Grant News

At a time when environmental awareness and sustainable practices are at the forefront, and as Canada strives to meet its greenhouse gas reduction target outlined in the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan[1], the Government of Canada has embarked on a revolutionary journey towards a greener, more sustainable maritime future. The Green Shipping Corridor Program[2], from Transport Canada, aims to revolutionize the country's marine industry. The Fund reflects a commitment to reduce the environmental footprint of marine transportation while promoting economic growth.

When the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law went into effect, the administration placed an emphasis on energy. Since then, various funding has been introduced to help utility companies and organizations in the pursuit of the net-zero carbon economy by 2050 goal. One specific program, the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program, otherwise known as RMUC, received $250 million to disperse to various entities.

The Department of Energy will establish the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program to provide grants and technical assistance to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, eligible entities to protect against, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats. The objectives of the program are:

• to deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies for electric utility systems
• to increase the participation of eligible entities in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs

This three-phase competition will challenge eligible utilities to identify risks and implement solutions to harden their systems against threats and improve their overall cybersecurity posture.

Canada has long been committed to environmental sustainability and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In line with these goals, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) launched the Green Municipal Fund (GMF) in 2000 to help municipalities in the development of thriving communities that benefit people and the environment. Over the past two decades, the GMF has provided funding and support to municipalities across the country, driving innovative projects that address environmental challenges and promote sustainable development.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act include many opportunities for energy-related grant initiatives. In fact, it is overwhelming to consider the sheer volume of programs made available over the past couple of years and will continue to be created as more information is known. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the federal grantmaker tasked with administering a number of these research and development, demonstration, and deployment programs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is another popular grantmaker for energy-specific programs. These funds are available to nonprofits, all forms of government agencies, private businesses, and even individuals.

As for the near future, there are three specific programs worth diving a little deeper into, as they either have firm deadlines or are expected to open in the coming weeks. The first comes from the Inflation Reduction Act and more specifically through the USDA.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law made a $500 million investment to improve Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities. DOE aims to facilitate substantial additional investment, prioritize schools with high needs, minimize administrative burden, and build enduring capacity in local educational agencies (LEAs) and the states to maximize impact equitably and efficiently.
Through this Renew America’s Schools Program, eligible entities are encouraged to consider projects that enable replicable and scalable impacts, create innovative, sustaining partnerships, leverage funding and economies of scale, target disadvantaged communities, improve student, teacher, and occupant health, enrich learning and growth, target schools that serve as community assets (e.g., neighborhood cooling centers or disaster recovery shelters), can be completed quickly, and are crafted thoughtfully within the context of public-school facilities (e.g., procurement restraints, construction windows, etc.).