The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) is issuing this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Awards made under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), more commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
Section 40124 of the BIL directs DOE to invest $250 million to create a new program, the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance (RMUC) Program, to provide eligible entities (defined in Section III.A.) with financial and technical assistance support to improve their cybersecurity posture. This FOA provides $70 million in federal funding to support the RMUC Program’s goals.
The activities to be funded under this FOA support BIL Section 40124 and the broader government-wide efforts to increase the security, reliability, and resiliency of our energy infrastructure. Investments to improve the cybersecurity resilience of electric utilities eligible to participate in the RMUC Program will improve energy resilience in rural communities, decrease energy burdens on utility members and customers, and increase the cybersecurity knowledge, skills, and abilities of utility employees in rural communities.
Applicants are required to download, read, and comply with the language in both the RMUC ACT FOA document and the RMUC ACT FOA Administrative Requirements document.
NOTE: The Topic Area 2 & 3 Pre-Application Response Templates were revised and uploaded on 1/4/24.
An informational Webinar was held on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 1pm ET.
NOTE: The Full Application SOPO Template was revised and uploaded on 4/11/24.