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["INSTRUCTIONS"]
["All questions and answers pertaining to DE-FOA-0002870, \"Energy Future Grants: Reaching Communities Across All Stages of Clean Energy Progress\", will be posted on Infrastructure Exchange on the Q&A tab of this spreadsheet. "]
["To ask a question that has not already been asked, email EnergyFutureGrants@hq.doe.gov."]
["DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted in this spreadsheet. If you submitted a question and it has not yet appeared in the Q&A, please continue checking this document or resubmit your question.  Please note, DOE may require more than 3 days to answer submitted questions."]
["All questions should be submitted no later than 3 business days prior to the application due date. Questions submitted after this date will not be answered."]
[]
["TIPS"]
["Questions are assigned a number in accordance with when they are reviewed by DOE.  "]
["Applicants may sort questions and answers in the question tabs of this spreadhseet by selecting the drop-down box arrow on the column headers and selecting any of the listed attributes."]
["Applicants may search for questions and/or keywords by holding CTRL+F on the keyboard and typing in a phrase or keyword."]

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["QUESTION AND ANSWER LOG\nDE-FOA-0002870 - Energy Future Grants: Reaching Communities Across All Stages of Clean Energy Progress "]
["#","Date Submitted","Topic","Topic Area","Question","Answer"]
[1,"2023-06-20","Teaming Partner List","N/A","How can my agency be added to the Teaming Partner List?","To be added to the list available on the SCEP Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange under this FOA (DE-FOA-0002870), please include your organization name, generic organization contact email (generic email addresses typically are as follows, yourorganization'sname@yourorganization.com), generic contact phone, organization type, geographical area of interest, area of technical expertise (bulleted list less than 25 words), and brief description of capabilities (less than 100 words). Please do not provide personal email addresses or other types of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Direct personal e-mail addresses will not be posted. By facilitating this Teaming Partner List, SCEP does not endorse or otherwise evaluate the qualifications of the entities that self-identify themselves for placement on the Teaming Partner List. "]
[2,"2023-06-29","FOA Release","N/A","Do you have an idea of when the Energy Future grants NOFO will be released and when the grants will be due?  ","The EFG Program awards $27 million in competitive grants to states, local governments, and tribes to implement projects that have equitable innovation strategies, multi-jurisdictional partnerships, and scalable outcomes. In early summer 2023, the EFG Program will open the application period and publish the list of governments and partners eligible to apply for the grant program. Governments are encouraged to partner with at least 3-4 jurisdictions, including state, local, and tribal governments. Applicants are encouraged to engage community-based organizations (CBOs) as subrecipients to help ensure an innovative planning approach that facilitates ideas and solutions to advance clean energy in the building, power, and/or transportation sectors. Have additional questions? Read more on our website (https://www.energy.gov/scep/energy-future-grants)"]
[3,"2023-07-03","Definition","N/A","What is the definition of a CBO?","As defined in the Energy Future Grants Notice of Intent, a “community benefit organization,” or CBO, can include nonprofit organizations and academic institutions (e.g., Historically Black Colleges and Universities, community colleges, and nonprofits) able to elevate clean energy benefits in disadvantaged communities (DACs)."]
[4,"2023-07-27","Partnership","N/A"," Would a partnership need to optimally include the state to be competitive?","DOE encourages partners to team up on a single application. DOE strongly encourages multi-jurisdiction teaming arrangements that include a wide range of team members including 3-4 local governments working together, multiple local governments and states teaming up, tribes and local governments partnering, or other various arrangements. In addition, each team should ideally involve a community organization. For example, teams could include a state and three cities in the states, several cities in a region, or a city and multiple tribes, etc."]
[5,"2023-07-27","Topic Area","Buildings","Could you clarify on the types of buildings that are eligible for inclusion? Are municipally owned assets such as health centers or rec centers located in DACs eligible for energy upgrades in this FOA? Are schools eligible?","Innovations in net zero new and existing commercial and residential buildings, \nincluding solutions that address the energy burden in affordable housing or improve\ncommunity facilities. Approaches include building retrofit programs or performance \nstandards to drive outcomes (e.g., resilience, electrification, decarbonization)."]
[6,"2023-07-27","Partnership","N/A"," Should the prime applicant be 1 municipality in a coalition of multiple jurisdictions?","Applicants are encouraged to partner as multijurisdictional teams and with community-based organizations (CBOs), academia, utilities, and/or non-profit entities."]
[7,"2023-07-27","Eligible Applicants","N/A"," So CBOs are encouraged to apply as part of a team, but it's expected that all awards will go to teams that include a local/state/tribal government, correct?","Entities that may apply to this FOA are local governments, states, territories, and tribes. Applicants are encouraged to partner as multijurisdictional teams and with community-based organizations (CBOs), academia, utilities, and/or non-profit entities."]
[8,"2023-07-27","Webinar","N/A","Will the slides be available to participants?"," Yes! A recording of the webinar will be posted on the Energy Future Grants webpage following this webinar"]
[9,"2023-07-27","Partnership","N/A","Would a partnership between a local government & CBOs be considered an appropriate partnership under this grant?","Teams could include a state and three cities in the states, several cities in a region, or a city and multiple tribes, etc."]
[10,"2023-07-27","Questions Post Webinar","N/A"," Will there be an opportunity to ask questions to SCEP after we have digested this information?","For questions about this FOA, email: EnergyFutureGrants@hq.doe.gov."]
[11,"2023-07-27","Topic Area/Application","N/A"," Do you guys allow for bundling of projects into one submission? ","Applicants are not bound to a single area above. Any team should feel free to propose innovative ideas across the topics above (e.g., deployment of virtual power plants, distribution system needs to accommodate heavy duty electric vehicles)."]
[12,"2023-07-27","Eligible Applicants","N/A","Can a local government entity submit, without including the state government?","Teams could include a state and three cities in the states, several cities in a region, or a city and multiple tribes, etc."]
[13,"2023-07-28","Appropriations","N/A","I am having difficulty tracing the $27 million of currently available discretionary funding back to the source legislation.  From what I can tell, funds came from both IIJA/BIL and IRA and this particular FOA also references the 2023 Appropriations Act as the authorizing statute.  However, a text search in all three laws for \"Energy Future\" or similar descriptive language that aligns with the FOA has yielded no results.  I can find multiple programs related to clean energy initiatives, but none that use that precise nomenclature. Could you please point me to the relevant titles/sections/pages of the source legislation for the funding?","This program was funded in the FY23 consolidated appropriations bill; specific direction was provided as part of the explanatory report from Congress. Please review the following links/passages for more information:\n\nH.R. 2617 (https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr2617/BILLS-117hr2617enr.pdf) -= FY 2023 Consolidated appropriations (Pub. L. 117-164) \nSEC. 4. EXPLANATORY STATEMENT. The explanatory statement regarding this Act, printed in the Senate section of the Congressional Record on or about December 19, 2022, and submitted by the chair of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, shall have the same effect with respect to the allocation of funds and implementation of divisions A through L of this Act as if it were a joint explanatory statement of a committee of conference.\nDivision D, Title III, section 301(d) states - Except as provided in subsections (e), (f), and (g), the amounts made available by this title shall be expended as authorized by law for the programs, projects, and activities specified in the ‘‘Final Bill’’ column in the ‘‘Department of Energy’’ table included under the heading ‘‘Title III—Department of Energy’’ in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act).\nCongressional Record Dec. 20, 2022 (https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2022/12/20/168/198/CREC-2022-12-20.pdf)– \np. S8370 -  The Final Bill column provides $27M for Energy Future Grants \np. 8286 states - The explanatory statement accompanying this division is approved and indicates congressional intent.  Unless otherwise noted, the language set forth in House Report 117– 394 carries the same weight as the language included in this explanatory statement and should be complied with unless specifically addressed.\nHouse Report 117-394 (https://www.congress.gov/117/crpt/hrpt394/CRPT-117hrpt394.pdf)\nP. 124 - Energy Future Grants.—The Department is directed to support novel state-, local-, and tribal level approaches that encourage early action and novel methods for clean energy deployment, prioritizing investments that meet energy needs at the local level and are inclusive in elevating impoverished, disenfranchised, marginalized, or overburdened communities. The Department is directed to conduct this program on a competitive basis. Eligible entities shall include states, local governments, communities, U.S. territories, and tribes. The Committee recognizes the importance of these investments to deploy clean energy technologies to help communities address climate change, criteria air pollutants, and energy resiliency from climate-related weather events. The Department is encouraged to prioritize clean energy microgrids that support critical community infrastructure, to prioritize projects in environmental justice com[1]munities, to require eligible entities to prioritize contracts to implement grants for minority-owned and operated entities or women-owned and operated entities, to prioritize community-owned clean energy projects, and to require that funded projects pay prevailing wages. The Department is encouraged to support projects related to municipal water pump station generators along the southern border. The Department is encouraged to consider projects that support municipal water pump station generators in cities that host the bases of multiple military branches. The Department is directed to provide to the Committee not later than 60 days after enactment of this Act a report on how it is implementing the Energy Future Grants program.\n"]
[14,"2023-08-01","Eligible Applicants","N/A","For the EFG Grants Funding Opportunity (DE-FOA-0002870), are FFRDCs allowed to participate as sub-recipient?\nPage 24 states that FFRDCs are eligible, but FFRDCs are not explicitly listed on pages 6-7.","See FOA Section IV.E.i, A DOE/NNSA FFRDC is eligible to apply for funding as a subrecipient only under this FOA if its cognizant Contracting Officer provides written authorization and this authorization is submitted with the application...If a DOE/NNSA FFRDC is selected for award negotiation, the proposed work will be authorized under the DOE work authorization process and performed under the laboratory’s Management and Operating (M&O) contract. FFRDC’s are not allowed to apply as a Prime Recipient."]
[15,"2023-08-01","Topic Areas","Cross-Cutting","can eligible non-profit 501 (C)(3) organization submit proposal to multiple topics (e.g. topic 2 and 3) or apply to topic 3 and the ambassador program?","Applicants are not bound to a single area. Any team should feel free to propose innovative ideas across the topic areas (e.g., deployment of virtual power plants, distribution system needs to accommodate heavy duty electric vehicles).  "]
[16,"2023-08-03","Expenditures","N/A","Are hard costs and equipment eligible expenditures under either or both phases of the grant? Like installing a geothermal heating system identified as part of the plan, for example."," Applicants should consider all costs associated with implementing the project as outlined in the Project Narrative of the FOA. All expenditures must be allowable, allocable, and reasonable in accordance with the applicable federal cost principles. Pursuant to 2 CFR 910.352, the cost principles in the Federal Acquisition Regulations (48 CFR 31.2) apply to for-profit entities. The cost principles contained in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E apply to all entities other than for-profits.  "]
[17,"2023-08-03","Budget","N/A"," What is the maximum budget allowed for a grant proposal? Is there high competition for funding selection (such as high number of proposals and very few proposals granted funding?) ","Please refer to table 2 in Section I of the FOA for the Anticipated Awards in Phase 1 and Phase 2."]
[18,"2023-08-03","Tiers","N/A","Can you explain phase 1 and phase 2 awards - is the deadline 9/30 for both?","The EFG program will encourage innovation by competitively awarding funds in two phases. This FOA represents the first phase. A second FOA or competitive process is expected via a ‘down select’, that will fund a subset teams making progress toward developing and/or implementing their clean energy program designs under this FOA, such as prioritizing benefits for disadvantaged communities, and providing clear opportunities for replicating the innovation in other places. The down-select application is a competitive application for an additional budget period. Details on the down-select evaluation criteria are in Section VII.C of the FOA."]
[19,"2023-08-10","Phases of Funding","N/A","I’m writing to learn whether the DOE anticipates holding future cycles for the Energy Future Grants? I couldn’t determine the legislative authority for the program specifically and wanted to clarify whether this will be the only opportunity to apply for this program. \n\nDoes the DOE anticipate a FY24 competition for the Energy Futures Grants?\n\n","Following the completion of Phase 1, SCEP intends to conduct a competitive process for Phase 2. SCEP may select approximately 10 teams from all Phase 1 teams to receive approximately $1 million in additional funds. SCEP may make fewer selections or none if initial requirements are not adequately met. See section II.C. of the FOA for more information on the phases of EFG funding. See above Question and Answer #13 for additional information."]
[20,"2023-08-10","Webinar","N/A","When will a recording of the webinars be made available?","Recordings and slides have been posted on the program website for both webinars."]
[21,"2023-08-14","Allowable Expenses","N/A","Are hiring or funding internal staff positions or soliciting a contractor to do work related to the project were allowable expenses of the grant?","Applicants must complete the Budget Justification Workbook, which is available on Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx. Applicants must complete each tab of the Budget Justification Workbook for the project as a whole, including all work to be performed by the prime recipient and its subrecipients and contractors. Applicants must carefully read the “Instructions and Summary” tab provided within the Budget Justification Workbook."]
[22,"2023-08-15","Partnership","N/A","“The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (See Section II.F of the FOA): Applications without partnership with a local, state, and/or tribal government as the prime entity”. Could you provide some clarification for this requirement and what is required to prove said partnership?","Entities that may apply to this FOA are local governments, states, territories, and tribes. Applicants are encouraged to partner as multijurisdictional teams and with community-based organizations (CBOs), academia, utilities, and/or non-profit entities. (View table 1 in Section I of the FOA for more information on Eligible applicants and partners). The applicant should describe partnerships outlined in Community Benefits Plan. Applicants should indicate if the main recipient has worked with the partner list before, and if so, describe previous engagements. Applicants should articulate the strategic value and anticipated role of each partner, providing letters of commitment that describe roles, project benefits or impacts. "]
[23,"2023-08-24","Eligible Applicants","N/A","Can you please clarify whether Regional Planning Organizations are eligible lead entities for the Energy Future Grants? \n\n","Entities that may apply to this FOA are local governments, states, territories, and tribes. Applicants are encouraged to partner as multijurisdictional teams and with community-based organizations (CBOs), academia, utilities, and/or non-profit entities. As stated in section IV.A.ii. Regional Planning Organizations are subrecipients."]
[24,"2023-08-25","Budget","N/A","Phase 1 states that activities are limited to planning and outreach. For the purposes of completing the required budget forms and information, should that budget include expenses associated with planning and outreach or should it reflect anticipated expenses from actual project deployment at the conclusion of planning activities? ","Please refer to the answer to question 21."]
[25,"Repeatedly Asked","Eligible Applicants","N/A","Can you clarify whether [organization] is able to serve as a prime applicant on a team? Is [project] suitable for consideration?","Thank you for your interest in the requirements of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The FOA is comprehensive and designed to allow prospective applicants to assess their proposed projects versus the requirements and criteria of the FOA.  We cannot predetermine the suitability or viability of a proposal in advance of the merit review process.  It is up to prospective applicants to review the requirements of the FOA and assess the merits of their proposed project to determine whether to submit an application.  "]
[26,"2023-08-28","FOA Amendment","N/A","Does the weighting change of criterion 4 change the review process at all?","No. The recent Modification 0001 to the FOA, which changed the weighting of criterion 1 from 20% to 40%, was made to better correspond with the weighting in the Project Narrative. The criterion requirements themselves did not change."]
[27,"2023-08-29","Deadlines","N/A","When does DOE hope projects can begin and when do they want projects to wrap up for this grant?","Project period start date depends on the start date of negotiations. Project start dates will depend on the length of negotiation periods. The period of performance is anticipated to be 12-18 months."]
[28,"2023-08-30","NOI","N/A","Do you need to have submitted an NOI to apply for this opportunity? ","No."]
[29,"2023-08-30","Partnership","N/A","As a Federally recognized Tribe is it acceptable for all the team members to be departments or instrumentalities of the Tribe (e.g., our local Housing Authority, Tribal College, Energy Corporation and others specifically on the reservation)?  (In other words is it required that we engage any off-reservation partners (such as a County or even another Tribe)?)\n\n","It is suggested that applicants include at least 3-4 governmental partners or more. A strategic goal of the EFG FOA is to establish collaborative and sustainable partnerships between local, tribal, and/or state governments, with a goal of at least 3-4 partners per applicant team. See section VI.C.i of the FOA for more information."]
[30,"2023-09-05","Future Webinars","N/A","It looks like I missed both of the seminars, but would like any information about future rolls outs if possible.","There will be no more webinars for this FOA, but they are both posted on the program website. This is where any new information will be posted (https://www.energy.gov/scep/energy-future-grants). Along with Grants.gov and eXCHANGE."]
[31,"2023-09-05","Eligible Applicants","N/A","According to the definition of Local Government found on page 15 of the FOA – Regional Planning Organizations are eligible because they fall under the definition of “Local Government.”  However, Question 23 from the FAQ document asks if Regional Planning Organizations are eligible lead entities and the answer is “As stated in section I.A.ii. Regional Planning Organizations are subrecipients.”  Can you provide any clarification into this question?  ","Please refer to the answer to question #23."]
[32,"2023-09-06","Teaming Partner List","N/A","Interested in being listed on the directory for DOE partnerships","Please refer to the answer to question #1."]
[33,"2023-09-06","Eligible Applicants","N/A","I see the Q&A stating that regional planning organizations are subrecipients, not prime entities. However, The slide below [see eligibility slide from webinar ppt] and pg. 15 of the FOA lists regional councils as local governments. Local governments are an eligible prime recipient. Can you please clarify whether this FOA considers regional councils as local governments and therefore eligible prime recipients? ","Please refer to the answer to question #23."]
[34,"2023-09-06","Planning Activities","N/A","Having read through the FOA and the FAQS, the The guidance is not clear on what is considered a “planning activity.” Are planning activities limited purely to analyses and studies, or are early action and pilot activities eligible for funds. Can DOE Energy Future Phase I funds be used to conduct pilot activities that will guide the plan for a broader implementation project? For instance, can you deploy funds toward energy audits and other activities in a confined area to study how a program works to then scale the project to implement? ","Phase 1 activities will be limited to planning and outreach. In Phase 1, selected awardees will receive approximately $500,000 for a 12-to-18-month \naward period to provide design support and ensure engagement is inclusive of all \njurisdictions and aligned with the needs of disadvantaged communities. Examples, led by \nthe prime applicant, may include stakeholder engagement meetings, planning workshops, \nfinancial or economic analyses, or grid modeling. "]
[35,"2023-09-06","Community Benefits Plan","N/A","Is the Community Benefits Plan template simply the information provided on the webpage or is there a downloadable Word document similar to the Narrative Template that was provided on the Exchange? Can you please clarify whether applicants are expected to address the Community Benefits Plan as a response in the narrative (20% of Project Narrative) in addition to submitting a standalone document (limited to 12 pages) or if having only a standalone document is sufficient?","In the project narrative, the applicant shall outline the expected benefits to the project geography (state, community, tribe, U.S. territories) of the proposed project in quantitative and/or qualitative terms. Proposed metrics should also be included. This will be 20% of the overall project narrative. The Project Narrative is limited to 10 pages and a separate Community Benefits Plan is limited to 12 pages (see sections V.C and II.G). For more information relating to Community Benefits Plans, please reference DOE’s Community Benefits Plan page: https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/about-community-benefits-plans."]
[36,"2023-09-07","Partnership","N/A","We have assembled a partner team but one of the organization's is also part of another team submitting a different application. Can an applicant be both a lead and support on two different applications? ","An entity may only submit one Full Application to this FOA. If an entity submits more than one Full Application, DOE will request a determination from the applicant’s authorizing representative as to which application should be reviewed. Any other submissions received listing the same entity as the applicant will not be eligible for further consideration. This limitation does not prohibit an applicant from collaborating on other applications (e.g., as a potential subrecipient or partner) so long as the entity is only listed as the lead applicant on only one Full Application submitted under this FOA. "]
[37,"2023-09-07","Partnership","N/A","According to the FOA, applicants are encouraged to form partnerships with at least 3-4 partners across multiple jurisdictions. \n\nHowever, the webinar slides indicate that tribal governments can apply in teams or individually (which isn't mentioned in the FOA). Are we to follow the requirements listed in the FOA and apply as a cross jurisdictional team? Or, since we are applying as a tribal government we can apply as an individual.\n","DOE encourages partners to team up on a single application. DOE strongly encourages multi-jurisdiction teaming arrangements that include a wide range of team members including 3-4 local governments working together, multiple local governments and states teaming up, tribes and local governments partnering, or other various arrangements. In addition, each team should ideally involve a community organization. Multijurisdictional teams are included as a program policy factor in Section VI.C."]
[38,"2023-09-08","Application Documents","N/A","Where can we find the spreadsheet Budget Justification Workbook and or Budget Information (SF-424A),  for DE-FOA-0002870 ENERGY FUTURE GRANTS: CREATING A COMMUNITY-LED ENERGY FUTURE? \nThey do not appear to be posted for this opportunity.\n","The worksheet has been uploaded to the FOA documents on eXCHANGE. However, only the SF424A tab is required during this application stage. The budget justification worksheet will be required for grantees."]
[39,"2023-09-12","Deadlines","N/A","Are you considering extending the deadline for the EFG?","UPDATED: The submission deadline for the Full Application has been extended to November 10, 2023 5 PM E.T. from September 30, 2023 5 PM E.T."]
[40,"2023-09-12","Interested Parties","N/A","Can someone please let us know if there have been other interested state agencies within [State] that have applied for this funding opportunity?  ","This information is not publically available and the application period is still open. However, DOE is compiling a “teaming” partner list facilitate widespread participation in this FOA. The Teaming Partner List allows organizations with expertise in project topics to express their interest to potential applicants and to explore potential partnerships. \n \n\nThe Teaming Partner List will be made available on the SCEP Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange under this FOA (DE-FOA-0002870)."]
[41,"2023-09-12","Eligible Applicants","N/A","On slide 23 of the Informational FOA Webinar Presentation, it states “Local Governments, States and Tribes, Community-based organizations (Nonprofits, think tanks, academic institutions (HBCU, thinktank, community college), Utilities, and Other Potential 3rd Party Partners” are “Eligible to Apply.” Within the Actual FOA (page 6), it states, “Eligible Applicants: Entities that may apply to this FOA are local governments, states, territories, and tribes. Applicants are encouraged to partner as multijurisdictional teams and with community-based organizations (CBOs), academia, utilities, and/or non-profit entities.” Will the Government please clarify if entities, such as CBOs and Nonprofits, are eligible as a Lead Applicant?","Please refer to the answers in question #7 and question #23."]
[42,"2023-09-12","Eligible Applicants","N/A","After looking over the informational FOA webinar presentation slides, I have a question about the following eligibility bullet point found on slide 18: “The following types of applications will be deemed nonresponsive and will not be reviewed or considered (See Section II.F of the FOA): Applications without partnership with a local, state, and/or tribal government as the prime entity.” Could you provide some clarification for this requirement and what is required to prove said partnership?","Please refer to the answers in questions #6 and #7. Additionally, the Project Overview should contain the following required information: The applicant should briefly list the lead jurisdictions, ideally all jurisdictions (i.e., states, territories, cities, towns, tribes, etc.), CBO partners and others. Applications should identify existing expertise of partners and clearly define how the program innovation will benefit disadvantaged communities. The Community Opportunity Profile should contain the following information: The applicant should describe partnerships outlined in Community Benefits Plan. Applicants should indicate if the main recipient has worked with the partner list before, and if so, describe previous engagements. Applicants should articulate the strategic value and anticipated role of each partner, providing letters of commitment that describe roles, project benefits or impacts. (See Section V. C.)"]
[43,"2023-09-12","Community Benefits Plan","N/A","I understand the requirements for the Community Benefits Plan but I am somewhat confused about how they would apply to a planning grant. For example, if we aren't building out infrastructure yet, it seems premature to have labor/union agreements in place. Could you help me understand how the Community Benefits Plan requirement would be met for a planning-focused grant in phase 1 funding?","Please see the Community Benefits Plan (see I D. xv) information on metrics development and use. One area to include is:  \n\n-Community Benefit: The applicant shall outline the expected benefits to the project geography (state, community, tribe, U.S. territories) of the proposed project in quantitative and/or qualitative terms.  \n\n-Metrics: The applicant should include proposed metrics to measure how the program will increase affordability and access including expected energy savings, energy efficiency improvements, health benefits, access to good jobs, and/or emissions reductions. Final metrics will be developed during award negotiation should the applicant be deemed meritorious.  "]
[44,"2023-09-13","Budget","N/A","We have noticed that a spreadsheet titled “EERE T 540.132 01 Budget Justification (3 BPs)” was added to the website for DE-FOA-0002870 application.\n\nThe FOA mentions “SF-424A” for the budget spreadsheet. \n\nPlease confirm the file “EERE T 540.132 01 Budget Justification (3 BPs)” is the correct budget justification form for this application.\n","Yes, this is the correct form that contains a tab for the SF424A document. This is the only document that is required at this time."]
[45,"2023-09-13","Eligible Applicants","N/A","Would a non-profit 501c3 entity be eligible to apply for DOE Energy Future grant, as a sub-recipient.  We work with Tribes on renewable energy.  \n \nWould we be able to submit 1 application, for a project that includes 3-5 Federally Recognized Tribes as the Prime recipient?","Please refer to the answers in questions #6 and #7."]
[46,"2023-09-13","Eligible Applicants","N/A","For this Funding Opportunity, is a county and/or its offices or jurisdictions eligible to participate as lead applicants?","Please refer to the answer in question #7."]
[47,"2023-09-18","Page Requirements","N/A","If the Community Benefits Plan is to be 20% of the 10-page Project Narrative that calculates out to 2 pages. Yet the first chart lists 12 pages. \n\nCan you please clarify if the Community Benefits Plan is limited to 2 or 12 pages?\n","The Project Narrative is limited to 10 pages and a separate Community Benefits Plan. The Community Benefits Plan must be submitted in PDF format and must not exceed twelve pages. This Plan must address the technical review criterion titled, “Community Benefits Plan: Job Quality & Equity.” See Section VI.A. of the FOA. See section V.C.\n \n\nApplicants must submit the Community Benefits Plan electronically in a single PDF file. "]
[48,"2023-09-21","SF-LL Form","N/A","For purposes of the SF-LL Form, Disclosure of Lobbying, is this a “Grant” or a “Cooperative Agreement”.  CA is already populated, and if I try to switch it to Grant, both appear marked when I print the document to PDF.","EFG awards will be made as Cooperative Agreements (See Section II). ","."]
[49,"2023-09-21","Timeline","N/A","Will this program be re-run in 2024 or any other time?","At this time the program is unsure whether or not Energy Future Grants will receive subsequent appropriations."]
[50,"2023-09-22","Control Number","N/A","Please clarify if the Control Number field for the cover sheet and application packet file name is a DOE number listed in the FOA/application management system or an applicant assigned internal reference. I am not sure what to provide in this field. ","A control number will be issued when an applicant begins the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange application process. The control number must be included with all application documents. Specifically, the control number must be prominently displayed on the upper right corner of the header of every page and included in the file name (i.e., Control Number_Applicant Name_Full Application). All Full Application documents must be marked with the control number issued to the applicant.\n\nIf you have any technical problems with eXCHANGE, please send an email to S3Exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov with the FOA name and number in the subject line."]
[51,"2023-09-26","Deadlines","N/A","Will the deadline for EFG be extended?","Yes, the deadline for the Full Application submission has been extended to 11/10/2023 5 PM E.T. (see FOA Modification 000002)."]
[52,"2023-09-26","Topic Area","N/A","I am one of the communities applying for the Energy Future Grant. I’m going through the Community Benefits Plan template, and there are a few sections I’m not sure how to fill out since our proposed project does not include construction. If there is a section specifically related to construction, is it appropriate to write that the section is not applicable to our proposed project and include an explanation of why, or will the application lose points for such a response?","Applications are reviewed and scored based on the criteria outlined in Section VI.A of the FOA. If a criteria is not explicitly mentioned, applications will not be negatively impacted by omitting that information. If a section does not apply, you may write \"N/A\" and provide a short description to complete the section."]
[53,"2023-09-27","Submission","N/A","We noticed that Partner questions are found in the cover section, section 1.1, 2.1, 5.7, 5.8.  and is eating up two pages worth of eligible space. While some sections ask for certain things that others don’t pertaining to the partners we are wondering if we can create one efficient table once containing all the requirements from all the versions listed above and only include it on either the cover sheet or 1.1 and reference it in all other sections. Is that allowable? ","Applications must adhere to the formatting described in the FOA. See section V."]
[54,"2023-09-27","Submission","N/A","We had a question pertaining to citations the wording is as follows \nAll pages must be formatted to fit on 8.5 x 11 inch paper with margins not less than one inch on every side. Use Calibri typeface, a black font color, and a font size of 12 point or larger (except in figures or tables, which may be 10 point font). A symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters, but the font size requirement still applies. References must be included as footnotes or endnotes in a font size of 10 or larger. Footnotes and endnotes are counted toward the maximum page requirement;\n\nHowever, we are unclear about what style it should be and if linking the citation is sufficient enough to qualify as a reference. Please advise. \nThank you,\n","Including hyperlinks is discouraged and reviewers are prohibited from navigating to and viewing external links. Please see the answer to Question #53. "]
[55,"2023-09-28","Submission Requirements","N/A","On page 27, in the table outlining submission requirements, I'd appreciate clarification on the following section: \"The following items may be required in the full application, only if applicable.\" My two questions are--\n\n1.  You show a section number \"v.\" but there's no content description; should we ignore that?\n\n2. Does the phrase \"only if applicable\" refer to the items not marked N/A? In other words, does the full application submitted require including items i (Objectives); iv (Potentially Duplicative Funding); vi (Key Personnel List from Participants and Collaborating Organizations); and viii (Pre-Award Info Sheet?","Additional items will be required only if the applicant is selected. For additional information regarding post selection information requests, please see Section V. A."]
[56,"2023-10-06","Phases of Funding","N/A","I am interested in the EFG program and was wondering if 1) the program would be rerun in the future, and 2) if the program provides funding for energy code creation and adoption.","Please refer to the answers in question #18 and #19."]
[57,"2023-10-13","SF-424","N/A","Communities like ours are having trouble accessing the SF-424 that is linked under DE-FOA-0002870: Energy Future Grants: Creating a Community-Led Energy Future. (error message visual below)\n\nThis error is causing the document to erase the necessary pre-populated fields that DOE has provided.\n\nCould you please update the linked SF-424 to be accessible to all? Or provide us with a copy of the SF-424 with pre-populated fields and instructions that is in PDF form (i.e. not \"editable\"?) ","If you are having issues opening the PDF for SF-424, please try downloading and opening the document in Adobe Reader for desktop. The PDF requires Adobe Reader 8 or higher. For additional technical issues, please contact S3Exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov."]
[58,"2023-10-16","Reviewers","N/A","I saw the announcement for the Energy Future Grants on the Infrastructure Exchange website. Is there any chance you need a proposal reviewer?","Thank you for your interest in being a reviewer, but we are no longer looking for reviewers at this time."]
[59,"2023-10-16","Project Narrative Template","N/A","The narrative template at section 5.7, Team, indicates that we should describe the team’s unique qualifications and expertise, and time commitment of key team members.  Are you looking for qualifications of individuals, or collectively as a team? With multiple partners and individuals with each, describing individual qualifications will take a lot of space.  If you are looking for those details, I would encourage you to allow such to be submitted as an additional attachment.","The applicant should describe the project team’s collective unique qualifications and expertise, including those of key subrecipients. Applicants shall also describe the time commitment of the key team members to support the project. "]
[60,"2023-10-20","Reviewers","N/A","Recently, I reviewed grant applications by way of the [Name of Program], [Name of Office], [Name of Department].  It was a new and phenomenal experience for me that I greatly desire to continue on a more routine basis with goals of becoming a seasoned reviewer in an array of fields to which grants are being offered.  \n\nMy arrayed background experience can significantly contribute to a wide range of professional reviewing.  I hope that my reviewer profile is available for your review and consideration of my goal to review for you.  If not, I am more than happy to send you my resume for further consideration by you and your team with anticipation that you conclude that I can review for your grant(s).","Please refer to the answer in question #58."]
[61,"2023-10-23","Phases of Funding","N/A","I was hoping you might be able to share any information regarding planned future rounds/versions of this program? Is there any current plan for a FY2024/2025 round, specifically? Thanks in advance for any information you can provide.","Please refer to the answers in question #18 and #19."]
[62,"2023-10-25","Budget Justification","N/A","The FOA references a separate full budget justification workbook for Community Benefit Plan costs. The FOA also states that a full budget justification will be required upon award (only the SF424 is required with this application).  Is the CBP budget justification due with this application stage, or would that be required if we are selected and move forward in the process?","For projects funded under this FOA, DOE will provide specific reporting guidance for the benefits described (See section C.iii. for more information regarding Community Benefit Plan requirements). However, the Community Benefits Plan is a required document for Full Application submission."]
[63,"2023-10-26","Eligible Applicants","N/A","I understand that prime recipients may be US state and local governments and tribal nations.  Among others, institutions of higher education may be subrecipients only.  Can you please confirm that state institutions of higher education may not be prime recipients under DE-FOA-0002870?","Please refer to questions #6 and #7."]
[64,"2023-10-26","Eligible Applicants","N/A","Regarding DE-FOA-0002870, if a State Agency is part of a system of higher education, is it allowed to submit as a prime?","Please refer to Table 1: Eligible Applicants and Partners in Section I of the FOA."]
[65,"2023-10-27","Project Narrative Template","N/A","Where can folks find the project narrative template mentioned in the slides?","All application forms should be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov (energy.gov) "]
[66,"2023-10-27","Submission Requirements","N/A","[Organization] President has been contacted about joining local organizations and [University] in applying for an energy future grant to support a community-led initiative.  As this is consistent with the [Organization] President's Comprehensive Plan for [City], the Office would like to be supportive.  However, it's been flagged for us that the grant has a November 10 deadline and requires that the [Organization] President have a federal account as part of lodging the application.  Would this Office be able to create an account by that deadline?  How can we do this?","Please see section VII.B.i, Administrative and National Policy Requirements, and section IV.A, Eligibility Requirements, of the FOA. DOE will not accept late submissions that resulted from technical difficulties."]
[67,"2023-10-30","Deadline","N/A","November 11 is Veteran's Day, which means that November 10 is an observed holiday. What do we do if we have questions on November 10?","As stated in the webinars and FOA, we recommend starting your submission process at least 2 days in advance to prevent last minute issues. Questions must be submitted not later than 3 business days prior to the application due date and time. November 10 is a Federal holiday, so please plan accordingly. DOE will not accept late submissions that resulted from technical difficulties."]
[68,"2023-10-30","Letters of Commitment","N/A","There is a discrepancy between the table on page 26 of the NOFO that indicates that Letters of Commitment can be 1 to 2 pages each and the requirement on page 31 that Letters of Commitment be limited to only 1 page. Which is accurate? ","Letters of Commitment should be 1-2 pages each."]
[69,"2023-10-31","Community Benefits Plan","N/A","I’ve seen a few references to a Community Benefits Plan template but cannot locate the template on the Energy Future grant program website, could you please forward the template or a link to it?","For your convenience, a Community Benefits Plan (CBP) template is available at: https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/about-community-benefits-plans. Applicants are encouraged to use the template, which is designed to help them complete their specific Plan. If the template is not used, the Plan must address the elements described in the FOA, and as outlined in the CBP template."]
[70,"2023-10-31","Teaming Partner List","N/A","I am interested in the partner list. Depending on if we're allowed to go for this, it's something I need to bring before my council. I know that many residents pay a higher amount for electricity in our village than in some of the surrounding areas. ","Please refer to question #1 for information on how to be added to the teaming partner list. The teaming partner list is attached to the FOA posting on Exchange."]
[71,"2023-11-01","Budget Justification","N/A","The FOA document indicates on page 27 that the budget that should be submitted in Phase 1 is the SF-424A, which is ordinarily a PDF document just like the SF-424A. However, the upload portal and FOA indicate that DOE wants the SF-424A uploaded as an excel file. The only excel application file available for download is the Budget Justification excel file, which does have an SF-424A Tab. However, the SF-424A tab is self-populated by filling out the rest of the budget document. So there is no way to upload just the SF-424A tab without uploading the full Budget Justification file. May we submit the Budget Justification excel file for the SF-424A submission? \n\nAlso, the FAQ’s appear to indicate that applicants must complete the Budget Justification template, while the FOA seems to indicate that this is a post-application requirement. How are we to generate a self-populating SF-424A tab without completing the Budget Justification excel file?  \n","Only the SF-424A tab information is required for submission of the Full Application. Save the Budget Information spreadsheet in a single Microsoft Excel file using the following convention listed in the table in section V.C., Full Application."]
[72,"2023-11-01","Budget Justification","N/A","Which budget forms are required to submit? SF-424A and/or EERE-T-540? ","These documents are the same, this is a required document for the Full Application. The \"Budget Justification\" document is uploaded on Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange as an attachment under the FOA posting in Exchange."]
[73,"2023-11-01","Submission Requirements","N/A","I double checked to make sure my documents were labeled and uploaded correctly and realized I accidentally uploaded the same doc twice. Am I allowed to update it before the application deadline closes?","Once the Full Application is submitted in Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange, applicants may revise or update that submission until the expiration of the applicable deadline. If changes are made to any of these documents, the applicant must save and resubmit the Full Application before the applicable deadline. DOE will not extend the submission deadline for applicants that fail to submit required information by the applicable deadline due to server/connection congestion. "]
[74,"2023-11-02","Project Narrative/Community Benefits Plan","N/A","I am attempting to prepare a submission for this opportunity and I am seeking clarification on the format of some of the documents.\nFirst, does the total page count  of 10 for the project narrative include the cover page i.e 1 page for the cover and 9 pages for the remainder? Second…..The solicitation doc pages 26-27 seems to indicate that the community benefits plan should be a separate document up to 12 pages in length.\nYet is also seems to indicate (page 29) that it should be a part of the narrative comprising up to 20% (2-3 pages?) of the total project narrative. Can you clarify this please?","The Project Narrative is limited to 10 pages and a separate Community Benefits Plan. A Project Narrative Template can be found on the Clean Energy Infrastructure Funding Opportunity Exchange website at https://infrastructure-exchange.energy.gov (energy.gov) A Community Benefits Plan template is available at https://www.energy.gov/infrastructure/about-community-benefits-plans. The Community Benefits Plan must be submitted in PDF format and must not exceed twelve pages. This Plan must address the technical review criterion titled, “Community Benefits Plan: Job Quality & Equity.” Applicants are encouraged to use the template, which is designed to help them complete their specific Plan. If the template is not used, the Plan must address the elements described in the FOA, and as outlined in the CBP template. See Section VI.A. of the FOA.  "]
[75,"2023-11-06","Budget Justification Workbook","N/A","For the budget justification workbook, we notice in the ‘b. Fringe’ tab that for organizations who do not have a federally approved rate negotiated, as is the case with [COUNTY], we are instructed to submit an indirect rate proposal.  \n•\tIs the attached sample ICR proposal the one we should reference? \n•\tAre we required to submit an indirect rate proposal with our application due on 11/10, or could we submit this upon award? \n•\tWhat is actually required to be submitted (.doc or .xls, narrative proposal, etc.)? \n\nFor the budget justification workbook, we notice in the ‘i. Indirect’ tab that Indirect Costs are broken up by overhead, G&A, FCCM, and other. Our organization is electing to apply a 10% de minimis rate. In our case, we plan to utilize this cost to cover general administrative costs. Would you recommend including this all then in row 13 “G&A Costs?”  Kindly advise. \n\nFor the budget justification workbook, we notice in the ‘Instructions and Summary’ tab in column G that we should include proposed budget period dates. Does DOE have a recommend budget period given the expected award date? Should we follow a federal FY schedule assuming start dates of 10/1 and end dates of 9/30, or can we follow our own FY schedule? ","Please reference the Post-Selection Information Requests section for information on the Full Budget Justification Workbook. Certain items will be required only if the applicant is selected, including the Budget Justification Workbook. Applicants must complete the Budget Information (SF-424A) spreadsheet, which is a tab in the Full Budget Justification Workbook."]
[76,"2023-11-06","SF-LLL","N/A","How do I fill out SF-LLL if my organization does not lobby? ","Please see section V.A.ii, SF-LLL: Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. This is a required form. Even if your organization does not lobby, you still must submit the form and indicate \"not applicable\"."]
[77,"2023-11-06","Phases of Funding","N/A","Is an applicant able to apply for less than $500,000 for Phase 1? It appears that we are not able to use any Phase 1 funds for implementation, and we have already completed many of our planning activities, so we are more interested in applying for a smaller Phase 1 award or applying for an award that would allow us to use part of it for Phase 1 planning activities and part for Phase 2 implementation activities.","It is the responsibility of the applicant to propose their budget based on the scope of their project. If selected, adjustments to budgets may be allowed during negotiations towards a potential award."]
[78,"2024-02-12","Application Status","N/A","Is there a potential timeline for notification/response of applicants who provided proposals during the submission timeline back in November?","Applications are in the process of being reviewed and award notification letters will be sent out shortly."]