Grants / Department of Energy / Golden Field Office

DE-FOA-0002910: FY23 Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops (RACIPAC)

Closed Closed May 16, 2023 Opportunity DE-FOA-0002910 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Accelerating Scale-up and Pre-piloting of Emerging Chemical Technologies (ASPECT) (DE-FOA-0003647). Status: Closes December 1, 2026 (24 days left). It is in our archive of Golden Field Office notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$5.0 million
• Award floor$1.0 million
• Total funding$25.5 million
• Expected awards9
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses and individuals.

For All Topic Areas, DOE/NNSA and non-DOE/NNSA Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) are restricted from applying for funding as a Prime Recipient but are eligible to participate as a Subrecipient. FFRDC effort, in aggregate, shall not exceed 50% of the total estimated cost of the project.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses, individuals.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Renewable Energy Research and Development awards averaged $2.8 million; this notice allows up to $5.0 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (30% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Amendment 000001 - The purpose of this amendment is to modify the announcement document to correct an error by removing all references to the Letter of Intent phase of the application process, as it is not required for this FOA. See FOA DE-FOA-0002910/000001 for details. The Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO’s) Renewable Carbon Resources (RCR) program develops science-based strategies and technologies to cost-effectively transform renewable carbon resources such as agricultural waste and algae into high-quality, environmentally sustainable, conversion-ready feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA), through two distinct topic areas – the first focused on climate-smart agricultural practices and the second on algae crop protection – supports BETO’s RCR Program’s strategies for the development of conversion-ready feedstocks for biofuels and bioproducts and supports the Biden Administration’s goal to produce sustainable aviation fuels. Climate-smart agricultural practices, such as conservation tillage, cover crops, nutrient management, and soil amendments (e.g., biochar applications), are promising approaches to reduce carbon intensity and improve sustainable production of biomass resources. Topic Area 1 projects will assess the efficacy of climate-smart agricultural practices that reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of biomass feedstocks for biofuels. Implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices is essential to produce low CI feedstocks, particularly from agricultural residues to enable sustainable aviation fuel production with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Topic Area 1, Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices for Low Carbon Intensity Feedstocks, has two subtopic areas: • Subtopic Area 1a: Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices to Produce Low CI Feedstocks Derived from Agricultural Residues, and • Subtopic Area 1b: Biochar Strategies to Increase Soil Carbon Levels and Agronomic Benefits of Crops for Energy Production Cultivating algae (micro-, macro-, and cyanobacteria) and converting it to biofuels and bioproducts is an important component of BETO’s strategy for enabling the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). One of the major cost contributors of producing algae is biomass loss due to predation, competition, and pest infestations.

Category: Energy.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DE-FOA-0003647, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.