Rural Energy for America (REAP) - Technical Assistance Grant

Program Overview       

    The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Business Cooperative Service (RBCS) has announced $21,250,000 available for the Rural Energy for America (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program. Funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the agency will award grants of up to $500,000 for technical assistance to Agricultural Producers and Rural Small Businesses applying to REAP. These technical assistance grants will provide hands-on support to farmers, ranchers and rural small business owners seeking federal funds for renewable energy systems, like wind and solar, and energy efficiency measures. The agency is prioritizing applicants located in distressed and disadvantaged communities, projects involving underutilized technologies, and applicants pursuing REAP projects under $20,000.

Objectives

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Assisting Agricultural Producers or Rural Small Businesses to apply for assistance under REAP for Energy Efficiency Improvements, or Renewable Energy Systems

• Providing information on how to improve the energy efficiency of the operations and to use Renewable Energy technologies and resources in their operations

• Conducting and promoting Energy Assessments and audits

• Preparing a technical report

• Assisting with filing for System Award Management (SAM) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) registrations

• Assisting with completing a REAP grant application

• Assisting with planning construction and development

• Assisting with completion of environmental reports and/or documentation required for submittal of applications

Eligibility    

Eligible applicants are as follows: 

• A unit of State, Tribal, or local government;

• A land-grant college or university, or other Institution of Higher Education

• An electric cooperative

• A Public Power Entity

• An Investor-owned utility

• A Council, as defined under the Resource Conservation and Development Program

• A Not-for-profit entity

• A For-profit entity

• A Sole proprietor business;

• Other business entities (organized pursuant to Federal, State, or Tribal law).

Additional requirements are as follows:

• The Applicant must have sufficient capacity to perform the activities proposed in the application to ensure success. The Agency will make this assessment based on the information provided in the application

• The Applicant must have the legal authority necessary to apply for and carry out the purpose of the grant.

Key Dates 

Submission Deadline: August 15, 2023, 4:00 p.m. local time

Resources 

View the opportunity here.

Visit the program website here.