Authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, managed through the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), and administered by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants program is designed to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters.
Program Information
The program will distribute funding to states, territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, over five years based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts. The states, territories, and tribes will then award these funds to a diverse set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit providing affordable and reliable energy.
Formula Grant Awards
Find more information about the Grid Resilience State and Tribal formula grant awards and Tribal Consortiums.
Fiscal Year 2025
On December 17, 2024, GDO published fiscal year 2025 (FY25) grant allocation amounts and released a Notice of Intent to open the FY25 Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants application and allocation request period in February 2025.
Resources
- Application Submission Webpage
- New Applicant Application Forms and Templates
- Step-by-step Application Videos - These videos provide guidance on the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant application process, including what you need to know before applying, registration and pre-application requirements, necessary forms, and steps after submission.
- FY25 Grant Allocations for States and Tribes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- NETL's Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Webpage
- Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Informational Webinar - May 30, 2024
- Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Informational Webinar - February 1, 2024
Program Information
Case Studies - Grid Resilience Valuation and Investment Prioritization
- Increasing Manhattan’s Energy Resilience Through Storm Hardening
- Undergrounding to Reduce Florida Power System Vulnerability to Extreme Weather
Case Studies - Utility Resilience Planning Practices for Hazards
Grid Resilience Overview Documents
- Low-Cost Grid Resilience Projects
- Microgrid Overview
- Guide to Install Back-up Battery Power Systems on Tribal Facilities
U.S. Territories Energy Sector Risk Profiles
Webinar Materials
- Grid Resilience Exchange: Strengthening Tribal Communities Workshop
- Rural Alaska Grid Resilience Workshop
- Build America, Buy America (BABA) and Davis Bacon Act (DBA) Training for Tribes
To learn about technical and other assistance options that GDO provides, please visit Request Grid Resilience Assistance.
The Formula Grant Explained
A formula grant is a non-competitive funding opportunity to a specific group of applicants, in this case to states and Indian tribes. A formula is used to allocate funds to the eligible applicants.The Formula and Resulting Allocations
For this program, the formula was based on five factors: population, area, probability of disruptive events, severity of disruptive events, and expenditure on mitigation efforts. The formula allocations resulted in these allocation amounts for each state, U.S. territory, and Federal recognized tribe for FY 2022, 2023 and 2024. Data sources for the formula are publicly available.Steps to Take Before You Apply
Prior to preparing your application you will need to issue a public notice and conduct a public hearing to receive input on the criteria, strategies, and methods you plan to use when determining and implementing your grid resilience projects. Applicant must also register for SAM.gov, FedConnect and obtain a UEI.How to Apply
The application process is outlined in the Administrative & Legal Requirements Document (ALRD) on DOE’s FedConnect. Video tutorials for completing and submitting the application are available, and include what you need to know before applying, registration and pre-application requirements, necessary forms, and steps after submission.How Long It Takes to Apply
The application process has been streamlined to minimize the number of forms and amount of information that needs to be provided with the application. Templates and sample documents are available. The Program Narrative submitted with your application, which describes the strategy for selecting and implementing resilience projects (estimated to be 5-15 pages), will require the most time to prepare. The Program Narrative also must include a summary of the public notice and hearing that was held to allow public input into these strategies.Funding Match Requirements States and Indian Tribes, and Sub-awardees
States and Indian tribes will need provide a 15 percent match on the Federal allocation. However, the 15 percent could be met in part by things like the salary paid to the staff that work on the project. Additionally, should the state or Indian tribe issue subawards for resilience projects, the entity receiving those funds must provide a 100 percent match (or 1/3 match for “small utilities”), as explained in the ALRD. Organizations chosen during the state or tribe’s selection process will need to contribute up to a 100 percent match, depending on the type of organization.Application Due Dates
Applications for FY24 closed on June 17, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Mail-in applications must have been postmarked by the respective deadline. Applications will be processed on a rolling basis as they are received.The Next Steps Once an Award is Made
Depending on how an eligible applicant determines distribution of funds (which is addressed in the application process), sub-awards to eligible entities could be established that addresses specific resilience criteria outlined in the application.Further Assistance
Once you have registered in FedConnect, you may submit questions to the administration team for this.If you have additional questions, please reach out to us at GDOTribalAssistance@hq.doe.gov and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Explore Our Programs
Visit the Grid and Transmission Program Conductor to see which financing program is right for you. Check out the State and Tribal Resource Hub for more valuable information for communities.