Notice of Intent (DE-FOA-0003547) - IE 2025 Energy Technology Deployment NOFO _FINAL 1-13-2025.docx

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Notice of Intent No. DE-FOA-0003547 Notice of Intent to Issue Notice of Funding Opportunity DE-FOA-0003548

Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands - 2025

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (hereafter referred to as the DOE Office of Indian Energy) intends to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), entitled “Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands – 2025”.

The DOE Office of Indian Energy is charged by Congress under the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self Determination Act of 2005 (Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), Title V, § 502, codified at 42 U.S.C. § 7144e and 25 U.S.C. § 3501 et seq.), to “provide, direct, foster, coordinate, and implement energy planning, education, management, conservation, and delivery programs that –

For more information on the DOE Office of Indian Energy, see its website.

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of DOE’s intention to issue this NOFO in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. DOE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice. However, once the NOFO has been released, DOE will provide an avenue for potential Applicants to submit questions. Applications will be due about 90 days after the NOFO is issued.

This planned NOFO will build on efforts by the DOE Office of Indian Energy and the authorities granted to the DOE Office of Indian Energy under EPAct 2005, to accelerate the deployment of energy technology on Tribal Lands. Between 2010 and 2024, the DOE Office of Indian Energy invested over $190 million in more than 240 tribal energy projects, valued collectively at over $300 million, implemented across the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. See the DOE Office of Indian Energy website for summaries of these competitively funded projects.

Through this planned NOFO, the DOE Office of Indian Energy will be continuing its efforts to maximize the deployment of energy solutions for the benefit of American Indian and Alaska Native communities, and to help build the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to implement those energy solutions. In support of these objectives, the DOE Office of Indian Energy intends to solicit applications to install energy technology on Tribal Lands. Through grants, the DOE Office of Indian Energy intends to provide financial support under the provisions of the Title V of EPAct 2005.

The DOE Office of Indian Energy plans to solicit applications from Indian Tribes, which include Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Village Corporations (hereafter referred collectively as “Indian Tribes”), Intertribal Organizations, and Tribal Energy Development Organizations to:

1) Install energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for Tribal Building(s) (Area of Interest 1); or,

2) Deploy community-scale energy generating system(s) or community energy storage on Tribal Lands (Area of Interest 2); or,

3) Install integrated energy system(s) for autonomous operation (independent of the traditional centralized electric power grid) to power a single or multiple Essential Tribal Building(s) during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience (Area of Interest 3); or,

4) Power unelectrified Tribal Buildings (Area of Interest Area 4).

Except for Area of Interest 4, projects proposed under this NOFO are intended for Tribal Buildings that are either (1) grid-connected (which, for the purposes of the planned NOFO, means the Tribal Building(s) are connected to the traditional centralized electric power grid), or (2) connected to a stand-alone (isolated) microgrid that operates autonomously from the traditional centralized electric power grid.

Area of Interest 4 is intended to deploy integrated energy system(s) or energy infrastructure to provide electricity to Tribal Buildings which otherwise would be unelectrified, where “unelectrified” means Tribal Building(s) that are (1) not connected to the traditional centralized electric power grid, and (2) not connected to a stand-alone (isolated) microgrid that operates autonomously from the traditional centralized electric power grid.

This NOFO is intended to promote energy independence, economic development, with the ancillary benefit of providing employment on Tribal Lands through the use of commercially warrantied energy technology that eligible applicants believe are best suited to meet their needs, their location, and their available energy resources.

In addition to specific technical evaluation criteria to be identified in the planned NOFO, the Selection Official may also have the ability to consider the following program policy factors in making selections under the NOFO: geographic distribution; technology diversity; the optimum use of available DOE funding to achieve programmatic objectives; whether the proposed project serves tribal communities with high energy costs; whether the proposed project serves tribal communities not connected to the traditional centralized electrical power grid; and/or Applicants who have not previously received a grant from the Office of Indian Energy.

Pursuant to its authorizing statute, the DOE Office of Indian Energy will only consider applications from: (1) an Indian Tribe; (2) Intertribal Organization, or (3) Tribal Energy Development Organization; and (4) on whose Tribal Lands the project(s) will be located. Applications from a consortium of Indian Tribes (Tribal Consortium) will be accepted but must be submitted by a single Indian Tribe acting as the Applicant and representing the Consortium. Applications may also be submitted on behalf of Indian Tribe(s) by an authorized Tribal Organization, provided evidence of that authority is included as part of the application.

Tribal Lands, for purposes of the planned NOFO, will include: (1) Indian lands (lands located within the boundaries of an Indian Reservation, land not within the boundaries of an Indian Reservation which is held in trust, conveyed by the United States to a Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are Natives (as defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b)), and any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are persons who are enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe or village);[footnoteRef:1] (2) lands held in fee simple (purchased or owned) by an eligible entity; (3) land held under a long‐term land lease (as a minimum, for the useful life of the proposed project) by an eligible entity; and (4) land that was conveyed to a Native Corporation pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.) and subsequently conveyed to another entity, provided that entity is either a Native village or Tribal governmental entity or the land is held, invested, managed for and on behalf of a Native village or Tribal governmental entity. [1: The Energy Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116–260) added the following definitions to Indian Lands: (D) any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are Natives (as defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b))); and (E) any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are persons who are enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe or village.]

An executed Tribal Council Resolution from each participating Indian Tribe, a declaration (or resolution) from each Alaska Native Regional Corporation, Alaska Native Village Corporation, Intertribal Organization, and Tribal Energy Development Organization, and a letter of commitment from all other project participants are required as a part of the application, unless an Indian Tribe provides a commitment in a format other than a Tribal Council Resolution and evidence of the statutory or other legal authority authorizing that form of commitment in lieu of a Tribal Council Resolution accompanies that commitment. Such evidence must establish that the commitment submitted carries the same level of Tribal leadership commitment as a Tribal Council Resolution.

If an application is being submitted on behalf of Indian Tribe(s) by an authorized Tribal Organization, evidence of that authority is required as part of the Application, along with a declaration (or resolution) from the Tribal Organization, and a letter of commitment from all other project participants. Evidence of the authority to submit an application on behalf of Indian Tribe(s) may include, but is not limited to, a constitution, resolution, ordinance, executive order, charter, P.L. 93-638 contract, self-governance compact, or other legal documentation.

All Tribal Council Resolutions, declarations, resolutions, and letters of commitment must be executed, must be specific to this NOFO, must commit the use of the Tribal Land and/or Tribal Buildings for the proposed project, must affirm that the project is on Tribal Land as that term is defined in the NOFO, must include a statement of the total amount and type of cost share being committed regardless of source, and the cost share must be available and accessible at the time of submission of the application.

Under the planned NOFO, a 20% recipient cost share of the total allowable project costs will be required and must come from non-Federal sources and be clearly identified in the application. However, the DOE Office of Indian Energy may provide an opportunity for eligible Applicants to request a cost share reduction from 20% to 10% based on poverty rate and median household income of the tribal community relative to the statewide median household income.

Under the planned NOFO, DOE Office of Indian Energy anticipates making approximately $25 million available with awards that range from $100,000 to $2,500,000 or from $250,000 to $5,000,000, depending on the Area of Interest.

The DOE Office of Indian Energy envisions awarding multiple financial assistance awards in the form of grants. The estimated period of performance for each award will be approximately from two (2) to four (4) years, including a 12-month mandatory verification period.

The DOE Office of Indian Energy plans to issue the NOFO spring of 2025. If Applicants wish to be notified when the NOFO is issued, they should subscribe to DOE Office of Indian Energy email newsletter list on its website homepage (https://energy.gov/indianenergy).

In anticipation of the NOFO being released, Applicants are advised to complete the following steps, which are required for application submission:

· IE-Exchange: Register with and submit application materials through IE-Exchange at https://ie-exchange.energy.gov, the DOE Office of Indian Energy online application portal, and obtain a control number while registering for use as an identifier required on all application documents.

· Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): Obtain a UEI number (UEI replaced the data universal numbering system (DUNS) number for entities doing business with the federal government) during the SAM registration or renewal process at https://www.sam.gov.

· System for Award Management (SAM): Register in SAM at https://www.sam.gov and continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a federal awarding agency. Designating an Electronic Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in SAM registration.

· FedConnect: Register in FedConnect at https://www.fedconnect.net in order to receive award documentation. To create an organization account, your organization’s SAM MPIN is required. For more information about the SAM MPIN or other registration requirements, review the FedConnect Ready, Set, Go! Guide at https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/Marketing/Documents/FedConnect_Ready_Set_Go.pdf.

· Grants.gov: Register in Grants.gov at www.grants.gov in order to receive automatic updates when Amendments to this NOFO are posted. However, please note that applications will not be accepted through Grants.gov. All applications must be submitted through IE-Exchange.

This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) only. DOE may issue a NOFO as described herein, may issue a NOFO that is significantly different than the NOFO described herein, or DOE may not issue a NOFO at all.

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