DOE, USDA, MEP release info on new funding opportunities, awards

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) have all made recent announcements on new funding provided either through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or the CHIPS and Science Act. DoE is accepting applications for an $80 million program focused on benefiting small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. USDA and MEP announced more than 170 awards to expand innovative uses of wood and to address supply chain issues.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) received $80 million in grant funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to benefit small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms (SMMs). The grant funding is for accelerating the use of DOE recommendations. Through DOE's Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) and Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership (CHP TAP) programs, qualifying SMMs can receive a free assessment leading to lower operating costs and reduced pollution emissions. The Industrial Assessment Center Implementation Grant Program will provide up to $300,000 per entity to help them use recommendations from assessments conducted between 2018 and 2023. SMMs will provide at least 50% cost share for each project. Learn more about the application process here. Applications are due on Thursday, July 14, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET. Click here to inquire about receiving an IAC assessment and here for more information on obtaining a CHP TAP assessment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing more than $43 million to expand innovative uses of wood. Innovative uses include using wood as a construction material in commercial buildings, as an energy source, as manufacturing and processing input for wood products used in framing homes, making paper products, and more. These funds are being invested in 123 projects nationwide through the longstanding Community Wood Grants and Wood Innovations Grants program. Grant recipients include for-profits, state and local governments, tribes, school districts, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, and special purpose districts. The investments support the Forest Service's 10-year strategy to address the wildfire crisis. For more information on the projects funded under the Wood Innovations and Community Wood grant programs, click here.

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), a program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has awarded roughly $400,000 to each of its MEP National Network™ Centers in every state and Puerto Rico. The centers will use the more than $20 million to develop programs to make domestic supply chains more resilient and efficient. The awards will support the creation of a database called the national Supply Chain Optimization and Intelligence Network (SCOIN). It will focus on providing supplier scouting services, establishing new service offerings to improve existing supply chain networks, filling gaps in the supply chain, and creating a map of U.S. supplier capability and capacity. The projects will run for an initial two years and, if successful, may be extended.