Tribal Colleges and Universities Planning for Clean Energy Transition - 2025 | DE FOA 0003402

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003402

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Planning for Clean Energy Transition - 2025 opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003402, CFDA 81.087) is a Notice of Intent (NOI) from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Indian Energy, indicating that DOE expects to release a future Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) focused on helping Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) plan how to transition their campuses to clean energy. The notice emphasizes that this is not an active application solicitation and was reposted/updated mainly to adjust dates and formally close out the NOI. Everything described is preliminary and may change, and DOE will not answer questions about the NOI itself; questions would only be handled after an actual FOA is released, if it is released at all.

The planned purpose of the funding is campus clean energy transition planning. In practical terms, DOE is signaling support for planning work rather than construction or full project deployment. These would be financial assistance awards in the form of grants intended to help eligible TCUs think through, design, and prepare a roadmap for clean energy on campus. While the NOI does not list specific required activities, the framing suggests planning tasks like assessing current campus energy use, evaluating clean energy options, considering resilience and reliability needs, developing conceptual designs, estimating costs and timelines, and preparing the institution to compete for or implement later-stage deployment funding.

Eligibility is limited to Tribal Colleges and Universities that meet specific federal definitions and geographic requirements. For the planned FOA, eligible TCUs must be institutions of higher education located in the 48 contiguous United States or Alaska, and they must qualify under the relevant statutory definitions tied to the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978 and the Higher Education Act of 1965. The notice spells out that, for this program, a TCU is generally an institution of higher education that is formally controlled, formally sanctioned, or chartered by the governing body of an Indian tribe or tribes, with a limitation that no more than one institution is recognized with respect to any single tribe. The eligibility discussion also references institutions cited as eligible for funding under Section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994, institutions qualifying under the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978, and Dine College as authorized under the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978. Although the source data lists "EligibleApplicants: Unrestricted," the narrative makes clear the intended applicant pool is TCUs meeting these definitions.

In terms of funding size and structure, DOE indicates it anticipates multiple awards totaling about $5 million, with individual planning grants expected to range from $100,000 to $250,000. No recipient cost share is anticipated, which typically means applicants would not be required to contribute matching funds as a condition of receiving an award (subject to the final FOA terms). The estimated period of performance for each award is expected to be about two to three years, giving campuses time to complete meaningful planning and pre-development work rather than rushing to produce only high-level reports.

The NOI also includes important process and timing notes. DOE stated an intention to issue the FOA in late Summer 2024, but the notice repeatedly cautions that DOE may issue a FOA as described, may issue a FOA that differs significantly, or may choose not to issue a FOA at all. When and if the FOA is released, applications would be accepted only through the IE-Exchange portal (https://ie-exchange.energy.gov), and the notice highlights that no applications will be accepted through the NOI. For applicants that want to track the release, DOE recommends subscribing to the Office of Indian Energy email newsletter via its homepage (https://energy.gov/indianenergy). The attached NOI (referenced in the posting) is also flagged as the place to find more details, including the registrations that would be needed before submitting an application once the FOA opens.

Administrative details from the posting include the agency name listed as the Golden Field Office, the opportunity category as discretionary, the activity category as energy, and the instrument type listed as "Other" (even though the narrative describes awards as grants). The posting shows an original closing date of 2026-01-21 and a creation date of 2026-01-20, which aligns with the note that this entry was adjusted to close out the NOI rather than function as a live competitive funding round.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Tribal Colleges and Universities Planning for Clean Energy Transition - 2025" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-01-20.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-01-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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