Funding Notice: Critical Materials Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives

Office: Resource Sustainability
FOA number: DE-FOA-0003105
Download the full funding opportunity: FedConnect
Funding Amount: $150,000,000 

Background Information

On January 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $32.75 million for 12 projects that will advance cost effective and environmentally responsible processes to produce and refine critical minerals and materials here in the United States. The funding, provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, focuses on projects that will develop value-added products, such as graphite or building materials, from feedstocks such as mining waste streams that also contain viable levels of critical minerals and materials. The manufacture of these co-products can improve the economic feasibility of domestically producing critical minerals and materials from these same feedstocks to reduce our dependence on offshore supplies. These projects will help safeguard our national security and build a clean energy and industrial economy, while creating good-paying jobs and supporting communities across the country that historically have depended on mining and energy production.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, more than 95% of the U.S. demand for rare earth elements comes from foreign sources, more than 50% of most critical minerals come from foreign sources, and at least 12 critical minerals come exclusively from foreign sources. 

The “Critical Material Innovation, Efficiency, and Alternatives” funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will provide up to $150 million over several rounds of project selections to help to build a secure, sustainable domestic supply of critical minerals from sources across the United States, including recycled materials, mine waste, industrial waste, and ore deposits. DOE plans to make additional selections under the FOA’s remaining areas of interest at a later date.  

This funding is provided from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Section 41003(c).

Selectees

The following 12 projects selected for negotiation fall under the “Value Added Products” area of interest, and are focused on developing products created from other materials that are also part of the waste streams from which critical minerals and materials are extracted:

Selectees include:

• Ohio University
• Loukus Technologies, Inc.
• Trustees of the Colorado School of Mines 
• Still Bright, Inc.  
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 
• University of Utah 
• National Energy Technology Laboratory 
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory 
• National Energy Technology Laboratory 
• Airtronics, LLC 
• Mexichem Fluor Inc. 
• Melt Technologies LP 
   

Key Dates

Additional Information

• Download the full funding opportunity on FedConnect.
• All applicants must register and apply on Grants.gov and submit questions through FedConnect