Energy Project Funding Opportunities and Resources

The following compilation contains financial and technical resources for consumers, businesses, local, tribal, and regional governments, and non-profit organizations seeking funding to reduce their energy costs through renewable or alternative energy projects and improved efficiency. While this is certainly not a complete list, it should provide a comprehensive overview of agencies and organizations offering funding, as well as technical, environmental and economic resources. Some programs have closed for the year, but check back early and often as applying for financing, especially through federal grants, can be a time-intensive project.

Funding Opportunity Table of Contents (scroll down)

Federal Funding Opportunities:

  • USDA-Rural Development
    • Value-Added Producer Grant
    • High Energy Cost Grant Program
    • Renewable Energy-Energy Efficiency Grant/Loan Guarantee
    • Rural Utility Program
  • Department of Energy
    • Loan Guarantee Program
    • EPACT Federal Tax Credits
    • DOE-Tribal Energy
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Internal Revenue Service
  • Department of the Interior

 

State Funding Opportunities

  • Alaska Energy Authority
    • Revolving Bulk Fuel Loans
    • Power Project Fund
    • Anemometer Loan Program
  • Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
  • Denali Commission

 

Non-Profit Funding Opportunities

 

Other Resources

 

  • Technical Assistance
  • Financial Assistance
  • Energy Development Planning
  • Resource Specific Guides
  • Grant Writing Assistance

    Federal Funding Opportunities

  • USDA Rural Development
    • Value Added Producer Grant
      • Description: Funding to develop business plans and marketing opportunities for bio-based products from agricultural commodities. Working capital is for general business costs (equipment and construction costs are not eligible). Application requires business plans and independent feasibility studies. Ag producers may also use this program to create business plans and feasibility studies for renewable energy projects.
      • Eligible Applicants: Agricultural Producers, including fishers and loggers, directly engaged with commodity harvesting.
      • Available Funds: Planning Grant: $100,000; Working Grant: $300,000.
      • Deadline: Fiscal year 2008 deadline has passed.
      • Note: As with many federal grants, this program requires a great deal of preparation and paperwork, but because the requirements are largely business planning and narrative based, the financial requirements to prepare the application can be minimal.
      • Deadline: Fiscal year 2008 deadline has passed.
      • Contact: Karen Dearlove
    • High Energy Cost Grant Program
      • Description: The High Energy Cost Grant Program provides financial assistance for the improvement of energy generation, transmission, and distribution facilities serving eligible rural communities with home energy costs that are over 275 percent of the national average.
      • Eligible Applicants: legally-organized for-profit or nonprofit organization, sole proprietorship, a State or local government, or any agency or instrumentality of a State or local government, including a municipal utility or public power authority, an Indian tribe, a tribally-owned entity, an Alaska Native Corporation, and an individual or group of individuals .
      • Deadline: Fiscal year 2008 deadline has passed.
      • Note: As with many federal grants, this program requires a great deal of preparation and paperwork, but because the requirements are largely business planning and narrative based, the financial requirements to prepare the application can be minimal.
      • Contact: Karen Dearlove
    • Renewable Energy-Energy Efficiency Grant/Loan Guarantee
      • Description:For construction-ready, renewable energy projects and energy efficiency improvements.
      • Eligible Applicants: Funding is available for rural small businesses and agricultural producers, including most tribal and government-owned electrical utilities.
      • Available Funds: Renewable energy grant: $500,000 (or 25% of the total project cost). Maximum loan guarantee: $10 million (or 50% of total project cost). The grant seeker must provide proof of matching funds which may include those already spent in feasibility and engineering studies.
      • Deadline: Fiscal year 2008 deadline has passed.
      • Note: As with many federal grants, this program requires a great deal of preparation and paperwork, but because the requirements are largely business planning and narrative based, the financial requirements to prepare the application can be minimal.
      • Contact: Karen Dearlove
    • Rural Utility Service's High Energy Cost Grant Program
      • Description: This program provides financial assistance to for the improvement of energy generation, transmission, and distribution facilities serving eligible rural communities with home energy costs over 275% of the national average.
      • Eligible Applicants: Electric utilities servicing rural areas with extremely high energy costs.
      • Deadline: Fiscal year 2008 deadline has passed.
      • Contact: Eric Marchegiani

  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • Department of Interior
    • Bureau of Indian Affairs Loan Guaranty Program
      • Description: Loan Gaurantees made to promote Native-Owned business and encourage Tribal economic development.
      • Eligible Applicants: ANy federally recognized Native group, a member of such a group, or a Native majority owned business.
      • Available Funds: Maximum loan to an individual is $500,000. Greater amounts are available to groups or businesses subject to program review.
      • Deadline:N/A
  • Department of Energy
    • Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research, Development, and Demonstration Grant
      • Description: DOE is seeking to partner with geothermal stakeholders to alleviate some of the risks of EGS development through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) covering two key topic areas. This integrated FOA will allow DOE to develop new sensors, down-hole tools, and mapping capabilities in order to operate at greater depths and higher reservoir temperatures, and to partner with geothermal stakeholders to increase the knowledge and understanding necessary for EGS to advance to a state of commercial readiness.
      • Eligible Applicants: open to industry and academia.
      • Available Funds: Funding is available at US$10.5 million for fiscal year (FY) 2008, and up to an additional US$30 million is expected to be available for awards in FY 2009.
      • Deadline:before Aug. 12, 2008

State Funding Opportunities

  • Alaska Energy Authority (AEA)
    • Revolving Bulk Fuel Loan
      • Description: The AEA Bulk Fuel Revolving Loan Fund is for communities, utilities or fuel retailers to purchase emergency, semi-annual or annual bulk fuel supplies.
      • Eligible Applicants: Any organized municipality or unincorporated village with a population under 2,000 people. A person, including private individuals, corporations and cooperatives, with a written endorsement from the governing body of each community for which the fuel will be used.
      • Available Funds: Maximum loan amount per fiscal year is $400,000 per borrower or up to $1.5 million for cooperative organizations.
      • Deadline: N/A
      • Contact: Leona Hakala
    • Power Project Fund
      • Description: Provides loans for developing or upgrading small-scale power production facilities, conservation facilities, and bulk fuel storage. This includes facilities involved in production, transmission and distribution, as well as waste energy conservation.
      • Eligible Applicants: Utilities, local governments, village councils, nonprofit cooperatives, and other independent power producers.
      • Available Funds: Up to $1 million
      • Deadline: Rolling
      • Contact: Bruce Chertkow
    • Anemometer Loan Program
      • Description: Allows communities to gather one year of wind speed, direction, and consistency data, allowing for more precise modeling and feasibility studies. This data is often required for further funding.
      • Eligible Applicants: Communities and utilities looking to determine if wind power is viable in their community.
      • Available Funds: N/A
      • Deadline: N/A
      • Contact: James Jensen
    • RFA Portable Fish Oil Rendering Module
      • Description: The Alaska Energy Authority is soliciting a Request for Applications (RFA) from interested and qualified communities or companies for the development and demonstration of a Portable Fish Oil Rendering Module. The intent of this project is to provide grant funding and technical/business support to a community or company for the development, construction, and demonstrated operation of a mobile fish oil recovery module that can be employed at and relocated between multiple existing processing sites in Alaska.
      • Eligible Applicants: (1) Must operate in Alaska in excess of fifty percent of its operating year during the proposed demonstration period. (2)Extract fish oil from raw fish waste materials and process to a technical grade purity, with no more than 0.5 percent water and solids by weight. (3) Configured to be “portable” in that the system may be readily relocated from one processing locale to another as a routine matter.
      • Available Funds: Approximately $180,000 is available
      • Deadline: End of October, 2008
      • Contact: James Jensen (Grant Manager)
  • Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
    • Home Energy Rebate Program
      • Description: Alaska Housing Finance Corporation will reimburse homeowners for energy ratings done on their homes, up to $500 per home. It will also provide rebates up to $10,000 to homeowners who improve the energy efficiency of their homes.
      • Eligible Applicants: To receive a rebate for energy improvements, an Alaskan who owns and occupies his or her own home first must request a home energy evaluation by a rater who is certified on AkWarm computer program software. For full program guidelines, click here.
      • Available Funds: Statewide: $80,500,000.00.
      • Deadline: N/A. This is an ongoing, 5 year program that started May 15, 2008.
      • Contact: call the hotline at 1-877-325-2508 statewide or 330-8300 in Anchorage.
    • Energy Efficiency Interest Rate Reduction Program
      • Description: For new home construction and improvements which meet the Alaska Building Energy Efficiency standard. Provides funding to reduce interest rates.
      • Eligible Applicants: Home Owners
      • Available Funds: Interest rate reduction applies to the first $200,000. The interest rate is blended for any amount exceeding $200,000.
      • Deadline: N/A
      • Note: AHFC offers a number of grants and loans for home construction, weatherization, and other improvement.
      • Contact: Cary Bolling
  • Denali Commission
    • Energy Projects
      • Description: The Denali Commission allocates a hefty potion of their funding to energy projects. Unfortunately, a majority goes to bulk fuel tank upkeep. For FY07, $5 million has been set aside specifically for renewable and alternative energy projects. The work plan, and grant application process is not yet finalized.
      • Eligible Applicants: Funding is provided to local, borough, and tribal governments as well as private enterprise throughout rural Alaska with special preference given to those communities defined as being economically distressed, based on unemployment rates and income levels. The committee is also very concerned with the sustainability of the project and the community.
      • Available Funds: $5 million
      • Deadline: N/A
      • Contact: Kathy Prentki

Non-Profit Funding Opportunities

  • RurAL CAP Foundation Grants
    • Description: Funding to support communities through education and training (including workshops, forums and conferences), organization of local events, and material for community-wide energy conservation projects.
    • Eligible Applicants: Nonprofit and local governmental organizations
    • Available Funds: Ceiling is $1,500 per grant.
    • Deadline: There are three deadlines per year. The next round of applications will be due August 31, 2007.
    • Note: This grant application is relatively short and straightforward, requiring only a two page description of the organization, project, budget, and project supervisors.
    • Contact: David Hardenbergh
  • Surdna Foundation Grants
    • Description: Provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of environment, community revitalization, effective citizenry, and the arts. Their energy grant-making focuses on financing the use of clean energy, promoting policy and regulatory reform, supporting grassroots education and leadership, supporting community sustainability, and supporting regional climate change mitigation efforts.
    • Eligible Applicants: Public, nonprofit organizations
    • Available Funds: Issues $37 million in grants each year.
    • Deadline: No formal deadline. Applications are evaluated in February, May and September.
    • Contact: Surdna Foundation
  • Rasmuson Foundation Grants
    • Description: Founded to "promote a better life for Alaskans", last year they gave more than $25 million in grants to nonprofit's in a variety of sectors.
    • Eligible Applicants: Generally nonprofit organizations that have received 501(c)(3) status. In select cases, they will fund city and tribal governments if they feel the project has a broad community impact.
    • Available Funds: Funding cap depends on the grant type. Small, capital project grants (called Tier 1) are for less than $25,000. Larger grants are considered Tier 2 and require a more involved application process.
    • Deadline: Rolling
    • Note: They provide funding for planning and feasibility studies required before capital building can begin through their Pre-Development Program. It is a collaboration between the Rasmuson Foundation, the Foraker Group, the Denali Commission, and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.
    • Contact: Grant Information

Other Energy Related Resources

  • Technical Assistance
  • Financial Assistance
    • American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE)
      • Resource to assist energy developers seeking project capital as well as investors looking for financing vehicles.
    • Power Project Financing
      • Consulting group providing information about locating and securing financing for power projects as well as legal considerations.
      • Contact
    • Strategic Environmental Project Pipeline Foundation (StEPP)
      • A non-profit organization that matches environmentally beneficial projects with government, for-profit, and non-profit funding opportunities. Institutions seeking funding will submit a project description which StEPP will match with funding opportunities based on size, funding requirements, and applicant organization. Once a project is submitted, it will remain in the 'pipeline' for 12 months.
      • Contact
    • EPA Tribal Energy Grants
      • Grant resources to tribal entities offered by the EPA and associated agencies.
      • Contact
    • Database of State of Alaska Energy Related Funding Opportunities
      • The database of state incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency provides links to state-specific funding opportunities.
      • Contact
    • DOE's Energy Business Portal
      • Information on doing business with the Department of Energy, including current business opportunities, registering to submit proposals, and information on the financial assistance award process.
    • Energy Tax Incentives
      • Consumer and commercial information regarding the federal income tax incentives for energy efficient products and technologies passed by Congress as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
  • Energy Development Planning
    • Tribal Energy Community Planning Guide
      • A comprehensive and detailed guide to community energy development planning, on tribal land and otherwise.
    • HOMER Software Program
      • A software program developed by the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab, it assists utilities in planning and managing power usage by modeling electricity needs, capabilities and additional electricity supplies to the grid, such as wind turbines or solar panels. HOMER has been extremely helpful in allowing communities to evaluate their energy system options and plan for their community's future energy needs.
      • Contact
  • Resource Specific Guides
    • Geothermal
      • The Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium acts as a resource for anyone wishing to know more about geoexchange technology. Its full time staff and industry allies can provide technical expertise, marketing research data and insight, and current industry activity status.
      • Contact
    • Wind Powering America
      • Designed by the DOE's Energy Efficiency-Renewable Energy Project to promote and publicize wind energy development. Offers technical and financial information for potential developers and consumers.
    • Biomass
      • The Pacific Regional Biomass Energy Partnership is a regional effort that encourages the development of bioenergy in Alaska and the northwest. Provides information of different sources of biofuels and funding opportunities, many through the DOE's Biomass development initiatives.
    • Solar
      • Information on solar energy installation and financing.
      • Contact
  • Grant Writing Assistance