Grant Opportunities
Billions of dollars will be flowing to states and municipalities through multiple pieces of federal legislation. NMPP Energy is monitoring energy-related opportunities for our member communities, as well as our own four agencies, where benefits could flow to members. We are partnering with national and state organizations to understand and evaluate potential grants so we can communicate with members as opportunities that are a good fit for our member communities come available.
We’ve created this page to provide information and resources to assist you in taking advantage of these funding opportunities.
Guidance is still being developed for many programs. Many of the initial funds will flow to states who will further determine best uses and application processes. We’re monitoring these activities and advocating for simplified processes on behalf of small communities, recognizing that resources to apply are limited but needs are great.
This is a marathon and not a sprint. There will be multiple opportunities to apply over the next five-plus years, and feedback on failed applications can be helpful to improve future applications.
Where do I Begin?
There are things you can do NOW!
- Complete registration of your community on several federal websites so you’re prepared to apply when the opportunity is right. Applications often have short deadlines once released, so completing these steps ahead of time is VERY IMPORTANT. Click here for grant registration requirement information.
- Begin scoping your projects now. Complete whatever engineering studies or other evaluations are needed, so you know what you need and want to ask for in the grant. Planning is 80% of grant writing. Think about your project, objectives, your goals, who you’ll partner with, how you’ll evaluate the impact, and what you want to accomplish with use of these funds.
Articles of Interest
- Federal Funding Sources for Municipal Sustainability and Climate Action
- Don't Miss New Infrastructure Grants Coming Soon
- Congress Gives Cities More Flexibility for Recovery Funds
- Best Infrastructure Grants for Small Citites
- Thinking Holistically and Regionally: Implementing Federal Funding for Utilities
- Understanding and Accessing Federal Funds Available to Public Power Utilities
- 10 Tips for Understanding Grants
Grant Search and Grant Resources
Local Infrastructure Hub
The Local Infrastructure Hub is a national program that was created to help local leaders navigate federal infrastructure funding opportunities and to provide resources to help cities successfully apply for funding. It includes a tool for searching funding opportunities targeted to communities.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is the federal government's central location for grant seekers to fund and apply for federal funding opportunities. The website also handles grant application submissions to many federal agencies.
Grants.gov also contains helpful training resources and videos, including step-by-step explanations of registering and setting up your application workspace, a self-help knowledge base, and links to other help.
Legislative Summary and Resources
American Recovery Act of 2021 (also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or the American Rescue Plan)
A $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill to speed up the country’s recovery. Many of these funds went directly to households, businesses, and specific plans, but state and local fiscal recovery funds were also sent to states and allocated by various entities or state legislatures.
Cities serving a population of < 50,000 are considered non-entitlement units (NEUs) and receive their funds from the State. More information is available here.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021-2022
This law will invest billions in our national infrastructure and provide opportunities specific to rural communities for broadband, transportation, roads and bridges, water, airports, electric vehicle charging, energy, and resiliency.
This Technical Assistance Guide identifies programs, processes, and resources to support communities seeking to access and deploy federal funding.
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (also called the Build Back Better bill)
This legislation is a $750 billion package addressing healthcare, energy and climate, and tax reform supporting these priorities. Here is a summary of the energy and climate investments contained in the bill. More details are available in this IRA Guidebook.
Many of the Inflation Reduction Act’s benefits come in the form of tax credits for businesses or individuals and guidance can be found here.
Grid Infrastructure Modernization and Improvement Program Grants
- Click here for a summary of competitive federal opportunities from the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office. This summary includes links to program pages with further details, FAQs, application portals and more.
This program also includes Smart Grid Grants, which includes AMI and how that investment will support grid resiliency and innovation. See this Smart Grid Fact Sheet which include DOE’s priority investment areas.
- Under the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program (BIL Sec 40101(d)), federal money will flow to states, and each state will administer funds for distribution in their state, with their own application timelines and procedures. Select your state below for more information:
Colorado
Colorado Electric Grid Resilience Funds (Note: this includes a sign up to receive future program announcements)
Kansas
Formula Grant for Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid
Nebraska
Subscribe to the Nebraska Grid Resiliency Information LIstserv:
Nebraska Electric Grid Resilience Grant Program:
Nebraska Grid Resiliency Presentation
Electric Resilience Grant Summary
Send an email to listserv@listserv.nebraska.gov with "SUBSCRIBE NDEE-GridResiliency" followed by your name - in the body of the message (leave the subject line blank). Example: Subscribe NDEE-GridResiliency Jane Doe. You will receive an e-mail requesting you to confirm your request. Confirm by clicking the link. For more information, contact NDEE at (402) 471-2186 or NDEE.gridresiliency@nebraska.gov
Iowa
Iowa Grid Resilience Fund
North Dakota
North Dakota Transmission Authority
Wyoming
State Energy Program Grants
Electric Vehicle Charging Grants
To learn more about developing the infrastructure needed to charge electric vehicles, click here.
Communities interested in electric vehicle charging grants have two potential opportunities:
- A competitive federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program that includes two funding categories: 1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and 2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program), as designated by the Federal Highway Administration. To the extent possible, all applications will be considered for both the Community and the Corridor Program, regardless of which grant is applied for.
- Grant funds also flow to the states through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. In order to receive the funds, each state has developed a State EV Infrastructure Deployment Plan, which will likely continue to evolve over five year. Each state establishes its own priorities/criteria for distribution of charging infrastructure funds. Click on the links below to learn more about your state’s plan and opportunities:
Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Grants
Congratulations to our NPGA communities of Stuart, Neb., and Trinidad, Colo., that were awarded Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) grants in the 2022 round of funding.
The 2023 funding cycle for the Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization Grants opened on May 23, with an application deadline of July 24, 2023. The link will take you to several additional resources, including the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), evaluation plan, best practices for submitting a grant application, webinars, and FAQs.
Additional State Opportunities
Colorado
Colorado Department of Local Affairs Local Community Funding Guide
Colorado Local Match Program (IIJA)
Kansas
Nebraska
Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
North Dakota
North Dakota Department of Commerce
Iowa
Iowa Grants
Iowa Energy Office
State Funding Opportunities from Iowa League of Cities
Wyoming
IIJA Coordinators by State
This list from the American Public Power Association is based on reporting from Politico at the end of 2022 and is subject to change. Additionally, some states did not provide an IIJA coordinator name. We will update this information if new information become available.
Click here to download the listing.
FAQ
What is Justice40 that is associated with many grant opportunities?
Justice40 is an initiative of the Biden administration which directs 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments—including investments in clean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of clean water infrastructure—to flow to disadvantaged communities (DACs). This includes many rural communities.
Interim Implementation Guidance for the Justice40 Initiative provides a definition of disadvantaged communities. The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) will help Federal agencies identify communities to support everyone receiving the benefits intended from federal programs.
Acronym Glossary
Click here for a glossary of grant terminology.
Connect with Us
If you have questions regarding grant opportunities, please contact Sarah Jones at sjones@nmppenergy.org.