Welcome to 2024! This is going to be a fantastic year for the movement to decarbonize building not only because a growing number of tradespeople, builders, architects, and engineers are committing themselves to energy efficiency and reducing embodied carbon; it’s because federal, state, and local government agencies have signed on, too, and they are offering eligible teams with significant funding and support. Below is a list of some of the upcoming opportunities and deadlines for these programs.
We’d like to thank the Advanced Building Construction Collaborative team for putting the list together. You can sign up for their newsletter here.
DOE American-Made Challenges | Lab MATCH Prize
The Department of Energy’s Office of Technology Transitions Lab MATCH (Laboratory Making Advanced Technology Commercialization Harmonized) Prize is a $620K, three-phase competition aimed to accelerate national laboratory intellectual property licensing and commercialization. It provides an opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to work directly with national labs and researcher teams to accelerate technology commercialization. This competition is only open to private, for-profit entities operating within the United States.
In Phase 1, up to 20 winning teams will receive $2,500 each. In Phase 2, up to 9 winning teams from Phase 1 will receive $30,000 each. Phase 3 will include 3 winning teams from Phase 2. They will receive $100,000 each.
Due Date: January 25, 2024
Total Prize: $620,000
DOE | Re-X Before Recycling Prize
The Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office has launched the Re-X Before Recycling Prize, a three-phase program designed to reward innovations capable of keeping materials in use beyond a single life cycle or increasing the recovery and reuse rate of end-of-use products.
In Phase 1, up to 20 winning teams will receive $50,000 cash each and consulting support from a national laboratory (valued at up to $5,000). In Phase 2, up to 10 winning teams from the previous phase will receive $150,000 cash each and up to $100,000 in technical assistance. Phase 3 will include 4 winning teams from the previous phase. They will receive $500,000 each.
Due Date: March 12, 2024
Total prize: $5,600,000
NYSERDA Empire Technology Prize
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Empire Technology Prize is focused on finding groundbreaking solutions to tackle the greatest single source of GHG emissions from New York’s tall buildings—heating. Solutions that will be significantly easier for tall building owners to adopt—in short, high GHG reduction, minimally disruptive to install, with a path to cost competitiveness.
To win, by the end of the one-year program, teams must develop at least a tested prototype for a heating or distribution system that can be more easily installed than current solutions for existing New York State residential or commercial buildings seven stories and higher. The solutions will be scored on their projected GHG reduction by 2040, ease of implementation in the New York market, and path to cost competitiveness.
Due Date: March 22, 2024
Total prize: $10,000,000
MassCEC Embodied Carbon Reduction Challenge
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and Built Environment Plus (BE+) is conducting an Embodied Carbon Challege for new construction and major retrofit projects in Massachusetts. Potential recipients of the award must create low-cost, high-impact changes to current construction practices that dramatically reduce embodied carbon. Submissions with replicable, innovative, and impactful proposals will be best positioned to win the prizes. Eligible projects must be located in Massachusetts and be over 20,000 square feet of floor area.
Due Date: March 31, 2024
Prize: $10,000 - $50,000
HUD Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide funding and direct loans and grants for projects that improve energy or water efficiency, enhance indoor air quality, implement zero-emission electricity generation or advance building electrification, or address climate resilience. Eligible properties will primarily be owned by those who receive rental assistance under Multifamily Section 8 project-based rental assistance, Section 202 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Elderly, and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Persons with Disabilities. As of December 2023, HUD has awarded $173.9 million in GRRP grants and loans.
Due Date: Ongoing
Prize: Project by project basis
DOE Affordable Home Energy Shot
The Affordable Home Energy Shot is designed to address the persistent burdens faced by low-income households and communities of color due to high energy bills. There are three areas of focus: building upgrades, efficient electrification, and smart controls. To learn more about the project, see the Affordable Home Energy Shot site here.