
Hydropower	Prize	Hydropower Collegiate Competition	4/7/22	5/8/22	First Hydropower Collegiate Competition and 2023 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Competitors Announced
Hydropower	Prize	Hydropower Operations Optimization (H2O) Prize Phase One	4/6/22	5/20/22	WPTO Announces Phase One Winners in Hydropower Prize to Improve Grid Reliability and Resiliency
Hydropower	RFI	Data and Research Needs for Climate Change-Informed Hydropower Operation and Research Planning	4/4/22	8/8/22	N/A
Hydropower, Marine Energy	SBIR/STTR	Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs	2/28/22	7/11/22	Twelve Small Businesses Receive Funding to Further Hydropower and Marine Energy Research and Development
Hydropower	Incentive Program	EPAct 2005 Section 242 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	12/27/21	2/10/22	U.S. Department of Energy Distributes $13.5 Million to Support Record Number of Hydroelectric Facilities
Hydropower; Marine Energy	SBIR/STTR	SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2	12/13/21	2/22/22	Thirteen Small Businesses Receive Funding to Advance Hydropower and Marine Energy Research and Development
Marine Energy	Research Program	Marine and Hydrokinetic Graduate Student Research Program	10/18/21	12/10/21	Three Students Selected for Graduate Student Research Program to Advance Marine Energy R&D
Hydropower	Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)	DE-FOA-0002417: Technology Innovation To Increase Hydropower Flexibility	9/30/21	1/21/22	U.S. Department of Energy Announces $8 Million for Technologies to Increase Hydropower Flexibility
N/A	Prize	EERE Inclusive Energy Innovation Prize	9/30/21	2/25/22	DOE Awards $3.6 Million to Promote Equity And Diversity in Clean Energy Innovation

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower	RFI	Testing Capabilities and Facilities to Validate Hydropower Technology Innovations	8/24/21	12/7/21	N/A
Hydropower	RFI	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	7/8/21	9/7/21	N/A
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002415: Advancing Wave Energy Technologies through Open Water Testing at PacWave	7/7/21	: 10/5/21	Water Power Technologies Office Awards $25M for Open-Water R&D at PacWave
Hydropower Marine Energy	RFI	Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Technology	6/8/21	8/6/21	Summary: Responses to the Request for Information on Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Technology
Marine Energy	Request For Proposals (RFP)	Advancing Research for the Co-Existence of Fishing, Coastal Communities and Regional Ocean Renewable Energies	3/29/21	7/16/21	TBD
Hydropower	Notice of Opportunity for Technical Assistance (NOTA)	Improving Hydropower’s Value Through Informed Decision-Making	2/17/21	4/16/21	EERE Announces Selectees for Technical Assistance and Upcoming Funding Opportunity on Hydropower Operational Flexibility
Marine Energy	Lab Call	Marine Energy Infrastructure Lab Call	12/20/20	3/20/21	Marine Energy Infrastructure Lab Call Selection
Hydropower; Marine Energy	SBIR/STTR	SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2	12/14/20	2/22/21	Funding for Twelve New Marine Energy Research and Development Projects
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002360: SBIR/STTR Phase I Release 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement	12/14/20	1/4/21	Seven Innovative Water Power Technologies Selected for Research and Development Funding
Marine Energy	Grant	Operation and Maintenance of the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI 2.0)	10/28/20	12/28/20	N/A
Marine Energy	Prize	Marine Energy Collegiate Competition	N/A	N/A	DOE Announces the 2022 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Contenders
Hydropower; Marine Energy	TCF	2021 Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF)	N/A`	N/A	Three Projects Funded in Latest Round of the Technology Commercialization Fund
Hydropower	Prize	Groundbreaking Hydro Prize	9/25/20	1/31/21	U.S. Department of Energy Announces Groundbreaking Hydro Prize Winners
Hydropower	Prize	I AM Hydro Prize	6/30/20	10/30/20	Hydropower Manufacturing Prize Winners Conceive Strategies To Lower Costs and Improve Performance of Hydropower Components
Marine Energy	Prize	Ocean Observing Prize	9/18/19	1/1/24	DOE and NOAA Announce 11 Winners of the Powering the Blue Economy Ocean Observing Prize
Marine Energy	Prize	Waves to Water Prize	6/13/19	9/11/19	U.S. Department of Energy Announces Finalists Advancing to Final Stage of "Waves to Water" Desalination Prize

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower	SEC 242	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	5/12/20	7/13/20	New Round of Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program Funding Now Available
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002234: Marine Energy Foundational Research and Testing Infrastructure	3/31/20	5/11/20	Energy Department Invests $22M in Marine Energy Foundational R&D and Testing Infrastructure
Hydropower	RFI	WPTO Hydropower Lab Seedling Program Request for Innovation	3/20/20	5/1/20	N/A
Hydropower	Prize	Fish Protection Prize	1/27/20	8/30/20	DOE Selects Grand Prize Winners of the Fish Protection Prize and Announces Deadlines for Two Additional Hydropower Prizes
Marine Energy	Prize	Marine Energy Collegiate Competition	N/A	N/A	Energy Department Announces 2020 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Winning Teams
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2020 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	Four New Projects Selected in Latest Round of the Technology Commercialization Fund

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy	RFI	Marine Energy Laboratory Seedling Program Request for Innovation	8/21/19	9/27/19	N/A
Marine Energy	Prize	Marine Energy Collegiate Competition	8/15/19	11/1/19	Energy Department Announces 2020 Marine Energy Collegiate Competition Winning Teams
Hydropower	SEC 242	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	5/21/19	6/20/19	New Round of Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program Funding Now Available
Hydropower; Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002080: Water Power Technologies Office 2019 Research Funding Opportunity Announcement	4/1/19	7/9/19	DOE Announces $24.9 Million Funding Selections to Advance Hydropower and Water Technologies
Hydropower	Prize	Furthering Advancements to Shorten Time Commissioning for Pumped Storage Hydropower Prize	4/1/19	6/7/19	Energy Department Announces the Grand Prize Winners of the FAST Prize Competition
Hydropower; Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0002012: Network Director for the U.S. Testing Expertise and Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program	3/22/19	6/7/19	Energy Department Announces Network Director for Marine Energy Research and Testing Program
Hydropower	Prize	Improving Fish Exclusion from Water Diversions and Intakes Prize	3/6/19	5/6/19	N/A
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2019 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	Four Project Recipients in Latest Round of the Technology Commercialization Fund

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy; Hydropower	SBIR/STTR	Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs	8/17/18	2/25/19	Energy Department’s Small Business Innovation Research Program Announces Seven New Water Power-Focused Projects for FY19
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001836: Innovative Design Concepts for Standard Modular Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydropower	8/8/18	11/30/18	Funding Selections Announced for Innovative Design Concepts for Standard Modular Hydropower and Pumped Storage Hydropower
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2018 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	Water Power Projects Among Technology Commercialization Fund Selections
Hydropower	SEC 242	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	6/20/18	7/20/18	EPACT 2005 SECTION 242 HYDRO INCENTIVE PROGRAM CALENDAR YEAR 2017 INCENTIVE RECIPIENTS
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001837: Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Advancement and Data Dissemination	4/30/18	5/21/18	U.S. Department of Energy Awards $25 Million for Next-Generation Marine Energy Research Projects
Hydropower	NOTA	Techno-Economic Studies of Pumped Storage Hydropower	4/25/18	7/12/18	Pumped Storage Projects Selected for Techno-Economic Studies
Hydropower	SBIR/ STTR	Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs	10/16/17	2/26/18	WPTO Selects Four Projects for Phase I SBIR and STTR Funding
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2018 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	Water Power Projects Among Technology Commercialization Fund Selections

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001662: Innovative Solutions for Fish Passage at Hydropower Dams	9/21/17	12/7/17	Energy Department Selects Four Projects for Fish Passage Funding
Hydropower	SEC 242	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	8/7/17	9/6/17	$6.6 Million Available in New Round of Funding for Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001663: Marine and Hydrokinetic Technology Development and Advancement	12/15/16	3/1/17	Energy Department Announces up to $12 Million for Projects to Advance Wave Energy
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2017 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	Secretary of Energy Rick Perry Announces Nearly $20 Million To Help Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies
Hydropower	GMLC	Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) Funding	N/A	N/A	Energy Department Invests Up to $50 Million to Improve the Resilience and Security of the Nation’s Critical Energy Infrastructure

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSE DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001419: Wave Energy Test Facility	8/16/16	9/20/16	Energy Department Announces Investment in Wave Energy Test Facility
Marine Energy; Hydropower	SBIR/STTR	Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs	8/15/16	2/7/17	Water Power Projects Selected for Research and Development Grant
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001455: HydroNEXT FOA: Innovative Technologies to Advance Non‐Powered Dam and Pumped‐Storage Hydropower Development	7/26/16	10/7/16	Energy Department Awards up to $9.8 Million for Next-Generation Hydropower Technologies
Hydropower	SEC 242	2016 Guidance and Application for Hydroelectric Incentive Payments	4/25/16	5/31/16	EPACT 2005 SECTION 242 HYDRO INCENTIVE PROGRAM CY15 INCENTIVE RECIPIENTS
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001418: Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion and Environmental Monitoring Technology Advancement	3/1/16	5/26/16	Energy Department Awards More Than $20 Million for Wave and Tidal Energy Projects
Hydropower	SEC 242	Guidance and Application for Hydroelectric Incentive Payments through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 Section 242 Program	12/16/15	2/1/16	EPACT 2005 SECTION 242 HYDRO INCENTIVE PROGRAM CY15 INCENTIVE RECIPIENTS
Marine Energy; Hydropower	TCF	2016 Technology Commercialization Fund	N/A	N/A	DOE Announces $16 Million for 54 Projects to Help Commercialize Promising Energy Technologies: Technology Commercialization Fund Will Support 12 National Labs and 52 Private Sector Partners
Hydropower; Marine Energy	SBIR/ STTR	Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs	N/A	N/A	FY2016 SBIR\EERE Phase II Award Selections

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSED DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Hydropower	SBIR	Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs	11/30/15	12/21/15	N/A
Marine Energy; Hydropower	N/A	Small Business Vouchers Pilot	9/23/15	10/23/15	Small Business Vouchers
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001310: Next Generation Marine Energy Systems	4/27/15	7/1/15	Energy Department Awards $10.5 Million for Next-Generation Marine Energy Systems
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001286: Research and Development of Innovative Technologies for Low-Impact Hydropower Development	4/9/15	6/15/15	Energy Department Awards $6.5 Million to Advance Low Environmental Impact Hydropower Technologies
Marine Energy; Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001285: U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center: Energy and Water	3/4/15	5/4/15	U.S./China Clean Energy Research Center for Water-Energy Technologies
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001182: Marine and Hydrokinetic Systems Performance Advancement II (SPA II): Component Metric Validation	1/9/15	3/26/15	Energy Department Awards $7.4 Million to Develop Advanced Components for Wave and Tidal Energy Systems
Hydropower	SEC 242	Energy Policy Act of 2005 Hydroelectric Production Incentive Program	N/A	N/A	EPACT 2005 Section 242 Hydro Incentive Program CY14 Incentive Recipients

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSED DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0001081: Marine and Hydrokinetic Demonstrations at the Navy's Wave Energy Test Site (WETS)	4/25/14	6/11/14	Energy Department Announces $10 Million for Full-Scale Wave Energy Device Testing
Hydropower	FOA	DE-FOA-0001006: Water Power Manufacturing	4/10/14	7/31/14	Energy Department Announces $4.4 Million to Advance Hydropower Manufacturing

TECHNOLOGY AREA	TYPE OF FUNDING	OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT	OPEN DATE	CLOSED DATE	SELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0000848: Marine and Hydrokinetic System Performance Advancement	4/22/13	6/3/13	FOA: Marine and Hydrokinetic System Performance Advancement
Marine Energy	FOA	DE-FOA-0000816: Marine and Hydrokinetic Environmental Effects Assessment and Monitoring	3/19/13	5/16/13	FOA: Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) Environmental Effects Assessment and Monitoring