Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0001266
Apply for DE FOA 0001266
- The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Issue FOA SunShot Incubator Round 10, SolarMat Round 3, SunPath Round 2" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087 Renewable Energy Research and Development.
- This funding opportunity was created on Dec 16, 2014 and posted on Dec 16, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of the EEREs intention to issue this FOA in the near term. All of the information contained in this Notice is subject to change. EERE will not respond to questions concerning this Notice.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), through its Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and administered by the Golden Field Office, announced its intent to release a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) called "SunShot Incubator Round 10, SolarMat Round 3, SunPath Round 2" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001266). This notice is not the FOA itself; it is an advance heads-up meant to alert potential applicants that a competitive funding opportunity is expected soon. Because it is only a notice of intent, the government emphasized that details may change and that EERE would not answer questions about the notice at this stage.
The purpose of the planned FOA is to accelerate the broad market adoption of solar technologies and solar-related solutions that can make a big near-term impact. The emphasis is on moving innovations from R&D into demonstration and real-world deployment readiness by addressing the kinds of barriers that often slow solar progress: technical performance gaps, institutional obstacles (like permitting, interconnection, standards, or workforce practices), and market barriers (like financing, customer acquisition, or business model hurdles). In practical terms, the program is designed to help promising ideas cross the gap between a strong concept or prototype and something that can gain real traction in the U.S. solar industry.
A key feature of this planned FOA is that it combines three historically separate annual programs into one consolidated competition. In prior years, DOE would run separate funding opportunities aligned to different stages of technology maturity: the SunShot Incubator (often earlier-stage innovation and validation), SolarMat (more advanced, materials and manufacturing-focused efforts), and SUNPATH (generally later-stage pathway and demonstration activities). By merging them into a single FOA, DOE aimed to streamline the application and selection process, reduce administrative friction for applicants, and fund a pipeline of projects spanning maturity levels, all with the explicit goal of bringing disruptive innovations to market quickly and anchoring them in the U.S.
Funding was described as approximately $45 million in total federal support across awards, with required cost share by the awardee ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent depending on the project "Tier." That cost-share requirement signals that applicants must bring non-federal resources (cash and/or allowable in-kind contributions, as permitted by the eventual FOA) and that DOE expects industry and other partners to have meaningful financial commitment alongside the government investment. Individual project awards were expected to range broadly, with maximum award sizes from about $500,000 up to $10 million depending on the Tier, meaning both smaller innovation projects and larger, more capital-intensive demonstrations could potentially fit.
The planned FOA structure includes five Tiers that categorize proposals based on two main dimensions: whether the product is hardware or non-hardware, and how mature the product or solution is. Hardware projects typically involve physical technologies such as modules, inverters, balance-of-system components, manufacturing processes, or other tangible equipment and materials, while non-hardware projects might involve software, analytics, controls, financial tools, business process innovations, or other approaches that reduce "soft costs" and improve deployment efficiency. The maturity-based tiers are meant to align expectations and evaluation criteria with where a project sits on the development-to-market spectrum, so earlier-stage concepts are not judged as if they were full demonstrations, and later-stage efforts are expected to show credible pathways to scale and adoption.
From an administrative standpoint, this opportunity is categorized as a discretionary grant program under the energy activity category and would use cooperative agreements as the funding instrument. Cooperative agreements typically mean DOE anticipates substantial involvement during the project period, such as technical oversight, milestone reviews, and collaboration on project direction compared with a more hands-off grant. The program is listed under CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development), and eligibility was described as unrestricted, meaning it was broadly open to many types of entities (subject to any clarifications that would appear in the full FOA). The notice also provided an information portal link (EERE Exchange) where the full announcement would be expected to appear and a contact email (sunshot.t2m@ee.doe.gov) for assistance accessing the full announcement once posted, not for questions about the notice itself.
Finally, the timing details in the notice indicate that no fixed closing date was provided because the FOA had not yet been issued; the "closing date" fields essentially repeat that this is only an intent notice and all information may change. The notice was posted December 16, 2014, and later archived June 16, 2015, which reflects the lifecycle of the notice rather than the eventual application deadline that would have been set in the actual FOA when released.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a Notice of Intent from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) indicating DOE planned to release a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) titled "SunShot Incubator Round 10, SolarMat Round 3, SunPath Round 2" under Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0001266. The notice is an advance heads-up and is not the FOA itself.
Is the Notice of Intent the actual FOA I can apply to?
No. The document described is explicitly not the FOA. It is an early notification that a competitive FOA was expected to be released later.
Who is issuing and administering this planned FOA?
The planned FOA was announced by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), through the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), and was to be administered by the Golden Field Office.
What is the main purpose of the planned FOA?
The planned FOA was intended to accelerate broad market adoption of solar technologies and solar-related solutions with significant near-term impact, with a focus on moving innovations from R&D into demonstration and deployment readiness.
What kinds of barriers is this program trying to address?
Based on the notice, the planned FOA targeted barriers that slow solar progress, including technical performance gaps, institutional obstacles (such as permitting, interconnection, standards, or workforce practices), and market barriers (such as financing, customer acquisition, or business model hurdles).
What types of projects would this opportunity support?
The notice describes support for projects that help bridge the gap between strong concepts or prototypes and solutions that can gain traction in the U.S. solar industry, including projects aimed at demonstration and real-world deployment readiness.
How is this FOA different from past DOE solar funding opportunities?
The planned FOA was designed to consolidate three historically separate annual programs (SunShot Incubator, SolarMat, and SUNPATH) into a single competition to streamline application and selection and fund a pipeline of projects spanning different maturity levels.
What are the three programs being combined in this consolidated competition?
The notice states the consolidated FOA would combine SunShot Incubator (often earlier-stage innovation and validation), SolarMat (more advanced efforts focused on materials and manufacturing), and SUNPATH (generally later-stage pathway and demonstration activities).
How much total funding was expected to be available?
The notice describes approximately $45 million in total federal funding anticipated across awards.
What is the expected cost-share requirement?
The notice indicates required cost share by the awardee was expected to range from 20% to 50% depending on the project "Tier."
Does the notice say what sources can be used to meet cost share?
It states applicants would need to bring non-federal resources and that cost share could include cash and/or allowable in-kind contributions, as permitted by the eventual FOA. Specific allowability details were not provided in the notice.
What award sizes were expected for individual projects?
The notice describes a wide range of expected project sizes, with maximum award amounts ranging from about $500,000 up to $10 million depending on the Tier.
How is the planned FOA structured?
The notice describes five Tiers intended to categorize proposals by whether the product is hardware or non-hardware and by the maturity of the product or solution.
What counts as a "hardware" project under this planned FOA?
Hardware projects are described as involving physical technologies such as modules, inverters, balance-of-system components, manufacturing processes, or other tangible equipment and materials.
What counts as a "non-hardware" project under this planned FOA?
Non-hardware projects are described as solutions such as software, analytics, controls, financial tools, business process innovations, or other approaches intended to reduce soft costs and improve deployment efficiency.
Why does the FOA use Tiers based on maturity?
The notice explains the maturity-based tiers are meant to align evaluation expectations with where a project sits on the development-to-market spectrum (for example, so early-stage concepts are not judged as full demonstrations, and later-stage efforts are expected to show credible pathways to scale and adoption).
What type of federal funding instrument was planned?
The notice indicates the funding instrument would be a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that the instrument is a cooperative agreement?
As described in the notice, cooperative agreements typically involve substantial DOE involvement during the project period, such as technical oversight, milestone reviews, and collaboration on project direction (as compared with a more hands-off grant).
What is the assistance listing / CFDA number associated with this program?
The notice lists CFDA 81.087 (Renewable Energy Research and Development).
What is the program category?
The notice describes it as a discretionary grant program under the energy activity category.
Who is eligible to apply?
The notice describes eligibility as "unrestricted," meaning it was broadly open to many types of entities, subject to clarifications that would have appeared in the full FOA.
Where would the full FOA be posted once released?
The notice points to the EERE Exchange portal as the place where the full announcement would be expected to appear.
Is there a contact email for help?
Yes. The notice provides sunshot.t2m@ee.doe.gov for assistance accessing the full announcement once posted. The notice also emphasizes that DOE would not answer questions about the notice at that stage.
Can I ask DOE questions about this Notice of Intent?
No. The notice states that because it is only a notice of intent, DOE/EERE would not answer questions about the notice at this stage.
Is there an application deadline listed in the notice?
No. The notice indicates no fixed closing date because the FOA had not yet been issued, and it reiterates that all information may change.
When was this Notice of Intent posted and when was it archived?
The notice was posted on December 16, 2014 and later archived on June 16, 2015. These dates reflect the lifecycle of the notice, not an application deadline for the eventual FOA.
Are the funding amounts, tiers, and requirements final?
No. The notice emphasizes it is not the FOA and that details may change once the actual FOA is released.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Energy
Next opportunity: Increasing Access to Justice for Family Law Clients and Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society and Young Lawyers to Protect Human Rights in Afghanistan
Previous opportunity: Evaluating Innovative and Promising Strategies to Prevent Suicide among Middle Aged Men
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for DE FOA 0001266
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (DE FOA 0001266) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement entitled FY 2015 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement Apply for DE FOA 0001254 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001254 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| DE FOA 0001182 Marine and Hydrokinetic Systems Performance Advancement II (SPA II) Component Metric Validation Apply for DE FOA 0001182 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001182 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| FY 2015 Vehicle Technologies Office Incubator Apply for DE FOA 0001213 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001213 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Energy Audit Renewable Energy Development Assistance (EA/REDA) Apply for RDBCP REAP 2015 Funding Number: RDBCP REAP 2015 Agency: Business and Cooperative Programs Category: Energy Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| State Energy Program 2015 Competitive Awards Apply for DE FOA 0001222 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001222 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Fiscal Year 2015 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement Apply for DE FOA 0001201 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001201 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent to Issue FOA DE FOA 0001224 titled Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development, and Demonstrations Apply for DE FOA 0001275 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001275 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Support of Advanced Coal Research at United States Colleges and Universities Apply for DE FOA 0001245 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001245 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Transitional Technology Development to Enable Highly Efficient Power Systems with Carbon Management Apply for DE FOA 0001238 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001238 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| SUNSHOT TECHNOLOGY TO MARKET (INCUBATOR ROUND 10, SOLARMAT ROUND 3, SUNPATH ROUND 2) Apply for DE FOA 0001225 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001225 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent Next Generation of Electric Machines Apply for DE FOA 0001221 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001221 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Innovative Concepts and Core Technology Research Program Apply for DE FOA 0001229 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001229 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| SOLAR POWERING AMERICA BY RECOGNIZING COMMUNITIES (SPARC) Apply for DE FOA 0001241 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001241 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Small and Large Scale Pilots for Reducing the Cost of CO2 Capture and Compression Apply for DE FOA 0001190 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001190 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Program Strategy to Advance Marine and Hydrokinetics Apply for DE FOA 0001278 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001278 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| DE FOA 0001277 NOI for FOA DE FOA 0001214 U.S. WIND MANUFACTURING LARGER BLADES TO ACCESS GREATER WIND RESOUR Apply for DE FOA 0001277 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001277 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE FOA 0001224 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development, and Demonstrations Apply for DE FOA 0001224 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001224 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| U.S. WIND MANUFACTURING LARGER BLADES TO ACCESS GREATER WIND RESOURCES AND LOWER COSTS Apply for DE FOA 0001214 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001214 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $900,000 |
| Technology Development and Assessment for Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCO2) Based Power Cycles Apply for DE FOA 0001239 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001239 Agency: National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Solar Big Data and Informatics Request for Information Apply for DE FOA 0001318 Funding Number: DE FOA 0001318 Agency: Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "DE FOA 0001266", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.