Office: Resource Sustainability
FOA number: DE-FOA-0002619
Download the full funding opportunity: FedConnect
Funding Amount: $30 million

Background Information

On August 21, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced up to $30 million to help lower the costs of the onshore production of rare earths and other critical minerals and materials from domestic coal-based resources. The funding, provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help meet the growing demand for critical minerals in the United States, while reducing our reliance on offshore supplies. Rare earths and other critical minerals are key to U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies—such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells—to advance President Biden’s historic climate agenda. Extracting these materials from coal, coal waste, and associated by-products also creates good-paying jobs in communities that have historically produced fuels and electric power from fossil energy resources, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to revitalize energy communities and ensure stronger access to benefits through the Justice40 Initiative. 

According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Mineral Information Center, the United States imports over 80% of its rare earth demand from non-domestic suppliers. But rare earth elements occur naturally all around us, including in our domestic coal and coal wastes. The funding opportunity announcement released is seeking to tap this unconventional resource to help build a domestic supply chain critical to the U.S. economy, clean energy, and national security. The program will fund research for laboratory and bench-scale testing of economically viable, environmentally benign extraction, separation, and refining technologies, starting with unconventional coal-based resources, and producing rare earths and critical minerals for use in clean energy, national defense, and/or commercial commodity products and equipment. 

In alignment with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance environmental justice and equity, funding applicants must carefully address the societal considerations and impacts of their proposed projects, emphasizing early, active, and meaningful engagement with communities. The program contributes to President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which works to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are underserved and overburdened by pollution.

The deadline to submit applications for this funding opportunity has closed.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include individuals, institutions of higher education, for-profit and non-profit organizations, state and local governments, and tribal nations.

Topic Areas

This funding opportunity announcement has two areas of interest:

1. Advanced Process Development for Production of Rare Earth Metals and Co-Production of Critical Minerals and Materials from Coal-Based Resources
2. Production of Critical Minerals and Materials Excluding Materials Containing Rare Earth Elements from Coal-Based Resources

Funding

DOE expects to award a total of $30M in federal funding with a minimum of a 20% cost-sharing from the awardees.

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on FedConnect.
• All applicants must register and apply on Grants.gov and submit questions through FedConnect

Last Updated: November 6, 2023