DE-FOA-0003548: Unleashing Tribal Energy Development
Under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs is soliciting applications to advance affordable, reliable, and secure energy development of Tribal energy resources for the benefit of Tribes and their members.
Projects funded under this NOFO are expected to advance Tribal sovereignty through Tribal energy development, efficiency, and use.
Projects under Topic Area 1 are expected to serve the electric loads and support the energy needs of Tribes at the scale of a Tribal community or communities. These projects entail the construction of energy assets and projects.
Projects under Topic Area 2 are expected to complete all pre-development activities necessary for the deployment of community scale energy projects.
Projects under Topic Area 3 are expected to complete necessary pre-development activities for large scale commercial development of Tribal energy resources which lead to enhancement and strengthening of Tribal energy and economic infrastructure.
DOE expects to make approximately $50 million of federal funding available for new awards under this NOFO. DOE may issue awards in one, multiple, or none of the Topic Areas.
See the NOFO document for a full description.
Submission Details:
IE-Exchange is designed to enforce the deadlines specified in this NOFO. The “Apply” and “Submit” buttons will be automatically disabled at the defined submission deadlines.
Applicants that experience issues with submission PRIOR to the NOFO deadline (in the event that an Applicant experiences technical difficulties with a submission), the Applicants should contact the Exchange helpdesk for assistance (ExchangeHelp@hq.doe.gov). The Exchange helpdesk will assist Applicants in resolving issues. However, those Applicants who are unable to submit their applications because they are submitting them at the last minute, when network traffic is at its heaviest, will not be eligible for assistance from the Exchange helpdesk.
Upon the issuance of a NOFO, DOE personnel are prohibited from communicating (in writing or otherwise) with potential Applicants regarding the NOFO except through the established question and answer process as described below. Specifically, questions regarding the content of this NOFO must be submitted to: TribalGrants@hq.doe.gov not later than three (3) business days prior to the application due date. All questions and answers related to this NOFO will be posted on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage on IE-Exchange.
Informational Webinar:
The DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs will conduct an informational webinar on April 9, 2026 at 3:00 Eastern Time. The webinar will provide information on the NOFO to potential applicants. In addition to describing the NOFO, information will be provided on who is eligible to apply, what an application needs to include, cost share and other requirements, how to ask questions, and how applications will be selected for funding. If you are unable to attend the webinar, it will be recorded and posted for later viewing.
Register for the webinar here: Webinar Registration - Zoom