Building a stronger, more resilient Minnesota
Two landmark federal laws will invest nearly $700 billion in infrastructure, grid improvement, energy-related research, rebates and more. The Minnesota Department of Commerce is dedicated to making the most of this historic opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient Minnesota.
Energy-related federal funding will impact Minnesotans many ways. Learn about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) - and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) here and about energy-related federal funding opportunities below.
Latest news: recent and expected federal funding updates
The federal government usually follows the following announcement structure for a specific funding opportunity: 1) Issuing a Request for Information (RFI); 2) Issuing a Notice of Intent (NOI); 3) Issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The federal agency offering the funding opportunity generally also holds webinars during the various stages to fully communicate details of the funding opportunity and assist in stakeholder planning.
State Plan for Minnesota Grid Resilience Formula Grants Program, funded through Section 40101(d) of the IIJA
A public hearing -- for submittal of the MN State Plan for funding through the IIJA for the Minnesota Grid Resilience Formula Grants Program -- is required by the US Dept of Energy. A draft plan of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Minnesota Grid Resilience Formula Grants Program, funded through Section 40101(d) is now available for review by interested and affected parties. Download the draft plan here.
- The MN Commerce Department held a recorded virtual meeting March 3, 2023 View the webinar here. View the meeting presentation here. In addition, written testimony will be accepted by the Commerce Department through online until 4 pm on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Submit written testimony here.
Resources
Get ready to apply for federal funding opportunities
As of April 4, 2022, entities doing business with the federal government (including grant applicants responding to a federal funding opportunities) are required to be registered in the System for Award Management found at SAM.gov and to have a Unique Entity Identification (UEI). UEI's are created by registering in SAM.gov. Registration in SAM.Gov is free.
Entities that were registered in SAM.gov, with either active or in-active registrations, prior to April 4, 2022 have had a UEI assigned to their file. This transition to using a UEI rather than a DUNS number allows the federal government to streamline the entity identification and validation process, making it easier and less burdensome for entities to do business with the federal government.
For additional information, read the Quick Start Guide for registering an entity in SAM.gov. Note: display issues have been noted when trying to access the documents linked above via the Chrome browser. If the guidance articles do not show by clicking on them above, copy the link address and paste it into a different browser such as Firefox.
Additional resources for Tribal Nations
- The White House, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Guidebook
- The White House, Fact Sheet | Administration release Tribal Playbook
- U.S. Department of Energy | Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs resources and upcoming events
- U.S. Department of Interior Native Communities Federal Programs