Grants / Department of Energy / Headquarters

DE-FOA-0003428: Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas – Fiscal Year 2025 Release

Closed Closed August 28, 2025 Opportunity DE-FOA-0003428 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Headquarters notices from 2024.

• Award ceiling$50.0 million
• Award floor$2.0 million
• Total funding$400 million
• Expected awards50
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

• Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"

The following entities are eligible to apply: (1) Indian Tribes; (2) state and local governmental entities; (3) nonprofit organizations; and (4) for-profit organizations. This program serves rural and remote communities with 10,000 people or fewer.

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

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Clean Energy Demonstrations awards averaged $65.6 million; this notice allows up to $50.0 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (88% over five years) went to businesses.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Rural and remote areas often have higher energy costs and burden, less resilient energy systems, and fewer alternatives for accessing clean energy compared with their urban counterparts. Furthermore, small communities do not always have the available time, money, or other resources to pursue clean energy options. This program serves communities of 10,000 people or fewer. Applicants must propose projects that support at least one of these eligible activities: A. Improving overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems; B. Siting or upgrading transmission and distribution lines; C. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation in rural or remote areas; D. Providing or modernizing electric generation facilities; E. Developing microgrids; and F. Increasing energy efficiency. Applications may include any technology that meets these eligible activities, as long as those technologies are commercially available. Applicants must choose one of the four topic areas for their project’s application. For further information, please see the Full Funding Opportunity Announcement at https://oced-exchange.energy.gov/. All application materials must be submitted through the OCED Funding Opportunity Exchange.

Category: Energy.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

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