Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS WERC 2014 W2E
Apply for USDA FS WERC 2014 W2E
- The Forest Service in the community development energy natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy Grant Program Request for Proposals" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.674 Wood Utilization Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 22, 2014 and posted on Apr 22, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 3, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $2,800,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Public and State controlled institutions of higher education County governments State governments Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Small businesses City or township governments.
- Special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, or ports)
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Opportunity Summary:
The 2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy (W2E) Grant Program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Forest Service through the Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). It is designed to help move wood energy projects from the concept stage toward construction by paying for the professional engineering work that many projects need before lenders or other grant programs will take them seriously. The focus is specifically on funding engineering services that support final design and cost analysis, along with related preconstruction needs such as permitting support or other technical analyses that are commonly required to secure additional public or private financing.
A core eligibility requirement is feedstock origin: the project must plan to use woody biomass that is generated from National Forest System lands. The Forest Service is targeting material that comes from hazardous fuels reduction treatments, forest restoration work, insect and disease mitigation, storm or other catastrophic weather events, or thinning of overstocked stands. Projects can absolutely blend material from multiple ownerships and sources, including State, Tribal, and private lands, as well as residues from wood products facilities or urban wood waste, but at least some portion of the biomass supply must come from National Forest System lands. Any proposal that does not anticipate using any wood from National Forest System lands is explicitly not eligible under this program.
On the technology side, the program is meant for commercially proven wood energy systems that convert woody biomass into usable energy products, including thermal energy, electricity, or fuels in liquid or gaseous form. The solicitation highlights typical project types such as engineering design for a woody biomass boiler producing steam at a sawmill, hospital, or school; design for a nonpressurized hot water system; engineering and analysis for a biomass power generation facility; and, importantly for 2014, project concepts organized as geographic or sector-based clusters of wood energy systems. That cluster emphasis is a key theme of the 2014 round: the Forest Service is encouraging groups of similar facilities (for example, hospitals, prisons, inmate conservation camps, school campuses, poultry houses, and similar institutional or commercial users) to pursue coordinated or repeatable designs that can lower costs through economies of scale and expand overall biomass energy use in a region or sector.
In practical terms, W2E grant funds are intended to cover the engineering and preconstruction work that often becomes the bottleneck for wood energy development. Many projects struggle to attract construction financing or compete for other infrastructure funding without stamped engineering designs, reliable cost estimates, fuel supply and handling designs, and credible permitting pathways. This program aims to remove that barrier so applicants can then pursue construction dollars from other sources, including examples like USDA Rural Development grant and loan programs, as well as State programs, private capital, or other Federal funding streams. In other words, W2E is positioned as a project-development and design-enablement grant rather than a construction grant.
The total funding available for the opportunity is estimated at $2.8 million, with an expected 12 awards. Individual awards range from a $25,000 floor to a $250,000 ceiling, and cost sharing or matching is required. The funding opportunity number is USDA FS WERC 2014 W2E, and it is associated with CFDA 10.674 (Wood Utilization Assistance). Funding activity categories include community development, energy, and natural resources, reflecting the program's dual purpose of improving forest health outcomes (by creating markets for restoration and fuels treatment material) while supporting local energy solutions.
Eligibility is broad and includes for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, county governments, city or township governments, State governments, federally recognized Tribal governments, and special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, or ports. This breadth is consistent with the kinds of entities that own or operate energy systems, public institutions, and community infrastructure that could benefit from biomass heat or power.
Applications for this round were due electronically by 11:59 p.m. on June 3, 2014, and had to be submitted to the Regional Biomass Coordinator for the applicant's Forest Service region. The submission package had a specific formatting requirement: applicants were required to provide two separate files (PDF or Word). One file contained the proposal narrative and appendices (W2E Application Part 1, Part 2, and Appendices), and the second file contained the financial forms (W2E Application Part 3). Additional details and application materials were made available through the WERC website (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/) via the link to the 2014 Wood to Energy Grant Program. For access issues, the announcement listed Edward Cesa, Deputy Director at WERC, as a point of contact by phone at 304-285-1530.
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted planning and engineering grant meant to turn hazardous-fuels and restoration byproducts from National Forest System lands into reliable energy feedstock, while helping communities, institutions, and businesses develop bankable, fundable wood energy projects. The 2014 emphasis on clustered approaches signals an interest in repeatable designs and coordinated deployments that can bring down per-site costs and accelerate adoption across regions or facility networks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): 2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy (W2E) Grant Program
What is the 2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy (W2E) Grant Program?
The 2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy (W2E) Grant Program is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Forest Service through the Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). It is intended to help wood energy projects move from concept toward construction by funding the professional engineering and related preconstruction work needed to make projects credible to lenders and other funding programs.
What is the main purpose of this grant?
The core purpose is to pay for engineering services and related preconstruction needs so that a wood energy project can reach a stage where it has final design elements, reliable cost analysis, and other technical groundwork commonly required to secure additional public or private financing.
Is this a construction grant?
No. This program is positioned as a project-development and design-enablement grant rather than a construction grant. It focuses on engineering, design, analysis, and certain preconstruction tasks that help applicants pursue construction funding from other sources later.
What kinds of costs and activities are W2E funds intended to cover?
W2E grant funds are intended to cover professional engineering work and related preconstruction needs. The announcement emphasizes engineering services supporting final design and cost analysis, and it also mentions permitting support and other technical analyses that are commonly needed to obtain financing.
What problem is the program trying to solve for wood energy projects?
Many wood energy projects struggle to attract construction financing or compete for infrastructure funding without stamped engineering designs, credible cost estimates, fuel supply and fuel-handling designs, and a realistic permitting pathway. This program is meant to remove that early-stage bottleneck.
What is the required feedstock source for eligibility?
A core eligibility requirement is that the project must plan to use woody biomass generated from National Forest System lands. At least some portion of the biomass supply must come from National Forest System lands.
What happens if a proposal does not use any wood from National Forest System lands?
It is explicitly not eligible under this program if the proposal does not anticipate using any wood from National Forest System lands.
What types of National Forest System material is the Forest Service targeting?
The Forest Service is targeting woody biomass that comes from hazardous fuels reduction treatments, forest restoration work, insect and disease mitigation, storm or other catastrophic weather events, or thinning of overstocked stands.
Can a project use wood from non-federal sources too?
Yes. Projects can blend material from multiple ownerships and sources, including State, Tribal, and private lands, and can also include residues from wood products facilities or urban wood waste. The key requirement is that at least some portion of the biomass supply must come from National Forest System lands.
What kinds of wood energy technologies are eligible?
The program is meant for commercially proven wood energy systems that convert woody biomass into usable energy products. Examples include systems producing thermal energy, electricity, or fuels in liquid or gaseous form.
What example project types are mentioned in the solicitation?
The solicitation highlights examples such as engineering design for a woody biomass boiler producing steam at a sawmill, hospital, or school; design for a nonpressurized hot water system; engineering and analysis for a biomass power generation facility; and project concepts organized as geographic or sector-based clusters of wood energy systems.
What is the 2014 emphasis on "clusters" about?
A major theme of the 2014 round is encouraging clusters of wood energy systems organized by geography or sector. The idea is that groups of similar facilities can pursue coordinated or repeatable designs, potentially lowering costs through economies of scale and increasing biomass energy use across a region or sector.
What kinds of facilities are mentioned as potential candidates for cluster approaches?
The announcement gives examples including hospitals, prisons, inmate conservation camps, school campuses, poultry houses, and similar institutional or commercial users.
How much total funding is available under this opportunity?
The total funding available is estimated at $2.8 million.
How many awards are expected?
The opportunity anticipates approximately 12 awards.
What is the minimum and maximum award size?
Individual awards range from a minimum of $25,000 to a maximum of $250,000.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. The announcement states that cost sharing or matching is required.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA FS WERC 2014 W2E.
What CFDA number is associated with this grant?
This opportunity is associated with CFDA 10.674 (Wood Utilization Assistance).
What funding activity categories does the opportunity fall under?
The announcement lists the funding activity categories as community development, energy, and natural resources.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits), nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, county governments, city or township governments, State governments, federally recognized Tribal governments, and special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, or ports.
When were applications due for the 2014 round?
Applications were due electronically by 11:59 p.m. on June 3, 2014.
How were applications required to be submitted?
Applications had to be submitted electronically to the Regional Biomass Coordinator for the applicant's Forest Service region.
Were there specific file and formatting requirements for submission?
Yes. Applicants were required to provide two separate files (PDF or Word). One file contained the proposal narrative and appendices (W2E Application Part 1, Part 2, and Appendices), and the second file contained the financial forms (W2E Application Part 3).
Where could applicants find the application materials and additional details?
Additional details and application materials were made available through the WERC website at http://www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/ via the link to the 2014 Wood to Energy Grant Program.
Who was listed as a point of contact for access issues?
The announcement listed Edward Cesa, Deputy Director at WERC, as a point of contact for access issues. The phone number provided was 304-285-1530.
How does this program relate to other funding sources for construction?
The program is intended to help applicants reach a stage where they can credibly seek construction dollars from other sources. The announcement mentions examples such as USDA Rural Development grant and loan programs, as well as State programs, private capital, or other Federal funding streams.
What is the overall goal of the W2E program in terms of forest and community outcomes?
The opportunity is described as supporting dual outcomes: improving forest health by creating markets for restoration and hazardous-fuels treatment material from National Forest System lands, and supporting local energy solutions by enabling bankable, fundable wood energy projects.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Community Development Energy Natural Resources
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Previous opportunity: 2014 Statewide Wood Energy Teams Request for Proposals
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