Within DOE’s grant, loan, and financing programs, CMEI issues funding opportunities year-round to inform the public about available federal financial grants.
In addition to direct funding support, CMEI also provides tailored knowledge-based support (technical assistance) and do-it-yourself (DIY) resource support (online tools and calculators).
Research, Development, and Demonstration Funding
CMEI primarily awards funding through an open, competitive process hosted on the Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE, but other types of financial support are available as well. Project selections are merit-based.
CMEI releases funding opportunities following a consistent process wherein:
- First, CMEI opens a request for information (RFI) to gather input from potential applicants and stakeholders.
- Often, the office will publish a notice of intent (NOI) to issue funding, which allows interested applicants to consider developing concept papers based on the stated areas of interest.
- Ultimately, CMEI may announce a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) as described in the NOI, but the final NOFO language may be significantly different or may not be issued at all.
Anyone who is interested in applying for CMEI funding notices will need to complete several one-time actions before submitting a NOFO application, including registering with Login.gov, the System for Award Management (SAM), Grants.gov, and FedConnect.net.
A full listing of current and past solicitations is available on the Funding Opportunity eXCHANGE.
Prizes and Competitions
CMEI partners with the American-Made program to administer most of its prizes and competitions on the HeroX.com platform for students, researchers, innovators—anyone with a creative idea.
Prizes offer competitors:
- Faster access to DOE funding.
- Opportunities to gain career experience working with new energy technologies.
- Collaboration with public, private, and philanthropic entities supporting and sponsoring a prize.
- Cash awards and recognition for excellence in a particular area.
Partnership Intermediary Agreements
Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIAs) is a funding mechanism to increase cooperative and joint activities between DOE and small business firms, institutes of higher education, non-traditional performers, and innovative collaborators enabling the rapid development, scaling, and commercialization of relevant technologies and solutions.
PIAs are administered by a third party who also helps accelerate partnership formation in support of DOE’s missions to expand development and commercialization of energy solutions, heighten energy security, and strengthen national security ecosystems.
Learn more on DOE Office of Technology Commercialization’s PIA website.
Other Types of Funding
One way CMEI partners with businesses is by buying goods and services. For example, CMEI would use a procurement contract to purchase computers for its employees. To offer a product or service, getting listed on the General Service Administration's schedule and bidders list is the first step toward selling products and services to the federal government.
Also, partnering with an ESCO, or energy service company, is a way to provide services to federal facilities. An ESCO is a commercial business providing designs and implementation of energy savings projects, energy conservation, energy infrastructure outsourcing, power generation and energy supply, and risk management. DOE maintains a list of qualified ESCOs contracted to provide energy savings performance contract services.
A cooperative research and development agreement, or CRADA, is an agreement between a government laboratory and a private party to work together on the research and development of new technologies.
CMEI manages formula grants for state and local government energy projects, and funding formulas are set by federal statute. State energy offices may also have programs and opportunities of interest; look up a state energy office.
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program is a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in federal research/R&D that has the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR enables small businesses to explore their technological potential and provides the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation's R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.
For more information, visit the SBIR website.
A Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) is a type of assistance instrument used in rare cases to support or stimulate research projects involving for-profit firms, especially commercial firms that do business primarily in the commercial marketplace. TIAs are different from grants and cooperative agreements in that the award terms may vary from the government-wide standard terms (See DOE TIA regulations at 10 CFR Part 603). The primary purposes for including a TIA in the type of available award instruments are to encourage non-traditional government contractors to participate in an R&D program and to facilitate new relationships and business practices. A TIA can be particularly useful for awards to consortia (See 10 CFR 603.225(b) and 603.515, Qualification of a Consortium).
In rare cases, funding may be provided non-competitively through the DOE unsolicited proposal process. An unsolicited proposal is an application for assistance that is not submitted at the request of the government or in response to a FOA. DOE's central point for unsolicited proposals is the National Energy Technology Laboratory. Learn more at the lab's Solicitations and Business Opportunities page.
Other DOE agencies, like the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), provide financial opportunities as well. ARPA-E advances high potential, high-impact energy technologies that are too early for private-sector investment. ARPA-E projects have the potential to radically improve U.S. economic security, national security, and environmental well-being. ARPA-E empowers America's energy researchers with funding, technical assistance, and market readiness.
Low-income individuals may be eligible for the Weatherization Assistance Program, a program that improves the energy efficiency of a home, by doing tasks like increasing insulation and replacing inefficient windows.
DOE supports a number of additional energy-related grant, loan, and financing programs, as does its ARPA-E program.
CMEI does not provide grants for consumers to purchase or install technologies.
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