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EPA recently announced the $7 billion Solar for All competition, created by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). This competition will award up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to create and expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for distributed solar investment—enabling millions of low-income households to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy. Grantees will use funds to expand existing low-income solar programs or design and deploy new Solar for All programs nationwide.
NOIs must be submitted by email to GGRF@epa.gov according to the following deadlines and requirements. In your email, please include one document as an attachment that has:
- a letter signed by an authorized official based on the instructions below and
- the answers to questions #1 through #3 below
Monday July 31, 2023 for states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Must include an attached letter or memo in support of the entity applying to the competition signed by an official within the relevant governor’s (or DC mayor’s) office, OR the director of the agency that will respond to the Solar for All competition.
Monday, August 14, 2023 for territories (specifically, The Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients. Must include an attached letter or memo in support of the entity applying to the competition signed by:
Territories:
An official within the relevant governor’s office, OR The director of the agency that will respond to the Solar for All competition
Municipality:
The office of the chief executive (e.g., mayor, county manager), OR the director of a designated municipal agency in the municipality, OR the executive director or equivalent senior management level official of a council of governments
Eligible Nonprofit Recipients:
The executive director or equivalent senior management level official of the nonprofit (e.g., executive director, chief executive officer, chief operating officer)
Monday, August 28, 2023 for Tribal governments and Intertribal Consortia. Must include an attached letter or memo in support of the entity applying to the competition signed by the chief executive of the Tribe (e.g., chairperson) or executive director or equivalent senior management level official of an intertribal consortium that meets the requirements of 40 CFR 35.504.
In the NOI, applicants must include the following information for every application they plan to submit to the competition:
- Applicant Name. Identify the name of the organization submitting the application.
- Applicant Eligibility. Indicate whether the applicant is a state/territory, Tribal government, municipality, or eligible nonprofit recipient using the criteria outlined under Section III.A: Eligible Applicants in the RFA.
- Number and Type of Applications: State the number of applications you anticipate submitting. For each application, include
- Award Option. State the specific award option (award option #1, #2, or #3) you will apply to as defined in Section II.A: Number and Amount of Awards in the RFA.
- Program Location. Describe the geographic coverage (i.e., which states, territories, Tribes, municipalities your program will cover) for the program.
- Estimated EPA Funding Requested. Provide an estimate of the award amount you expect to request in your application based on the guidance defined in Section II.A: Number and Amount of Awards in the RFA. (Note: EPA will not make this information public).
Here are some Qs and As about the Notice of Intent.
And EPN is creating a Solar for All application guide that we will post in early August on our website.
In addition, the Community Infrastructure Center offers a Solar for All Channel (registration required). This is an open community for tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits that may be able to provide financing and technical assistance under this competition to interact with each other and connect with interested communities and project sponsors. This space is used to support states, territories, tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofit recipients to connect and find coalitions led by an eligible lead applicant.
Completed applications are due September 26, 2023, and all applicants must have an active SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration in order to apply. You should register in these systems now if you think you may apply. The process can take a month or more for new registrants: Registering your organization on SAM.Gov and Grants.gov.
EPA hosted a webinar to provide information on the Solar for All grant competition and the application process. The webinar recording and presentation deck will be posted on this webpage. To request a copy of the slides used in this webinar before they are posted online, please email ggrf@epa.gov.
Thank you for your continued support. We could not continue to meet this moment without you!