The 54 large counties, cities, and towns were required to apply directly to DOE by 8/10/09. Awards will be issued by DOE directly to those municipalities. NYSERDA submitted its plan for small communities to DOE on 6/25/09. NYSERDA received approval of its plan on 9/18/09.  In November, NYSERDA will solicit projects from small municipalities. 

1. States; 2. Formula-eligible units of local government; 3. Formula-eligible Indian tribes; 4. Entities eligible under Topic 2; and

5. Governmental, quasi-governmental, or non-governmental not-for-profit organizations authorized by and on behalf of entities described in 1 through 4.

PLEASE NOTE: Only one application may be submitted by or on behalf of an entity listed in 1 through 4 above. If an entity listed in 1 through 4 intends to use Recovery Act funding to support projects performed by different parts of the entity, the projects must be consolidated into a single application.

Eligibility: Topic Area 2:

Unit of local government (or Indian tribe) that is not an eligible entity; a governmental, quasi-governmental, or non-governmental, not-for-profit organization authorized by and on behalf of a unit of local government (or Indian tribe) that is not an eligible entity; or a consortia of units of local governments (or Tribes) that are not eligible entities. States, formula-eligible units of local government, and formula-eligible Indian tribes are not eligible to apply for Topic 2.

PLEASE NOTE: Only one application may be submitted by or on behalf of a unit of local government (or Indian tribe) that is not an eligible entity. If a unit of local government (or Indian tribe) that is not an eligible entity intends to use Recovery Act funding to support projects performed by different parts of the entity, the projects must be consolidated into a single application.

 The goal of this FOA is to stimulate activities that move beyond traditional public awareness campaigns, program maintenance, demonstration projects, and other “one-time” strategies and projects. DOE seeks to stimulate activities and investments which can:

1) Fundamentally and permanently transform energy markets in a way that make energy efficiency and renewable energy the options of first choice; and

2) Sustain themselves beyond the grant monies and the grant period by designing a viable strategy for program sustainability into the overall program plan.

In this FOA, DOE is seeking applications which:

o Leverage the participation and support of multiple local jurisdictions, regional planning agencies, and state energy offices;

o Prioritize energy efficiency and/or energy conservation as first in the loading order before investments are made in new generation; however, DOE is interested in applications that integrate cost-effective renewables with efficiency.

o Move beyond the planning stage and ready for implementation;

o Clearly articulate and demonstrate the ability to achieve measurable stretch goals and that have the potential to make an impact at the regional or national level; and

o Maximize the creation and/or retention of jobs in the United States.

There are two Topic Areas:

• Topic Area 1: The Retrofit Ramp-Up Program aims to stimulate activities and investments which can:

o Deliver verified energy savings from a variety of projects in the local jurisdiction of the applicant, with a particular emphasis on efficiency improvements in residential, commercial, industrial and public buildings;

o Achieve broader market participation and greater efficiency savings from building retrofits;

o Highly leverage grant funding in order to significantly enhance the resources available for supporting the program;

o Sustain themselves beyond the grant monies and the grant period by designing a viable strategy for program sustainability;

o Serve as pilot building retrofit programs that demonstrate the benefits of gaining economy of scale; and

o Serve as examples of comprehensive community-scale energy-efficiency approaches that could be replicated in other communities across the country.

o Program Structure:  Several important areas detailed.  See FOA for: Geographic Focus; Program Design; Revenue and Sustainability Models; Leveraging; Partners; Evaluation; Generic Examples; What Not to Propose.

• Topic Area 2: General Innovation Fund for Ineligible Entities aims to provide financial assistance to units of local governments (and State recognized Indian tribes) that are not formula-eligible entities to implement programs that:

1. Contribute to meaningful and sustainable market transformation (are broadly replicable and scalable and/or bring a significant benefit to other units of local government and State-recognized Indian tribes through the successful execution of an outcome or deliverable)

2. Highly leverage DOE financial assistance to achieve significant energy and cost savings and create jobs;

3. Result in a new or innovative approaches to the purposes of the EECBG program which are to reduce fossil fuel emissions, reduce total energy use, and increase energy efficiency; and

4. Are capable of being financially self-sustaining beyond the funding period.

o Program Structure:  Several important areas detailed.  See FOA for: Leveraging; Generic Examples; Partners; What Not to Propose.