Critical Minerals and Materials Program

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Highlights

Relevant News

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Vision

Build reliable, resilient, affordable, and secure domestic critical mineral and materials supply chains that support the energy, manufacturing, and transportation economies while promoting safe solutions to meet current and future needs. 

 

Program

Four efforts (diversiy and expand supply, develop alternatives, improve material & manufacturing efficiency, reuse and recycle) for basic science, applied R&D, pilots, demonstrations, and commercial deployment
Graphic by the U.S. Department of Energy

Learn more about the CMM program at DOE: Building Secure Supply Chains for America's Energy Future.

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Strategy

Four columns labeling pillars above four labeled efforts
  • Broaden and Expand Supply: Identify and secure substantial resources from a wide variety of feedstocks including primary and secondary sources, co-produced materials from existing operations, and international partners.  
  • Develop Alternatives: Produce new materials that have less disruption potential and design manufactured parts and systems that require little to no critical materials to function.
  • Improve Materials and Manufacturing Efficiency: Design for atom economy, reduce waste through efficient use, and improve overall efficiency of mining through manufacturing and recycling to minimize environmental impacts while maximizing yield. 
  • Reuse and Recycle: Remanufacture, refurbish, repair, reuse, recycle, and repurpose all materials that are used in a modern economy to extend the lifetime of materials and/or partially offset the need for virgin material extraction.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) supports these strategy pillars by enabling activities, cross-cutting functions to enable and enhance research, development, demonstration, and deployment efforts across four areas: 

  • Analysis and advanced tools
  • Market assessment and development
  • International engagement and standards
  • Education and workforce development.

Funding Opportunities

Review recent open and closed (under review) funding opportunities related to critical minerals and materials and catch up on awardees from past funding selections.

  • Office/ProgramOpportunityDue Date
    Manufacturing Deployment Office (MDO)Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Grant ProgramsLetter of Intent Deadline: 3/27/2026 5 p.m. ET

    Full Application Submission Deadline: 4/24/2026 5 p.m. ET
    Office of Science (SC)Building EPSCoR-State/National Laboratory PartnershipsRequired pre-application due 3/18/26 at 5 p.m. ET.
     
    Full application due 5/21/2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
    Office of Science (SC)Early Career Research ProgramRequired pre-application due 3/24/26 at 5 p.m. ET.
     
    Full application due 6/2/2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
    Office of Science (SC)Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC)Required pre-application due 4/1/26 at 5 p.m. ET.
     
    Full application due 7/1/2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
    Office of Science (SC)Office of Science Financial Assistance Program9/30/2026

Relevant Offices

Resources

Critical Minerals & Materials Projects Database