Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity. Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO).

Program Summary

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) was created in 1976 with the primary purpose to increase the energy efficiency of dwellings owned or occupied by low-income persons, reduce their total residential energy expenditures, and improve their health and safety, especially low-income persons who are particularly vulnerable such as the elderly, the disabled, families with children, high residential energy users and households with a high energy burden. A network of 57 Grantees and 700 local organizations (Subgrantees) working with private contractors delivers WAP services to eligible residents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Indian lands of the Federally recognized tribes, and five U.S. Territories.

Within Public Law 116-260, signed December 27, 2020, Congress directed the DOE to establish a competitive program for 鈥淲AP Enhancement and Innovation鈥� (E&I). Financial assistance is available to state, local, tribal and non-profit organizations. A total of $18.6 million is available from the FY 2021 appropriation with a maximum award amount of $2 million. Through partnerships and leveraging of the DOE WAP and other funding sources, these awards will enable deep energy retrofits of low-income housing in four topic areas: 1) place-based initiatives; 2) multifamily housing; 3) single family and manufactured housing; 4) workforce development. Applicants are encouraged to use awarded E&I funds in conjunction with DOE WAP formula awards and other funding sources to deploy demonstration projects that have potential to be scaled nationally, enhance the benefits realized by underserved communities, and ensure an equitable transition to a clean-energy economy.

Building a clean-energy economy and addressing the climate crisis is a top priority of the Biden Administration. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will advance the Biden Administration鈥檚 goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and 鈥渄eliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050鈥澨齮o the benefit of all Americans. DOE is committed to pushing the frontiers of science and engineering, catalyzing clean energy jobs through research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), and ensuring environmental justice and inclusion of disadvantaged communities.

The activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving the innovation that can lead to the deployment of energy efficiency retrofits and clean energy technologies, which are critical for climate protection. Specifically, this FOA will support the goals of carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and net zero GHG emissions by 2050 while also supporting quality jobs and economic growth by:

  • Developing new place-based methods for targeting and delivering deep energy retrofits to benefit communities disproportionally impacted by high energy burden;
  • Increasing the number of homes eligible for energy efficiency retrofits by making homes weatherization and electrification ready, while also ensuring healthy indoor environments;
  • Growing community partnerships and leveraging additional funds to maximize the installation of renewable and new technologies; and,
  • Supporting workforce development and creating pathways to careers in the home performance, energy efficiency, and renewable energy sectors by hiring and retaining individuals underrepresented in these industries.

Deadlines

CU Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST January 4, 2022

DOE Concept Paper Deadline: January 20, 2022

DOE Application Deadline: February 28, 2022

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Topic Area (only select one):
    • Place-based Initiatives
    • Multifamily Housing
    • Single Family and Manufactured Housing
    • Workforce Development
  • Concept Paper (3 pages maximum): Please include: 1) the project title; 2) the specific announcement topic area being addressed and planned activities, including any relevant processes and procedures; 3) how the proposed project will address barriers and challenges experienced in workforce development and/or providing deep energy retrofits; 4) the specific innovation of the proposed process, its advantages over current processes, and the overall impact to the WAP network if the project is successful; 5) any previous validations of the solution, including relevant references and outcomes; 6) data collection and dissemination needed to inform program design, the study framework and any required data, anticipated metrics and the timeline; and, 7) the impact that DOE WAP funding would have on the proposed project; and 8) how the project will benefit underserved communities and how the benefit will be measured.
  • PI Curriculum Vitae
  • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Limited Submission Guidelines

An entity may only submit one Concept Paper and one Full Application to this FOA.

Award Information

EERE anticipates making approximately 12 to 16 awards under this FOA. EERE may issue one, multiple, or no awards. Individual awards may vary between $500,000 and $2,000,000.