Federal Funding Opportunities

One of the best portals tracking funding opportunities for IIJA and IRA is the Climate Program Portal created by Atlas Public Policy, a platform that brings a data driven approach to public policy decision-making.

• Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Program Portal
• About Atlas Public Policy

The Climate Program Portal host a variety of IIJA and IRA resources, including an Opportunities Dashboard where open funding opportunities are tracked and an Outcomes Dashboard where awarded funding information is tracked.

• Climate Program Portal IIJA and IRA Dashboards
• Opportunities Dashboard
• Outcomes Dashboard

Emails ending in .gov can register for free – simply submit the registration form and their team will approve your account as soon as possible. They also provide 15-minute consultations to answer questions about navigating their data.

• Atlas Public Policy Registration
• Help – Climate Program Portal

The White House has released guidebooks, open funding pages, and other resources for the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The guidebooks detail the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals in releasing funding, various funding categories, and important program details. These documents are a useful directory when searching for funding information through these acts. Other resources include a map of progress IIJA implementation, a directory of tax credits in the IRA, and much more.

• Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) White House Resources:
  • Open Funding Opportunities
  • Building a Better America Homepage
  • IIJA Guidebook
  • Maps of Progress
  • Resources
  • Briefing Room
• Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) White House Resources:
  • Open Funding Opportunities
  • Clean Energy for All Homepage
  • Clean Energy Updates
  • Inflation Reduction Act Guidebook
  • Clean Energy Tax Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act
  • EV Acceleration Challenge
  • Funding for Tribes in the Inflation Reduction Act
  • Open Funding Opportunities
  • Direct Pay

Many federal agencies that administer funding host webpages with current open funding opportunities and Exchanges where Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) documents can be found. Here are some useful webpages to check regularly for new opportunities that arise in the climate and clean energy funding spaces:

• U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Open Funding Opportunities
  • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding Opportunities
  • Loan Programs Office (LPO) Financing Programs
  • Other DOE Offices
• U.S. Department of Transportation Open Funding Opportunities
  • DOT Key Notices of Funding Opportunities
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Funding Announcements
  • EPA Funding Announcements
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Funding Opportunities
  • USDA Federal Funding Opportunities
  • USDA Grants and Loans
• U.S. Department of Commerce Grants and Contract Opportunities
  • DOC Grants and Contract Opportunities
• U.S. Department of the Interior Grant Programs
  • DOI Grant Programs

The California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) offers a great starting point to learn about the federal grants process. Through OPR’s Federal Grants website, state agencies, local governments, institutions of higher learning, and nonprofit organizations have access to resources on how to find, apply for, and manage federal grants.

• OPR Federal Grants Portal Homepage

See the Federal Grant Resources page for an introduction to Grants.gov, the primary platform for federal grant opportunities, and the Federal Grant Email List where you can receive email updates on funding opportunities.

• Federal Grant Resources
• Federal Grant Email List

Additionally, see OPR’s Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs page to learn who has applied to funding opportunities.

• Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs

The California Transportation Agency (CalSTA) hosts a dashboard with ample resources, data, and analysis on IIJA transportation funding.

• CalSTA Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act Implementation

The Rebuilding California website gives a breakdown on the numbers of federal dollars coming to California through the IIJA.

• Rebuilding CA: IIJA By the Numbers

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the most significant investment in climate and clean energy in U.S. history. The majority of funding coming out of the IRA will be in the form of clean energy tax credits. Please refer to the following page listing all IRA tax credits, periods of availability, eligible recipients, links to official IRS guidance, and more:

• Clean Energy Tax Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act

When the IRA was signed into law in 2022, it created a new tax mechanism called Direct Pay (a.k.a. Elective Pay) which allows tax exempt entities to file for tax credits for the first time. Examples of tax-exempt entities eligible to file include:

• State, local, and territorial governments
• Tribal governments and native entities
• Rural energy cooperatives
• 501(c)(3) organizations such as public charities, private foundations, schools, hospitals, houses of worship, and others
• Religious or apostolic 501(d) organizations
• All other organizations exempt under section 501(a) of the tax code

 

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) developed an online tool called the Clean Energy Tax Navigator, which exists to walk potential applicants through the process of filing for IRA tax credits and utilizing direct pay. Their platform is free to use and provides ample resources to users no matter what level of knowledge they have on these topics. Explore the following resources to learn more:

• L4GG Clean Energy Tax Navigator
• L4GG Elective Pay & IRA Tax Incentives Resource Page

 

For more information from the Internal Revenue Service, White House, or to see which tax credits are eligible for direct pay, use the following resources:

• IRS Elective Pay and Transferability
• White House Direct Pay
• White House Clean Energy Tax Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act

DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO) Homepage

• The DOE Loan Programs Office finances large scale energy infrastructure projects. See LPO’s About Us page for a brochure overview.
• Additional links to LPO resources:
  • LPO Financing Programs
  • Applicant Resources
  • LPO Portfolio
  • LPO News & Insights

IBank Climate Catalyst Fund – California Climate Financing

• IBank’s Climate Catalyst Fund exists to jumpstart critical climate solutions through flexible, low-cost credit and credit support. Although this is a state program, IBank continues to work with federal partners to identify new pathways of implementing California climate financing solutions.

The California State Treasurer’s Office has program options for climate and energy related financing.

• STO Homepage
• STO Programs

White House Climate Capital Guidebook

The Biden-Harris Administration announced the Climate Capital Guidebook to “provide a simple, comprehensive map of capital programs across the federal government that are available to climate-related start-ups, small- and medium-sized businesses, and their investors. While larger, institutionally-backed climate companies may have the resources to identify and access federal funding opportunities, smaller enterprises may face greater challenges in navigating these federal programs.” 

See the White House’s press release for more information.

California Community and Place-Based Solutions Homepage

• In 2022, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) established the Community & Place-Based Solutions (CPBS) Team to support local governments, non-profits, community-based organizations, colleges & universities, and other economic development partners in their community development needs. The CPBS team offers direct technical assistance and funding navigation related to your economic development needs.

Funding Resources

• This page on the CPBS website outlines both federal and state funding opportunities, and directs toward topic specific funding as well.

Regional Profiles

• Explore this map to see the 13 Regional Profiles that the CPBS team covers. You can find contact information for your area’s Regional Economic Recovery Coordinator through this page.

Atlas Public Policy’s Climate Program Portal has a dashboard dedicated to tracking awarded climate related funding in the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act.

• Climate Program Portal IIJA and IRA Outcomes Dashboard

See the section above on Atlas Public Policy and the Climate Program Portal under “Available Funding.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act) Map of Progress shows a state-by-state map of funding awards announced for various projects across the country.

• Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Map of Progress

The federal government’s USA Spending Database was established by the Federal Funding and Accountability Act in 2006 and further improved by the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act in 2014. This database offers numerous ways to filter spending data being awarded across the country, including by federal agency, recipient type, location, and more. Agencies are required by law to submit their spending information monthly.

• USA Spending Database
• USA Spending Database Training Videos

CalSTA Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act Implementation Dashboard

• The California Transportation Agency (CalSTA) hosts a dashboard with ample resources, data, and analysis on IIJA transportation funding.

Rebuilding CA: IIJA By the Numbers

• This website gives a breakdown on the numbers of federal dollars coming to California through the IIJA.