Tribal Clean Energy Planning and Development – 2025 FOA Webinar

JOSH GREGORY: Hello, everyone, and thank you all for joining us today. This informational webinar is for all who are interested in applying to the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy's Funding Opportunity Announcement, or FOA, entitled tribal clean energy planning and development 2025. That's FOA number DE-FOA-0003401. And this FOA was issued September 27th 2024. 

So the intent of this webinar is to cover the basic aspects of this FOA and also highlight essential details about the application process, including the types of applications requested for this funding opportunity, who is eligible to apply cost share and other requirements what the application needs to contain, how to ask questions and how applications will be reviewed and selected for funding. 

Before we begin, I'd like to point out the email address on the lower right hand side of the slide there. [email protected]. This is the official mailbox to direct all your questions to during the entire FOA process. So please do not contact DOE or DOE laboratory staff or contractors directly with any questions, including myself, as all questions must be in writing. 

And the reason for this is to ensure not only that you receive a formal response, but also that everyone gets to see and benefit from that same response because we do post FOA-specific and general application questions and answers on our online application portal, IE-Exchange. 

Unless a similar question has already been asked, responses to questions received at this mailbox will be posted to the frequently asked questions page for this FOA on the IE-Exchange website. And responses to your questions will typically be posted within three business days after receipt. 

Before submitting your questions, please check the FAQs page on the IE-Exchange website to see if a similar question has already been answered. And also, before submitting a question, please be extra careful not to include any language that might be business sensitive, proprietary or confidential or the like. 

We'll not be having a question and answer session as part of this webinar today. So please do capture your questions as they come up and then send them via email to [email protected]. And in the subject line of your email, please include the FOA number. And again, that's DE-FOA-0003401. 

Your participation in this webinar is completely voluntary. There are no advantages or disadvantages to the application evaluation process with respect to your participation in the webinar today. And these slides and audio recording of this webinar will be posted in the next week or so. And as you're all registrants of this webinar, you'll be notified when this material is available on the Office of Indian Energy's website. 

Note also that if there are any inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity announcement, this presentation or statements from DOE or other personnel, the FOA document is the controlling document and applicants should rely solely on that FOA language or seek clarification by sending your questions again to [email protected]. With that, let's get started. So next slide, please. 

I'm Josh Gregory. I'm an engineer, technical project officer, and the financial assistance team lead with the Office of Indian Energy. I've been with the office for over three years now, and I've been working in the tribal energy project development field for the past decade. Having spent seven of those years prior working for a Tribal Energy Office under the Department of Interior. 

Prior to all that, I worked in various technical fields entirely unrelated to tribal energy. And nonetheless, I love this work and the strong collective approach within the tribal energy space and I've never looked back. Next slide, please. 

Next, I'd like to introduce you to Jami Alley who I'll be co-presenting with today. Jami is an engineer and technical project officer as well with the Office of Indian Energy. Jami is also located in Colorado and has over 20 years of experience in construction, clean energy project development, and project management. 

Jami joined the Office of Indian Energy federal staff team this year, and she repositioned to a technical project officer after previously working nearly 15 years as a federal contractor supporting the Office of Indian Energy as a technical project monitor. And so as a technical project officer, she administers financial assistance awards as well to Indian nations, Alaska Native villages and inter-tribal organizations. But I can tell you, she does a whole lot more than that. She's fabulous. 

Jami was born, raised here in Denver, Colorado. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. 

[CLEARS THROAT] 

Excuse me. Next slide, please. 

So before we get into the specifics of the FOA, I want to just provide a brief overview of the office. And so as advocated for and by tribes and incorporated into the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Office of Indian Energy was stood up in 2011 as one of about a dozen assistant secretarial level offices within the Department of Energy. 

So the Office authorized, under the Energy Policy Act or EP Act of 2005 is charged, by Congress, to promote Indian Energy development, efficiency, and use, reduce or stabilize energy costs, enhance and strengthen Indian tribal energy and economic infrastructure relating to natural resource development and electrification. And to bring electrical power and service to Indian land and the homes of tribal members located on Indian lands or acquired, constructed or improved with federal funds. 

So to aid us in accomplishing our mission, the office receives insights on issues affecting energy and infrastructure development on tribal lands. And to help guide us through the Indian country energy and infrastructure working group, otherwise known as ICEIWG. On the right side of the slide there you see a few examples of co-funded projects that have been successfully completed. Next slide, please. 

So now a little bit about our deployment program, which is headed up by our legendary Lizana Pierce, many or all of you may know. And so to achieve our mission and address energy development barriers, the Office of Indian Energy offers financial assistance through competitive grants. We offer technical assistance offered at no charge to Indian tribes and tribal entities. And we have education and capacity building offerings. 

And so these three prongs are intended to assist Indian tribes and tribal entities in overcoming the unique regulatory, technical, and economic challenges to developing their vast energy resources on their own terms. Next slide, please. 

So here are some investment stats of our program. So you can see since 2010, DOE's Office of Indian Energy has invested over $190 million in more than 240 tribal energy projects across the lower 48, as well as Alaska. And those projects are valued at over 300 million. 

Further recipients have also contributed to this. Over $125 million to these projects. These investments included grants for planning, feasibility development and deployment of clean energy technology in Indian country. And through these grants, the Office of Indian Energy continues its efforts in partnership with Native communities to maximize the deployment of clean energy solutions for the benefit of American Indians and Alaska Natives. 

By the way, this slide shows our tribal energy projects database on our website. You can see picture there. And that offers an interactive map along with a sortable table. And so you can search, get project summaries, presentations. And if the projects have been completed, you can read the final reports on each of those projects. Next slide, please. 

So this graphic reflects the amount and percentage of funds by type and investments by year. The focus has been on installing clean energy technology for near-term, tangible benefits within a community. And as such, 85%, you can see, of funds have been provided for deployment projects specifically. The next slide quantifies those benefits a bit more. Next slide. 

So of the over $190 million invested by the Office of Indian Energy, over $160 million has been invested in energy hardware installations, otherwise known as deployment projects. These projects are valued at over $275 million, and they resulted in tangible results for over 140 American Indian and Alaska Native communities. 

Some of those results you can see. And those positive impacts include over 63 megawatts of new generation has been installed, over 19 megawatt hours of battery storage has been installed, over $21 million has been saved every year. And nearly $530 million has been saved over system lifetimes across those projects. 

And so for every DOE dollar invested, we have $3.29 saved. That's pretty great. Nearly 11,000 tribal buildings have been impacted by these projects as well. Next slide, please. 

Again, since 2010, our Office has issued 22 funding opportunity announcements. And over the-- or of the over 760 applications that have been accepted between 2010 and 2023, the Office of Indian Energy funded over 30% of all those applications received, which is honestly a high percentage, especially considering the average for DOE is estimated at between 5% and 10% of all applications. 

It's also worth noting that our funding opportunities are competitive for the deployment grants. And projects are intended to be shovel ready, specifically for those deployment funding opportunity announcements. Next slide, please. 

So before we discuss the funding opportunity announcement, I just want to walk you through the IE-Exchange site a bit and where to find the FOA document itself, the application forms and then the frequently asked questions site for the FOA. 

So the IE-Exchange site can be accessed at ie-exchange.energy.gov. And once there, you click on funding opportunities. It's in the left navigation menu there, and you bring up a list of open funding announcements. From that list, you can click the announcement number. So in this case, it will say DE-FOA-0003401. 

And then clicking on that will jump you right to that announcements front page of the application portal for that announcement which is what is shown here on the slide. And then as you can see that sort of front page of that application portal includes a summary and other key information specific to the FOA. 

So the direct link to the FOA you can see on the bottom of the slide is included in the slide. So you can use that obviously when the material is ready and available. And you can download it and use that to jump right to that site. 

I know it's a lot there on the slide, so my apologies for it being so small. But bottom line to apply to the FOA, you need to start by registering with IE-Exchange and then clicking the Apply button there you see once you get to that section. 

And so during that process, a control number will be assigned. You really want to retain that number as it will be used as an identifier, and it's required on all of your application documents. Also note that there are manuals on the site which will be provided and will give you more directions on registering and on submitting applications within the system. Next slide, please. 

So as you can see on this screenshot, the IE-Exchange summary for the FOA includes-- well, maybe you can see-- hopefully you can see it on the screenshot. It's a little small. My apologies. The FOA document itself for download, it includes the application forms and templates. 

It's important to note here that the application forms and templates for this FOA on IE-Exchange represent only a portion of the documents required for a complete application. So the remaining documents required for a complete application have no specific format and are to be generated by the applicant. 

Contact information for submitting questions regarding this FOA and for IE-Exchange support. You can see their link-- has a link to the frequently asked questions page specific to the FOA. And a note that general non-FOA specific FAQs are also available on the website. And those cover more of general how to apply and application issues and stuff like that. 

Also you'll see the submission deadline. So here, January 23rd 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern. It's important to remember it's Eastern time for the submission deadline, so please plan accordingly. 

And then I also highly suggest giving a buffer of time in there for all sorts of things, but particularly perhaps running into some technical issues. So if you can, please apply early just so that you make sure you have enough time to get through any of those challenges or barriers. 

So if the application forms and templates are not shown, you'll just need to click on the View application forms and templates, and a list of those will be revealed which I'll show you on the next slide. And then again, remember, these are only a portion of the documents required for a complete application. The remaining documents have no specific format and are to be generated by the applicant, and then we'll go into detail on those as well later in the presentation. Next slide, please. 

So again, once you click on View application forms and templates, you'll see the various, you guessed it, forms and templates that need to be included as part of your application. Again, those only represent just a portion of those documents that are required for a complete application. The remaining documents, like I mentioned, have no specific format. Those are to be generated by the applicant. And then we'll go over those, like I mentioned, later on in the presentation. 

So once you get-- showing on the slide, once you get here in the IE-Exchange system, you'll see application registration certifications. You'll see application for financial assistance, the SF 424 form. 

We have the budget justification workbook. We've got the budget support template, cost share reduction request template, eligibility statements and evidence file, energy options analysis template. And this is required for one of the three topic areas, and that's topic area two for this FOA. 

We have locations of work form. The SF-LLL disclosure of lobbying activities form. We've got the subrecipient budget justification workbook, the summary slide. 

And then for this particular FOA, because we have three very distinct topic areas, we have three different technical volume templates for each topic area, and those are labeled. So you'll be able to find the technical volume for the topic area that you're applying under in there as well. And then, of course, we've got the work plan template loaded in there. 

Again, that's not the entirety of all of the documents and forms that make up the entire application. So for a complete list of those, you will see table two. And it's called required application documents beginning on page 32 of the FOA document itself. And that list has a complete list of all the required application documents. 

And then again, once these slides are available, you see we've got links on these, so you'll be able to use those. The link here jumps you right to the frequently asked questions page and we'll be discussing that here on the next slide. The next slide, please. 

So again, responses to all FOA related questions received in our mailbox. That's the [email protected] will be posted on the frequently asked questions page that's specific to this FOA and it's on the IE-Exchange website. 

So please do check this page periodically as questions and responses will continue to be posted throughout the entire time the FOA is open. And it's almost a guarantee you'll find a question and a good response that may have popped up for you as well. So please do check that page out before submitting a question, because again, there may be something very similar, and you might find the answer right there. 

Again too there's also a questions and answers page for non-FOA specific questions. And again, like I mentioned earlier, those are more general. How do I apply, I've run into this issue applying, how do I get help, things like that. More of the general application-related questions. Next slide, please. 

So additionally, there are general frequently asked questions and responses available via the main page navigation that's shown so you can click there. Those are those non-FOA specific questions and answers I was mentioning. And again, those could be very useful for you as well so make sure that you check those out as well. Next slide, please. 

So we also have two user guides that we've developed. One is on IE-Exchange itself, the getting into the system and applying. And the other is on the log on and registration process. And that includes the two factor authentication process for logging into the system. So you can access those by clicking user guides on the main page once you get into IE-Exchange. And that, again, is going to be on your left navigation menu. 

Each has numerous screenshots to help navigate you through the registration and application process, so please make use of those resources. And also let us know if there's anything that could be improved with those as we want them to be as useful as possible. Next slide, please. 

OK, so now we're getting into the FOA document itself. So on the cover page of the FOA you'll find key dates. The FOA has already been posted. We're are conducting the FOA informational webinar now. And again, all applications are due on the IE-Exchange website no later than 5:00 PM Eastern on January 23rd, 2025. And again, make note of that Eastern time and plan accordingly please. 

Also, please note that DOE we will not extend the submission deadline for applicants that fail to submit required information due to server or connection congestion. So like I mentioned before, please add some time in there to anticipate maybe running into some of those technical issues. 

Also, IE-Exchange is designed to enforce the deadline specified in this FOA. So with that, the Apply and Submit buttons, those might be disabled at the defined submission deadline anyway. So therefore, please ensure you begin uploading your complete application at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline to ensure you meet that deadline. And then allow at least one hour to actually submit the application once it's all ready. Note that once the application is submitted, in IE-Exchange, you may revise or update your application up until the deadline. 

So DOE anticipates notifying applicants selected for negotiation of award in the summer of 2025. So making awards approximately 90 days after receipt of any requested supplemental information. 

Each and every applicant will receive a notification letter by email to the technical and administrative points of contact that have been designated by the applicant and IE-Exchange. And notification letters will state whether the application is determined to be non-compliant. So an incomplete or late application, for example. 

Ineligible. So for example, does not meet the eligibility requirements, which begin on page 20 of the FOA document. Non-responsive. And that's defined under Section 1C in the FOA document itself. Not selected for funding. Selection for funding is postponed. Not selected for funding, but designated as an alternate perhaps, or selected for negotiation of awards. 

So all the notification letters could be for one of those options. So the notification letter is going to state the basis upon which those decisions were made. Next slide, please. 

This is very true. Read the Funding Opportunity Announcement, then Read it Again. It has all of the pertinent information in there. It's a lot. It's hefty, but it is very informative, and important and gives everything needed to put together an application. Next slide, please. 

Again to apply to this FOA, applicants must register, create an account, and submit all required application documents to IE-Exchange at the URL shown. A control number, again, will be assigned while registering in IE-Exchange. And then, like I mentioned before, please make sure to retain this number as you'll have to be labeling each and every document with this control number. 

The IE-Exchange registration doesn't have a delay. However, the remaining registration requirements could take several weeks to process and are required prior to submitting an application. An authorized representative of the applicant must certify that those registrations are complete and that certification included in your application. 

So therefore all potential applicants that are lacking a Unique Entity Identifier, or UEI number, by the way, that's what replaced the DUNS number, or not yet registered with the System for Award Management or SAM simply or FedConnect or grants.gov should complete those registrations as soon as possible. 

You'll also need to register in grants.gov, that's www.grants.gov so that you'll receive automatic updates when amendments to this FOA are posted if any. Note that applications will only be accepted through IE-Exchange not through grants.gov. Very important to make note of that. Next slide, please. 

So other registration requirements. The IE-Exchange registration, again, doesn't have a delay. However, the remaining registration requirements could take several weeks to process. Important to keep on your radar there. All potential applicants, again, lacking a UEI number or not yet registered with SAM or FedConnect must complete those registrations prior to submitting an application. 

Please do see part 6 B of the FOA, that's beginning on page 68 for information on how to register in those systems. It's really important you register in these systems as soon as possible. Again, as these registrations do need to be completed prior to submitting an application, and those could take several weeks. So please do keep that in mind. 

An authorized representative of the applicant must certify that all system registrations have been completed. And that certification is part of your application. The application registration certifications template is also available under the application forms and templates section that we looked at earlier for the FOA that's on the IE-Exchange site. Next slide, please. 

Again, all applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully read the Funding Opportunity announcement and adhere to the stated submission requirements. So this presentation summarizes the contents of the FOA. 

However, if there are any inconsistencies between the FOA and this presentation or statements from DOE or other personnel, the FOA, again, is the controlling document. And so applicants should really rely solely on the FOA language or seek clarification from DOE. And again, that would be with the [email protected] email address. Next slide, please. 

OK. So here's the agenda for this webinar. First, we'll provide a funding opportunity overview, and Office of Indian Energy requirements. And we'll go into required application documents. We'll touch on the topic areas, discuss applications specifically not of interest. We'll discuss award information. 

We're going to go over who is eligible to apply, talk about cost-sharing requirements. We'll discuss the content and form of a complete application. We'll discuss the application eligibility requirements. We'll go over the merit review and the selection criteria and that whole process. 

We're going to look at the registration requirements and how to apply and provide points of contact. And then also, we're going to look at how to submit questions. And finally, we'll go over some best practices before closing out this informational webinar. 

So the webinar will follow this sequence of the FOA the way it's set out. So you may want to have that FOA document available and follow along, if you can. And then just a reminder, we'll not have a question and answer session as part of this webinar, so please do capture your questions as they come up and then send them via email to the [email protected] email address. 

Again, these slides and audio recording of the webinar will be posted in the next week or so on our website and you will be informed when those are available. And then also finally, again, if there are any inconsistencies between this funding opportunity, this presentation or any other statements from DOE or other personnel, remember that the FOA document is a controlling document and that's what you'll want to rely solely on. And then again, any questions, go to [email protected]. Next slide, please. 

So first we'll start with an overview of the Funding Opportunity Announcement or FOA. And for that, I will now hand it over to Jami.

JAMI ALLEY: Awesome. Thank you, Josh. Appreciate that. OK, so Josh has laid out the agenda and many of the details for IE-Exchange and now we're going to go into the funding opportunity itself. 

So the funding opportunity overview beginning on page one of the FOA document, includes key information on this FOA. This information is summarized on this, and the next few slides. We'll go over this information as part of this presentation, but it is provided here as a summary. 

The DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from all eligible entities for planning and for clean energy. See section 3.A for eligibility information and Appendix A for relevant definitions. We will discuss more detail later in the presentation about eligibility. 

Approximately $25 million in federal funds is available for 20 to 40 awards under this funding opportunity announcement. As indicated, the Funding Opportunity announcement establishes minimum and maximum award thresholds. The DOE funding per individual award ranges from no less than $100,000 to a maximum of $2.5 million depending on the topic area. 

For Topic Area 1 A-- I'm sorry, for Topic Area 1 planning, the range is no less than $100,000 to a maximum of $350,000. For Topic Area 2, feasibility and viability assessment, the range is no less than $100,000 to a maximum of $1 million. And for Topic Area number 3 development, the range is no less than $250,000 or a maximum of $2.5 million. Next slide, please. 

Continued on this slide and the next few slides is it is additional key information relative to this funding opportunity announcement. We'll go over the eligible applicant requirements in detail on subsequent slides as I mentioned a moment ago so I'll forego explaining that now. 

DOE anticipates making grants with a period of performance of approximately two to three years. Please note, however, that DOE will not make any eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. 

You may ask clarifying questions relative to the FOA, but DOE will not determine whether an applicant or specific project is eligible during the application preparation stage of the process. As such, the decision of whether to submit an application in response to this FOA lies solely with [AUDIO OUT]. Next slide, please. 

Cost share is 10% unless the cost-- 10% cost share requirement is reduced to zero. If requested by the applicant as part of its application, a cost share reduction from 10% to $0 may be considered based on poverty rate and median household income of the tribal community relative to the statewide median household income. See section 3.B.2 and cost share reduction request template for instructions. 

In addition to the ability to consider geographic distribution and the optimum use of available DOE funding to achieve programmatic objectives, the selection official may, through the application of program policy factors, see section 5.C, give additional consideration to the selection of applications for funding to tribal communities with high energy costs. 

Tribal communities-- whether the tribal community is not connected to the traditional centralized electrical power grid and/or applicants who have not previously received a grant from the Office of Indian Energy. Next slide, please. 

Furthermore, the DOE Office of Indian Energy may, upon request, provide technical assistance to eligible applicants who apply under this FOA and whose applications are comprehensively reviewed, but not selected for negotiation. Applicants may submit more than one application to this FOA, including more than one application under a particular topic area provided each application is for a distinctively different project and each application addresses only one topic area. 

Each application must have a distinct title, unique control number as assigned by IE-Exchange during the registration process and be readily distinguishable. Each application must be limited to a single, unique and distinct project. Unrelated projects cannot be consolidated into a single application. 

As mentioned previously, applications will only be accepted through IE-Exchange and required forms and templates are available under the FOA on IE-Exchange as previously [AUDIO OUT]. Forms and templates are available under Application Forms and Templates for this FOA on IE-Exchange at ie-exchange.energy.gov. Also note that content papers are not required, only full applications. Next slide, please. 

As mentioned previously, applications will only be accepted through IE-Exchange and required forms and templates are available under the FOA on IE-Exchange. Forms and templates are available specifically under Application Forms and Templates for this FOA. 

Remember, these forms and templates represent only a portion of the documents required for a complete application. The remaining documents required for a complete application have no specific format and are to be generated by the applicant. Further into the presentation, we will go through all the documents that comprise a complete application. 

As was also previously discussed DOE will notify all applicants of its eligibility and selection determinations via notification email. A notification letter will inform applicants with eligible applications if its application was selected for award negotiations or not. Those applicants will also receive written feedback at the time of the notification. 

Ineligible applications will not be reviewed or considered for award. If determined ineligible, the contracting officer will send a notification letter by email stating the basis upon which the application is ineligible and not considered for further review. Next slide, please. 

The requirements, beginning on page four of the FOA document, and listed on this slide are not all inclusive and cannot exclusively be relied on as they do not reflect all evaluation factors and requirements for this FOA. Applicants must read the FOA, the entire FOA, to determine the complete set of requirements under this funding opportunity. 

Pre-award costs. Except for pre-award costs with prior DOE approval, the only cost share contributions made during the project period of performance of the grant, if awarded, can be considered. Any costs incurred prior to award selection cannot be considered as cost share or for reimbursement by DOE. 

Eligibility statements and evidence. As previously mentioned, all applicants are required to submit eligibility statements and provide evidence of applicant and land status eligibility to support DOE's eligibility determination. 

Statements of commitment. The applicant commitment will be discussed in greater detail later in the presentation. However, all applicants are required to submit an applicant commitment and cost sharing file, which must include a statement of commitment and cost sharing on the applicant's letterhead and signed by an authorized representative of the applicant. 

In addition, all other project participants, except vendors, must submit letters of commitment and cost sharing, if any, under the participant letters of commitment. Letters of support. Letters of support or endorsement by anyone not participating in the proposed project are not required or desired and should not be provided as part of the application. 

Post award payment. The payments will be made electronically on a reimbursement basis through Automatic Clearing House or ACH and provided the requisite support is provided. They are normally reimbursed within 7 to 10 days however, reimbursement may take up to 30 days. See the FOA for more details. 

Post award reporting requirements. Selected applicants will be required to document progress in quarterly reports and project outcomes in a comprehensive final report, as well as present at an annual program review to be held each fall in Colorado. Travel costs for this annual review, one week in duration plus travel days, must be included for each year of the grant [INAUDIBLE] in the proposed budget, including the years the initial award is anticipated. 

Cost share. Every cost share contribution, if any, must be allowable under the applicable federal cost principles as described in section 3.B of the FOA. In addition, cost share must be available or accessible at the time of the submission of the application. Remember, the cost share required under this FOA is 10% and a cost share reduction to zero may be applied for. Next slide, please. 

Next, we'll discuss the required application documents. Next slide, please. The content and form of an application will be covered in detail in this presentation however, the required application documents are summarized here and on the next slide and in section 4 of the FOA document beginning on page 32. 

I recommend you use table two, required application documents, on page 32 through 35 of the FOA document as a checklist when preparing your application. Remember, forms, and templates can be found on IE-Exchange under Application Forms and Templates for this FOA. All other required application documents are applicant generated. 

Application documents for which a form or template has been provided in IE-Exchange are shaded in light gray in the slide, and those that must be executed or signed by an authorized representative are denoted with an asterisk. Next slide, please. 

Shown here are the remaining documents that comprise a complete application. We'll go over each of these in more detail later in the presentation. Note that you may submit an application at any time before the due date and that you'll be able to update it, as needed, until the deadline. 

Please allow sufficient time to ensure that you have uploaded all required documents and that your application is complete prior to the due date and time. Just a reminder, as Josh mentioned, if there are inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity Announcement, this presentation or statements from DOE or other personnel, the FOA document is the controlling document and applicants should rely solely on that FOA language or seek clarification by sending your questions to [email protected]. 

Again, these slides and an audio recording of this webinar will be posted in the next week or so. And as a registrant of the webinar, you'll receive an email when this material is available. Next slide, please. 

Next, we'll discuss the topic areas. Just as a reminder that we will not have a question and answer session as part of this webinar. So please capture your questions as they come up today and send them via email to [email protected]. Additionally, as just mentioned, these slides and the audio recording of this webinar will be posted in the next week or so and you will be notified when this material is available on the Office of Indian Energy's website. 

And lastly, if there are any inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity Announcement, this presentation or statements from DOE or other personnel, the FOA document is the controlling document and applicants should rely solely on that FOA language or seek clarification by sending your questions to [email protected]. Next slide, please. 

One of the primary goals of funding opportunities is to accelerate the deployment of clean energy technology on tribal lands. And together with our recipients have some pretty impressive outcomes to support that goal. 

Between 2010 and 2024, the Office of Indian Energy invested more than $190 million in over 240 tribal energy projects across the contiguous 48 states and Alaska. These projects, collectively valued at more than $300 million, are leveraged by more than over $125 million in recipient cost share. Next slide, please. 

Through this FOA, the DOE Office of Indian Energy will continue efforts to advance tribal energy sovereignty and maximize the deployment of clean, reliable, affordable, and local energy solutions. In support of these objectives, the DOE Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications for the planning, assessment and development of clean energy projects on tribal buildings or tribal lands. 

Specifically, DOE's Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian tribes, which include an Alaska Native, regional corporations and village corporations, inter tribal organizations, and tribal energy development organizations to, number one, conduct clean energy planning, number two, assess the feasibility and viability of deploying clean energy technology, or number three, conduct clean energy, project design and development activities for deployment on tribal buildings or tribal lands. Applicant eligibility information is included under Section 3.A of the FOA. Next slide, please. 

Let's dive in to the topic areas of the FOA. The three topic areas include, number 1, tribal clean energy planning, or Topic Area number 1. Two, comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment, Topic Area 2. And three, design and development of clean energy projects, Topic Area 3. Next slide, please. 

Topic Area 1 is for tribal clean energy planning. Eligible planning activities under Topic Area 1 may include but are not limited to strategic energy planning, conducting an energy options analysis. Conducting energy audits to establish baseline energy use and energy efficiency options Developing an energy organization or office. 

Conducting climate resiliency planning. Establishing Energy Policy regulations or codes to reduce energy use or promote energy development. And obtaining skills and training related to energy use development or management. 

Project selected under Topic Area 1, tribal clean energy planning, are intended to result in specific outcomes, measurable results or impacts. Funds under this topic area are intended to cover internal personnel costs, for example, energy and infrastructure management roles and may be used for community outreach, including native language translation. See section 1.B for more details. 

Applicants may propose a single eligible planning activity, multiple eligible planning activities or all eligible planning activities, provided the amount of DOE funding being requested does not exceed the maximum DOE funding per individual award specified under Section 2.A.1. 

We will now go through each of these eligible activities-- or I'm sorry, we will not go through each of these eligible activities today. However, more information on each of these eligible planning activities is included in section 1.B of the FOA. Next slide, please. 

Topic Area 2 is comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment. Projects selected under Topic Area 2 are intended to result in a comprehensive project plan sufficient to move a project to the design and development phase of a clean energy project on tribal buildings or tribal land. See Topic Area 3. 

It is anticipated that the proposed comprehensive feasibility and viability assessment, as a minimum, is based on a completed energy options analysis. See Topic Area 1 and the energy options analysis template. Comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment for purposes of this, FOA is an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project plan. 

The comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment should clearly identify the need, demonstrate the rationale for selecting the proposed clean energy technology as opposed to other options, demonstrate the availability of the resource, demonstrate the technical and economic viability including an interconnection analysis, if applicable, and financial sustainability of the proposed clean energy system. See section 1.B.2 for more details. Next slide, please. 

Topic Area 2, specifically for purposes of this FOA, a comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment is an assessment of the practicality of a proposed project plan. 

A comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment should clearly identify the need, demonstrate the rationale for selecting the proposed clean energy technology as opposed to other options, demonstrate the availability of the resource, demonstrate the technical and economic viability, including the interconnection analysis, if applicable, and financial sustainability of the proposed clean energy system. Again, see section 1.B.2 for more details. Next slide, please. 

Topic Area 3 is design and development of clean energy projects. Projects selected under Topic Area 3, design and development of clean energy projects, are intended to result in projects ready for development, final design, installation, commissioning and monitoring of clean energy technology on tribal buildings or tribal lands. 

It is intended that the proposed development activities are the result of a comprehensive feasibility and viability assessment. See Topic Area 2. See section 1.B.3 for more information. 

Development for purposes of this FOA refers to activities prior to hardware installation and may include, but is not limited to design and engineering except final design and engineering, economic analysis, environmental evaluations and studies, policy and regulatory assessment, market and interconnection studies, risk analysis and mitigation planning, operations and maintenance planning, organizational structure and financing planning. 

No deployment activities are not allowable activities under Topic Area 3 or any other topic area of this FOA. Where deployment, for purposes of this FOA, means the installation of clean energy technology and may include final design and engineering, selection of contractors, obtaining permits and approvals, securing financing, procuring equipment, installation and commissioning. See section 1.B or Appendix A of the FOA for definition. Next slide, please. 

Next on the agenda is applications not of interest under this FOA. And for that, I will hand it back over to Josh. 

JOSH GREGORY: Thanks, Jami. And again, just another reminder, we do not have a question and answer session that's going to be a part of this webinar. So please do save your questions and then send those to us at [email protected]. And then again add the FOA number to the subject line of that email as well. OK, next slide, please. 

OK, so application specifically not of interest. So the types of applications shown here, and on the next few slides, are those applications that are specifically not of interest and will be deemed non responsive and will not be reviewed or considered. 

And so those include applications that fall outside the technical parameters that are specified in section 1.B of the FOA. Those are the topic areas, again. Applications proposing final design and engineering or the purchase or installation of equipment, excluding equipment which may be needed for resource assessment. 

Those applications proposing deployment activities as that term is defined in this FOA, including applications proposing the execution of agreements such as interconnection, land lease, rights of way, power purchase agreements and other financing agreements, issuing requests for proposals or entering into contracts. 

Also applications proposing the building, erecting, altering, remodeling, or repairing of a building or structure are not of interest. And applications proposing the evaluation of product marketing opportunities, assessments of manufacturing opportunities, research and other project development are not of interest for this FOA. Next slide, please. 

Next, we'll discuss some key award information. And then again, just a reminder, send any questions you might have to [email protected]. And then also, again, these slides and audio recording of the webinar are going to be posted in the next week or so and you will be informed of when those will be ready. And so you can rewatch this or download the slide deck and use the links in there and use it as a tool to develop your application as well if you'd like. 

And again, if there are any inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity Announcement, this presentation or any statements from DOE or other personnel, remember that the FOA document is the controlling document and that's the one that you want to keep going to and solely rely on. Next slide, please. 

So the award information included on this slide is also included as part of the executive summary, which was gone over earlier. And again, that starts on page one of the FOA document. And so just to go over that, again, DOE expects to make approximately $25 million of federal funding available for new awards under this FOA. And of course, that's subject to the availability of appropriated funds. And then across that, we anticipate making approximately 20 to 40 awards under this FOA. 

DOE may issue awards in one, multiple, or none of the following topic areas. And then, again, going over those specific ranges for the topic areas. So Topic Area 1, clean energy planning. The funding range there is no less than $100,000 to a maximum of 350,000. 

For Topic Area 2, which is clean energy, feasibility, and viability assessment. The funding range there is $100,000 minimum to a maximum of $1 million. And then Topic Area 3, development of clean energy projects, the funding range per award there is no less than $250,000 to a maximum of 2.5 million. Next slide, please. OK, so next, we'll get into the eligibility information. Next slide, please. 

OK, so who is eligible to apply? Remember, one of the files that comprise an application is the eligibility statements and evidence file. You'll be required to complete the template provided, and then provide evidence to support DOE's eligibility determination. 

Please see the word template that's again found under the application forms and templates for this FOA on IE-Exchange. And then also note the use of the template is not required in and of itself. However, the information that's included within the template is required. 

I'll say the template is already formatted and outlined. Everything's there, so it's pretty easy to use. You don't have to-- again, you're not required to use that template however, the information within it is required. 

Again, note that DOE will not make eligibility determinations prior to an application being submitted. Applicants that do not meet the eligibility requirements under Section 3.A of the FOA will be deemed ineligible and their applications will not be reviewed or considered. 

Also, due to the competitive nature of the funding, opportunity, DOE will not advise you or make any determination on whether your entity or your proposed project are eligible prior to an application being submitted. So again, please do not seek advice from any DOE employee, DOE contractor or any DOE laboratory staff on that. 

So eligibility for award under this funding opportunity announcement is restricted to an Indian tribe, which includes Alaska Native regional corporations and village corporations, intertribal organizations, tribal energy development organizations, and on whose tribal lands the projects will be located. Other entities to be discussed on an upcoming slide may be able to apply on behalf of an Indian tribe or tribes, provided evidence of that authority is included as part of the application. Next slide, please. 

So the definition of Indian tribe is as shown on the slide here. Note that eligible Indian tribes are those federally recognized as listed in Indian entities, recognized and eligible to receive services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs published by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Register. And that's last time was January 12 2023. And then if you'd like, I'll give you a moment here to read through the definition. This is also included in the Funding Opportunity Announcement as well. 

And so remember that for the purposes of this FOA an Indian tribe does include Alaska Native regional corporations and village corporations as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. An Alaska Native regional corporation for the purposes of this FOA means one of the 13 Alaska Native regional corporations as defined in and established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Act. 

And then, of course, Alaska Native village corporation or village corporation, for the purposes of this FOA means an Alaska Native village corporation organized under the laws of the state of Alaska as a business for profit or nonprofit corporation to hold, invest, manage, and/or distribute lands, property, funds and other rights and assets for and on behalf of a native village as defined in and established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. 

Tribal consortium, as defined for the purposes of this FOA means a group of Indian tribes, as the definition is, that have chosen to submit a single application. Under this FOA a tribal consortium is eligible to submit an application, provided the application is submitted by a single Indian tribe representing the consortium. Applications may also be submitted on behalf of Indian tribes by an authorized tribal organization provided evidence of that authority is included as part of the application. 

The tribal organization per public law 115-245 has the meaning given the term in Section 4 of the Indian self-determination and Education Assistance Act specifically per 25U.S.C.&5304, tribal organization means the recognized governing body of any Indian tribe, any legally established organization of Indians, which is controlled, sanctioned or chartered by such governing body, or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization, and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities. 

Provided that in any case, where a contract is let or grant made to an organization to perform services benefiting more than one Indian tribe, the approval of each such Indian tribe shall be a prerequisite to the letting or making of such contract or grant. Again, these definitions can be found under Section 3.A of the FOA document or under Appendix A which is included in there as well. Next slide, please. 

So again, just as a reminder, after we've covered the eligibility there, DOE will not make eligibility determinations for potential applicants prior to the date on which applications to this FOA must be submitted. The decision of whether to submit an application in response to the FOA lies solely with the applicant. Next slide, please. 

Next, we'll go over cost share. And again, if there are any inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity Announcement, between this presentation or any other statements from DOE or other personnel, just remember check out the Funding Opportunity Announcement itself. 

It is the controlling document and applicants should rely solely on that FOA language. Or you can seek clarification by sending your questions, again, to [email protected]. Next slide, please. 

So unless DOE approves a requested cost share reduction from 10% to 0, a 10% cost, share of the total allowable costs of the project is required where total allowable costs of the project is the sum of the federal share and the non-federal recipient cost share of allowable costs. 

So for example, if the requested DOE costs are 900,000, the cost share would be $100,000 or 10% of a total proposed project cost of a million not 10% of the DOE requested amount. Again, cost share is 10% of the total project cost, which, again, includes both the DOE funds and the cost share portion from the recipient. 

Please also refer to section 3.B for instances where federal funds may be permissible for use as cost share, such as the Indian self-determination Act, tribal self-governance funding agreements, self-determination, contract funding, compact funding, and then NAHASDA, which is Native American Housing Assistance and Self-determination Act funds. 

And then to assist applicants in calculating proper cost share amounts, DOE has included additional cost share information in Appendix B to this FOA. Next slide, please. 

OK, so cost share reduction requests. Again, an applicant may request a reduction in cost share from 10% to 0, to nothing, based on financial needs. Specifically, poverty rate of the tribal community is at least 20% based on the Census Bureau's My Tribal Area, or median household income of the tribal community does not exceed 80% of the statewide median household income based on the Census Bureau's My Tribal Area as well as ACS data profiles by state. 

And although an applicant is only required to meet one of the two factors to be eligible for a cost share reduction, it is requested that information be provided for both factors. 

If an applicant does not qualify for cost share reduction based on the Census Bureau's My Tribal Area and the ACS data profiles by state data, the applicant does have the option to use self-reported data for the poverty rate and median household income of the tribal communities where the project will be located. So you can see, see alternate data, option instructions of the cost share reduction request template, and you'll get more information there. 

To submit a cost share reduction request. Check out section 3.B.2 of the FOA document and the cost share reduction request template. Again, that's located on the IE-Exchange site under the application forms and templates section of this FOA. 

When requesting a cost share reduction, the applicant must complete the application based on the requested cost share reduction amount and percentage. However, if DOE does not approve the request for reduced cost share, the applicant will be required to meet the 10% cost share. Next slide, please. 

So all cost share must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. You can check out a couple CFR, the Code of Federal Regulations for that specifically 306 and 130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements. And as previously mentioned, there are federal funding sources that per statute allow it to be used as cost share. 

Note that except under limited situations and only with prior DOE approval, all cost share must be made during the period of performance of the grant. And costs incurred prior to award selection cannot be considered as cost share or for reimbursement by DOE. Section 3.B of the FOA provides additional information on cost share types, allowability, verification, and payment and so on. 

Cost share must also be available or accessible at the time of submission of the application and a written assurance such as the commitment must be provided at the time of the application submission. The written assurance or commitment is a binding guarantee that funds are available or with respect to the use of equipment, contributed labor hours or unrecovered indirect costs are accessible. 

Also note that cost share commitments cannot be dependent on some future events, such as receiving a grant, obtaining a loan, or securing an investor. Next slide, please. 

Cost share contributions. So although the cost share requirement applies to the project as a whole, that includes work performed by members of the project team other than the recipient, the recipient is ultimately and legally responsible for the entire amount of cost share if an award is made. 

In addition, if an award is made, cost share will be verified once invoiced and documentation for all costs, such as evidence of expenditures associated with the project will be required with each and every request for reimbursement from DOE or DOE's portion of those costs. DOE requires recipients to contribute the cost share amount incrementally over the life of the award. So on an invoice by invoice basis. 

In limited circumstances and where it is in the government's interest, the DOE contracting officer may approve a request by the recipient to meet its cost share requirements on a less frequent basis. Next slide, please. 

So the total budget included in an application again, must include both federal and non-federal shares. So that-- which combine, that's going to reflect the total project costs that are being proposed. All costs must be verifiable from the recipient's records and be necessary and reasonable for the accomplishment of the proposed project. 

Every cost share contribution must be reviewed and approved in advance by the contracting officer and incorporated into the project budget before the expenditures are incurred. Next slide, please. 

So final note. As all sources of cost share are considered part of total project costs, if selected for funding, the cost share dollars will be scrutinized under the same federal regulations as federal dollars are that are requested for the project. 

Specifically, all costs, whether they be requested for reimbursement from DOE or contributed as cost share, will require the same level of documentation to support those costs, as well as undergo the same level of review to determine allowability, allocability, and reasonableness. Next slide, please. 

Again, cost share must be allowable, be available or accessible at the time of submission of the application, and it will be verified once invoiced. Please refer to this chart for your entities applicable cost principles. It really is imperative that you follow the applicable cost principles when creating your budget for the application. Next slide, please. 

So allowable cost share. Cost share can be provided in cash or as in-kind contributions. It can be provided by the recipient, a subrecipient or a third party. 

And some of the examples of allowable in-kind contributions may include, certainly not limited to, contribution of time, unrecovered indirect costs, unrecovered facilities and administrative costs, rental value of buildings, land or equipment, not the purchase price, the rental or lease value. And value of a service, other resource or third party in-kind contribution. Again, only the rental or lease value of buildings, land or equipment and only for the period of the grant is allowable, not the purchase price. Next slide, please. 

OK, so unallowable cost share. Be aware of this, that there are items that are considered unallowable cost share. If a cost is considered unallowable, it cannot be requested from DOE or counted as cost share. And this slide provides some examples of cost share that will be deemed unallowable. 

And then, of course, the FOA has much more detail on this. You can find that on page 38 of the FOA. And then I'll give you just a moment to look through these. 

And then just an aside here. Investment or production tax credits and direct payments in lieu of tax credits are not considered federal funding after receipt by a grantee. And those may be used as cost share. But to be eligible as cost share, any investment or production tax credits received would need to be monetized, received and contributed to the project during the grant period. 

Additionally, direct payments in lieu of tax credits may also be used as cost share, provided those funds are received and contributed, again, during the grant period. Next slide, please. 

OK, so now we're moving on to the content and form of the application. Almost there. We're getting there. Next slide, please. 

OK, so now we'll go over each required application document shown on the slide. And remember each of the files shown on this slide and the next are required for a complete application. 

A similar table, which is table 2, it's titled required application documents in the FOA is included. That's beginning on page 32. And I really suggest that you use this as a checklist when you're preparing your application and uploading your application. It's really going to be helpful to ensure that all relevant documents that make up the complete application are submitted. 

And again, remember, much of this is documented in section 4.C, content and form of the application. So this is going to be a lot of content, but it is all there in the FOA document. So not to worry, you can just go back and refer to that section. 

And then again, just as a reminder. So the application documents and the forms and templates have been provided in the IE-Exchange site. And those ones you can see are shaded here on the slide as light gray. And then those that aren't, those must be executed or signed by an authorized representative that those ones that are denoted with an asterisk. 

OK, so applications must include one, an application for federal assistance. That's the form SF424. The application for federal assistance is a formal application for funding, and the form must be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant. 

By signing this, the authorized representative is making certain certifications and assertions and therefore the form must be either digitally or manually in ink, signed and scanned before being uploaded as part of your application. Typed signatures do not constitute a digital signature, so please keep that in mind. 

Note that the forms and templates again, these can be obtained on the IE-Exchange web page. Next required document is a summary slide. So that's a single PowerPoint slide that provides quick facts about the proposed project. And the slide content requirements are provided in the FOA. 

We do have a template that we provide for that as well. Again, just to note, the templates in and of itself do not need to be used. However, the information requested in those templates are required. 

The technical volume. That's a key submission document that describes a proposed project, the project readiness, and it addresses the merit review criteria. The technical volume must not exceed 15 pages. 

That does exclude the cover page and table of contents. And keep this in mind, DOE will only review the first 15 pages. Anything submitted beyond that will not get reviewed and will not count toward technical merit review. 

Again, technical volume templates are available on the IE-Exchange system. And as I mentioned previously, we have three unique topic areas under this FOA, and so we have three unique technical volume templates, one for each of those topic areas. 

So to get a little bit more detail about the technical volume. The technical volume should include a cover page. Again, that cover page, as well as a table of contents is not counted against the 15 page limit. Of course. 

It needs a table of contents, it needs an executive summary, a project description and outcomes, and roles, responsibilities, capabilities, and commitment section. So again, the template is outlined specifically to that. And those are the primary sections of the technical volume. 

We have a work plan template as well. The work plan is not a part of the technical volume, but to be included as a separate file. We also provide a template for the work plan as well. 

The work plan should describe the work to be accomplished and how the applicant is going to achieve the project milestones. And the work plan must not exceed five pages, that does exclude the milestone table. And then, again, see the template for instructions and formatting. And that also can be obtained on the IE-Exchange site under Application Forms and Templates. 

Next document, we have the eligibility statements and evidence files. So all applicants are required to submit the eligibility statements that document and provide evidence of applicant and land status eligibility to support DOE's eligibility determination. So an MS Word template again is provided on the IE-Exchange site. 

And then as with all the templates, the use of the eligibility statements and evidence template isn't required, but the information included in that is required. Again, note that this form must be signed by an authorized representative, either digitally or manually in ink, and then scanned before being uploaded as part of your application. 

And just a reminder, the table that goes through all of these required documents in the FOA does provide information and details about who needs to sign, what documents need to be signed, et cetera. 

All applicants are required to submit a commitment and cost sharing file, which must include a statement of commitment and cost sharing by the applicant on the applicant's letterhead and also be signed by an authorized representative of the applicant. So you can see section beginning on page 38 of the FOA document for more on the specific information that's needed as part of those applicant commitment and cost sharing files. 

And then also the participant letters of commitment file. Those need to include letters of commitment and cost sharing from all other project participants. That excludes vendors or contractors. 

So this letter must be specific to this FOA. And if cost share is being committed, it needs to include a statement of the total amount and the type of cost share being committed and a detailed estimate of the cash value in the basis of and the nature of all contributions to the project by the project participant. 

[CLEARS THROAT] 

Excuse me. And then remember letters of support or endorsement by anyone not participating in the proposed project are not required and in fact, they're not desired and they should not be provided as part of the application. 

OK, so resume files. So under the resume file, all applicants are required to provide a resume for the business contact and the project manager. And then each key person proposed. And that includes tribal staff that will be a part of the project. 

A key person is any individual who contributes in a substantive, measurable way to the execution of the project. And each resume must not exceed three pages. So save all resumes into a single file for uploading with your application. Not separately, but put them together in a single file. 

The budget justification workbook. That's a required form and must include both the funds being requested from DOE as well as those proposed as cost share. And then again, let me restate that, the budget and the budget justification must reflect all project costs, regardless of whether those funds are being requested from DOE or provided as cost share. 

The form itself is a multi tab Microsoft Excel workbook. And in addition to the proposed cost, the form requests the basis of estimate for the cost being proposed. The form can be downloaded also from the IE-Exchange website in that application forms and templates section. 

Applicants must provide a separate budget justification as well for each subrecipient that's expected to perform work estimated to be more than $250,000 or 25% of the total work effort. A subrecipient is a sub awardee who is providing cost share or with a vested interest in the proposed project beyond providing goods and services to the proposed project. 

If none of the proposed subrecipients meet the threshold above a subrecipient, budget justification form is not required and instead a file stating no subrecipients being proposed. Meet the threshold requirements and therefore a subrecipient budget justification form is not being provided here as an attachment. That must be uploaded instead. 

Contractor budget information should not be included as part of the subrecipient budget justification, but rather included as part of the applicant's budget support file under contractual-- or rather, the budget justification file under the contractual cost category. 

The contractor is an entity contracted to provide goods and services within normal business operations who provide similar goods or services to many different purchasers and operates in a competitive environment. Next slide, please. 

OK, so these have what we provided forms and templates for. So for the application for federal assistance, that's the form SF-424. We have that form in the IE-Exchange system. We provide a template for the summary slide, we provide a template for the technical volume, a template for the work plan. We provide a template for the eligibility statements and evidence file, also the budget justification workbook. 

And then applicants must also provide that separate budget justification for each subrecipient. So we do have that template as well. And again, those can be obtained on the IE-Exchange site under the application forms and templates section of this FOA. And then just a reminder, as with all the templates, the use of the template is not required, but the information that's requested in those is required. 

The applicant commitment and cost sharing file, participant letters of commitment and cost sharing file and the resume file, those also do not have a specific format and those are those forms that need to be generated by the applicant. Next slide, please. 

Next, we'll go through each of the remaining components of an application. Again, there's a lot of information here to cover, but all of this is also in the FOA document. So we're just going down the list here still.

Budget support file. So all applicants are required to submit support for their proposed budget to include an indirect rate agreement, breakdown of fringe costs and fringe benefit elements, basis of cost estimate documentation, budget support for contractors and other relevant supplemental information. And then again, as I mentioned, the template's been provided for the budget support file. 

Cost share reduction requests. So applicants requesting a cost share reduction must submit a cost share reduction request using the format and instructions included within the cost share reduction request template that's provided on IE-Exchange as well. The use of that cost share reduction request template, just like the others, is not required, but you do need to provide the information within that template. 

If cost share reduction is not being requested, you must submit a signed statement on the applicant's letterhead certifying, quote, "the applicant hereby represents and certifies that it is not requesting a cost share reduction. And the individual signing the statement is authorized to make this certification on behalf of the applicantion-- applicant, excuse me," end quote. And then obviously that is going to be provided in the FOA document as well for you to use. 

Registration certification. So all applicants must certify that all system registrations have been completed and certified to those registrations as part of the applicant registration certification file template, again is provided for that. 

And then the disclosure of lobbying activities. So that's the form SF-LLL also required to be submitted regardless of whether funds are being paid or will be paid for influencing or attempting to influence persons in connection with this application. 

And just to note, recipients and subrecipients may not use any federal funds to influence or attempt to influence directly or indirectly congressional action on any legislative or appropriation matters. And all applicants are required to complete and submit the SF-LLL which is again disclosure of lobbying activities and disclose if any non-federal funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence any of the following in connection with your application. So an officer or employee of any federal agency, a member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress, or an employee of a member of Congress. 

So on that form, if no non-federal funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence any of the above, then you just indicate none and sign and date the form. Again, this form is available on IE-Exchange with those other forms and templates. 

Locations of work. So all applicants must provide a list of the locations where project work will be performed by the recipient or subrecipient. Again a Microsoft Excel template has been provided for that. 

Just going down the list here. Potentially duplicate funding file. If the applicant or project team member has other active awards or federal funds, the applicant must determine whether the activities of those awards potentially overlap with the activities set forth in the application to this FOA. 

If there is a potential overlap, the applicant must notify DOE in writing of that potential overlap and then state how it will ensure that any project funds, for example, the recipient cost share in the federal funds, will not be used for identical cost items under multiple awards. 

Likewise for projects that receive funding under this FOA, if a recipient or project team member receives any other award of federal funds for activities that potentially overlap with the activities funded under this DOE award, the recipient must promptly notify DOE in writing of the potential overlap and state whether project funds from any of those other federal awards have been-- are being or are to be used in whole or part for one or more of the identical cost items under the DOE award. 

And continuing down the list, supplemental information file. All applicants must submit a supplemental information file and include any graphics such as maps, photos, or any other visuals that are relevant to the project. 

The background information or any other information to supplement the technical volume. And again, that would be maps, photos, aerial, overhead views, et cetera. Any other visuals. 

If you choose not to provide any graphics or relevant background or supplemental data beyond that which you will add into the technical volume, submit a file stating so. And the statement is provided in the FOA, and that statement is quote, no additional site, resource maps or graphics information is being provided as an attachment end quote. Note that this information may actually be really necessary to complete your application and to fully address the technical review criteria. 

Energy options analysis file. This is required for Topic Area 2 only. All applicants submitting an application under Topic Area 2 are required to submit an energy options analysis. And you can check out section 1.B.1 and the provided energy options analysis template in IE-Exchange for required content. 

Comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment, that's required for Topic Area 3 only. And so all applicants submitting an application under Topic Area 3 are required to submit a comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment. Details on that can be found in section 1.B.2 of the FOA document. And for that there is no specific format, and that will be generated by the applicant. 

And then again, just a reminder just to ensure you are submitting all required components of an application. I highly suggest grabbing and keeping close by the table of required documents that start on page 32 of the FOA. And it's a great checklist to have while you're developing your application. Next slide, please. 

This slide here is showing the forms and templates that are associated with the documents I went over in the previous slide. And again, those include the budget support file, the cost share reduction request, applicant registration certifications, the disclosure of lobbying activities, that's the form SF-LLL, locations of work. 

And then the remaining required application documents, which include the potentially duplicate funding file, supplemental information file, the energy options analysis file, and remember, that's for Topic Area 2 only and the comprehensive clean energy feasibility and viability assessment, again required only for Topic Area 3, do not have specific format and then those are going to be generated by the applicant. Next slide, please. 

OK, so next, we'll discuss application eligibility requirements. And then again, just a quick reminder we aren't having a Q&A for this webinar, so if you do have questions, please send those to [email protected] and then please put the FOA number in the subject line of that email. Next slide, please. 

So as previously pointed out, applicants must submit applications no later than 5:00 PM Eastern on January 23rd 2025. So do please plan accordingly and adjust. And I highly suggest adding a time buffer in there for any sort of unknown challenges or technical issues that might come up. 

So once submitted, DOE will conduct an eligibility review. An application will be deemed eligible only if the applicant is an eligible entity, the cost share requirement is satisfied, the application complies with the content format and submission requirements laid out in Section 4.A and section 4.C of the FOA. 

The applicant successfully uploaded all required documents. Clicked the Submit button in IE-Exchange all by the deadline stated in the FOA. The proposed project is responsive to the intent of the FOA and the application meets any other eligibility requirements that are identified in Section 3 of the FOA and throughout. 

Again, as noted earlier, please be aware that DOE will not make any eligibility determinations prior to the date on which the applications are due. And the decision whether to submit an application in response to the FOA lies solely with the applicant. In other words, DOE will not advise you or make a determination on whether your entity or your proposed project are eligible prior to an application being submitted. 

So please do not seek advice from any DOE employee, DOE contractor or laboratory staff. Again, you can send any questions that you have to [email protected]. And again, this is going to ensure that you receive an official answer and it also ensures that all potential applicants have the benefit of seeing those questions and responses as well. Next slide, please. 

OK, next, we're going to go on to discussing the merit review and the selection criteria and process. Next slide, please. 

OK, so the merit review and selection process consists of a series of reviews, including an initial eligibility review, a rigorous technical review, and then a programmatic review. The rigorous technical reviews are conducted by reviewers that are experts in the subject matter of the FOA. 

Ultimately, though, the selection official considers those recommendations of the reviewers along with other considerations, such as program policy factors to make selection decisions. Next slide, please. 

So this slide just reflects that multi-tiered review process. And again, that begins with an eligibility review. And if an application and an applicant is determined eligible, the application then undergoes a comprehensive technical review consisting of independent reviews by subject matter experts who are providing ratings and document strengths and weaknesses of each application relative to the merit review criteria published in the FOA. 

So after the independent reviewer meeting concludes, the federal consensus board begins its review. And the federal consensus board's primary responsibility is to determine the technical merit of each application, which is inherently a federal function, and makes selection recommendations based on technical merit. So in other words, it determines the selection range.

Following the federal consensus board, a merit review advisory report is produced, which describes how the merit review was conducted, and then sets forth the federal consensus board technical rankings, addresses the FOA-specific program policy factors and any other selection factors set forth in the FOA. 

And then finally, the selection official reviews the merit review, advisory report. Considers the recommendations of the federal consensus board, applies the program policy factors if they choose, and then makes a selection decision for negotiation and award. Next slide, please. 

OK, so let's go over the merit review criteria or what your application will be reviewed against. So you can see the four criterion and there weights. Goals and objectives, that's weighted at 15%. Project description and outcomes, weighted at 40%. 

Roles, responsibilities, capabilities, and commitment, weighted at 30. And then the work plan is weighted at 15%. And these are all tied very closely to the technical volume and the work plan, but not limited to those. 

Section 5.A of the FOA document, beginning on page 59, identifies the technical review criteria. And again, this is what your application will be reviewed with. So very important to go over that thoroughly. And I'd suggest keeping that with you as well for a checklist as you're creating and developing your application. 

Again, note the criteria under criterion two are different depending on the topic area. And we're not going to go through the technical review in detail in this webinar. And so again, I really highly suggest that you review that within the FOA. 

Again, that's section 5A and address each in your technical volume and your work plan. I really suggest keeping it nearby as a checklist as you're developing those two documents and making sure you're hitting all those points. Also consider the weight of each of the evaluation criteria when preparing those documents. Next slide, please. 

So now on to program policy factors. And as I mentioned earlier, in addition to the technical review criteria, the selection official may consider these program policy factors when determining which applications to select for award negotiations. Next slide, please. 

OK, so program policy factors. The selection official can consider, in no particular order, geographic distribution, degree to which the proposed project optimizes the use of available DOE funding, and whether the proposed project serves tribal communities with high energy costs, tribal communities not connected to the traditional centralized electrical power grid, and applicants who have not previously received a grant from the Office of Indian Energy. Next slide, please. 

OK, so now the requisite registration requirements. Next slide, please. OK, so the following registrations are required before submitting an application. So mentioned IE-Exchange a lot. Please register and create an account in IE-Exchange. This account will then allow you to register for any open FOAs that are currently in IE-Exchange. And remember, applications will only be accepted through IE-Exchange. 

And then again, you're going to get a control number assigned, and please do retain that and keep that handy. Again, that IE-Exchange registration does not have a delay, but the remaining registration requirements that we'll go over next could take several weeks to process. So please do adjust appropriately. 

Obtain a unique entity ID number, that's the UEI. That replaced what was used to be used, the DUNS number for entities doing business with the federal government. You're going to obtain this during the SAM registration, that's SAM or renewal process. And then you can access that at sam.gov. And a UEI is required for all entities doing business with the federal government. 

And then register with the system for award management. That's SAM acronym. That designating an electric business point of contact in their obtaining a special password called an mPIN and then obtaining a UEI number. Those are all important steps in the SAM registration that does need to be updated annually. 

And then there's FedConnect. So you want to register in FedConnect to create an organization account. Your organization, SAM mPIN is required. So for more information about that or other registration requirements, you can review the FedConnect ready, set, go, guide. And that is on the FedConnect site. 

And then grants.gov. Please register in grants.gov. That's where you're going to receive automatic updates when amendments to this FOA are posted, if any. And then, however, though, please note that applications are not accepted through grants.gov, they're only accepted through IE-Exchange. 

And then just a reminder, the applicant will be required to certify that these registrations have been completed and that certification needs to be included as part of the application. So it really is essential that these get completed as soon as possible. Like I said, some of them could take several weeks. Next slide, please. 

OK, next we're going to go over submission requirements and designated points of contact. Next slide. OK, means of submission. Again, all applications must be submitted via IE-Exchange, and DOE will not review or consider applications submitted through any other means. Please do make use of the IE-Exchange applicant guide which was mentioned earlier that can be found on IE-Exchange under manuals. 

It is a step by step guide and includes screenshots on how to register, how to create an account, how to submit an application and so on. So please make use of that. Next slide, please. 

So this is key information regarding submission of an application. So check your entries in IE-Exchange. Submissions could be deemed ineligible due to an incorrect entry. DOE strongly encourages applicants to submit applications one to two days prior to that deadline to allow for full upload of application documents and to avoid any potential technical issues. 

And then make sure you push the Submit button. Any changes made after you push the Submit button will unsubmit your application and you will need to push the Submit button again. And then for your records, print out the IE-Exchange confirmation page at each step, which contains the applications control number. 

And then, as I mentioned before, IE-Exchange is designed to enforce that deadline. So the Apply and Submit buttons will be automatically disabled at the defined submission deadline time. Should the applicants experience problems with IE-Exchange this following information might be helpful. You can submit any questions that have to do with technical issues with exchange at [email protected]. 

I would also strongly encourage you to keep records and documentation, including screenshots of any issues you experience while submitting your application. And any efforts made to resolve those issues. In the event of a late submission, that documentation may be factored into whether your late application is considered. Next slide, please. 

In addition, please keep in mind that all information provided by the applicant must, to the greatest extent possible, exclude personally identifiable information, or PII. Specifically, applicants must screen their resumes to ensure that they do not contain PII, such as personal addresses, phone, cell numbers, personal emails, Social Security numbers, et cetera. Essentially, if it's not needed for the application, it should not be included in the application. Next slide, please. 

So applicant points of contact. Applicants must designate primary and backup points of contact in IE-Exchange with whom DOE will communicate during the process. And remember, these are the contacts that will be used to notify applicants of whether their applications were deemed non-responsive, non-compliant, unsuccessful, or selected for negotiation of an award. Next slide, please. 

Next, how to submit FOA related questions. We're almost done. Thanks for bearing with me. Next slide, please. As mentioned earlier, questions regarding the FOA specifically, please do send an email to [email protected]. 

Again, however, before submitting a question, I suggest that you check the frequently asked questions page on IE-Exchange to see if that question has already been asked and answered. We will attempt to answer questions within three business days and you'll be notified when a response to your question is posted. Next slide, please. 

So for problems logging into IE-Exchange or uploading and submitting application documents, you can email [email protected]. And you're going to include the FOA name and the number and the subject line. 

Exchange help can be found in the upper right corner of each page on IE-Exchange. So there's not a lack of links how to get help there. I'd also recommend if you are having difficulties that you do look at the IE-Exchange applicant guide and the IE-Exchange registration and login guide. Again, those can be found in IE-Exchange as well. 

And then specific questions regarding the FOA itself, those should be sent to [email protected] so not ExchangeHelp but send those to [email protected]. And then, as a reminder, please do include the FOA number in the subject line. Next slide, please. 

And on to best practices. Next slide, please. OK, so a few recommendations. Please download the Funding Opportunity Announcement. Read it thoroughly so you understand all the steps and requirements for submitting an application. And then please do not rely solely on this webinar. The Funding Opportunity Announcement is the sole document that you need to rely on. 

If you're considering submitting an application, again, please register in IE-Exchange as soon as possible and obtain that control number. And then please keep in mind the frequently asked questions sites on IE-Exchange. Check those periodically for any supplemental information or any amendments to the FOA, and then you'll also be notified through grants.gov if any amendments to the FOA are made. Next slide, please. 

And in closing, next slide. So a few final comments. Hopefully we've answered some of your questions and provided an overview of the FOA and the process. However, if you have any questions, please send us an email at, you guessed it, [email protected]. 

And then again, please do not ask me or any other Office of Indian Energy staff, contractors or laboratory personnel about the eligibility of your project or any other question related to this FOA as only the formal response is posted under the FAQs on the exchange website will be honored. Again, the purpose of accepting only written questions is that that ensures that you get a formal response, but it also ensures that everybody gets the benefit of seeing those questions and answers. 

Again, please consider submitting your application early. You can always revise or update the documents up until the application deadline. And then just another reminder that these slides and audio recording of this webinar will be posted in the next week or so, and you will be notified when those are available via email. 

And then again, just a reminder that your participation in this webinar is completely voluntary. There are no particular advantages or disadvantages to the application evaluation process with respect to your participation in the webinar today. 

And then again, remember that if there are any inconsistencies between the Funding Opportunity Announcement, this presentation or statements from DOE or other personnel, the FOA document is the controlling document. And so applicants should rely solely on the language within the FOA or seek clarification by sending your questions to [email protected]. 

Also please do, if you haven't subscribed to the Office of Indian Energy email newsletters. And information on funding opportunities, lots of good stuff coming through there. And then also remember registering in grants.gov, that means you'll receive email notices of any amendments to the FOA. But applications, remember, will not be accepted through grants.gov only IE-Exchange. Next slide, please. 

OK. Thank you for your time and attention. You can reach us on our main helpdesk phone number or email up there, and you can learn more about our Office at energy.gov/Indian Energy. I'd also like to invite you to join the Office of Indian Energy's email list. 

To subscribe, you can go to the main page of our website and then you can find the portal there to sign up. By subscribing, you'll be receiving any information on this funding opportunity, funding opportunities through other agencies, training opportunities, webinars, other upcoming events. There's a lot of great information that comes through there. 

If you'd like here, you can use the QR code. And then for information on previously funded tribal energy projects, just see projects on our website. And then for a list of other open funding opportunities, see funding. A lot of good stuff within the menu so please check it out. And if you'd like, please follow us on X an on Facebook @DOEIndianEnergy. And next slide, please. 

And thank you all. I appreciate the time you've given us. This concludes the webinar. And, again, you'll be notified when the slides and recording are posted. Have a great day. Thanks.