Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – Joint Office of Energy and Transportation: Communities Taking Charge Accelerator, Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Opportunity Announcement | DE FOA 0003214

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003214

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Joint Office of Energy and Transportation "Communities Taking Charge Accelerator" Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), numbered DE-FOA-0003214, is a discretionary federal funding opportunity administered through the National Energy Technology Laboratory under CFDA 81.086. It is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal government expects to have substantial involvement during the project period (for example, through collaboration, review points, or coordinated technical assistance), rather than simply issuing a grant and stepping back.

At a high level, the goal of this accelerator is to make it easier for people and communities to "ride and drive electric" by helping communities plan, coordinate, and implement strategies that support transportation electrification. The FOA emphasizes building strong working relationships across sectors, meaning applicants are encouraged to create partnerships that connect public entities (like cities, counties, transit agencies, and regional organizations) with private companies, utilities, community-based organizations, labor/workforce partners, and other stakeholders. A central theme is interdisciplinary teamwork, reflecting the reality that successful electrification efforts require coordination across transportation planning, electric power systems, charging infrastructure, community engagement, workforce development, and local economic development.

The FOA also ties projects to the broader national strategy for transportation decarbonization, described as advancing an "American blueprint" for reducing transportation emissions. In practical terms, that points to initiatives that help accelerate adoption of electric vehicles and electric mobility options while ensuring projects are designed in a way that works for real communities, including addressing barriers to access and building local capacity to sustain efforts after federal support ends. Another specific priority called out is managed charging, which generally refers to approaches that encourage or control when and how vehicles charge in order to reduce stress on the electric grid, lower costs, better integrate renewable energy, and improve reliability. Projects that thoughtfully incorporate managed charging considerations, especially in coordination with utilities and site hosts, align closely with the stated intent of the opportunity.

The opportunity is listed under multiple funding activity categories, including community development; employment, labor, and training; energy; science and technology and other research and development; and transportation. That mix signals that this accelerator is not just about buying chargers. It is positioned to support broader community-centered electrification work that may include planning and coordination, partnership building, workforce and labor considerations, and applied solutions that connect transportation and energy systems. Eligibility is described as "unrestricted" in the summary data provided, but the FOA directs applicants to review Section III for full eligibility requirements and any limitations, so prospective applicants would need to confirm the exact rules there.

Funding details in the public listing indicate an award ceiling of $4,000,000 per award and an expectation of 41 awards. The original application closing date is July 16, 2024, and the opportunity was created (posted) on April 16, 2024. Taken together, the expected number of awards and the relatively high ceiling suggest the program is designed to reach a wide range of communities and project types, from smaller, capacity-building efforts to more robust, multi-partner initiatives that can serve as scalable models.

In summary, this FOA is aimed at accelerating community-led transportation electrification by funding collaborative, cross-disciplinary efforts that help communities adopt electric mobility, strengthen public-private coordination, align with national decarbonization goals, and incorporate managed charging to support grid-friendly, cost-effective charging outcomes. For specifics on who can apply, what activities are allowable, required cost share (if any), and how selections are made, the FOA indicates that Section III contains the full eligibility and application details.

• The National Energy Technology Laboratory in the community development, employment, labor and training, energy, science and technology and other research and development, transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) – Joint Office of Energy and Transportation: Communities Taking Charge Accelerator, Fiscal Year 2024 Funding Opportunity Announcement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-16. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 41 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

Apply for DE FOA 0003214

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