Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships | DE FOA 0002769

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002769

The Department of Energy (DOE), through the Golden Field Office, issued Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0002769 titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships." The opportunity is administered by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) on behalf of the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), and it is funded in whole or in part by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). The legal basis highlighted in the announcement is BIL Section 41007(c)(1), which supports research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities for solar energy technologies, explicitly including workforce development activities connected to those technologies.

At its core, the program is designed to build and strengthen workforce programs and partnerships that help the United States scale up solar deployment while making sure the benefits of that growth are broadly shared. The FOA ties workforce expansion directly to national climate and clean energy goals, aiming to speed the clean energy transition and do it in a way that supports workers and advances environmental justice. A central theme is equity: the projects funded are expected to improve access to quality solar careers for underserved communities and underrepresented groups, and to create real pathways for career advancement. The announcement also emphasizes "high-road" training approaches, meaning training and job pathways that are aligned with strong labor standards, good jobs, and long-term career prospects rather than short-term or low-quality placement.

A major expectation in this FOA is meaningful engagement with labor unions and worker organizations. The program reflects the broader federal push to encourage worker organizing and collective bargaining, and it signals that proposals should incorporate union participation where appropriate, including creating routes to union membership and apprenticeship-style or similarly structured career pathways. In addition, the FOA calls for engagement with underserved communities and consultation with Tribal Nations, indicating that applicants should be prepared to demonstrate authentic partnership, not just outreach, and to show how program design and outcomes will reflect community needs and priorities.

In terms of what projects should focus on, SETO is primarily looking for proposals connected to photovoltaic (PV) solar deployment and the range of jobs that support getting PV systems built, operating, and financially viable. The FOA lists specific occupational areas of interest, including PV installation, system design, operations and maintenance (O&M), electrical work, project management, sales, and broader business operations that support solar deployment. Proposals that touch solar PV manufacturing and related equipment may be considered, but manufacturing is not expected to be the main emphasis of this funding round. The FOA also draws a clear boundary around technology scope: proposals centered on concentrating solar power (CSP) or other solar-thermal heating systems are not eligible for consideration under this opportunity.

This is a discretionary grant competition using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which usually means DOE expects a more involved relationship during execution than a standard grant, often including substantial federal involvement such as technical direction, coordination, or ongoing collaboration. The funding activity category is cross-cutting across education, employment and training, and energy, and it is associated with CFDA number 81.117. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), with the caveat that applicants must still comply with any additional eligibility conditions described in the full FOA text.

The award structure reflects relatively moderate-sized projects intended to be replicated or scaled through partnerships. The maximum award amount listed is $1,500,000, and DOE anticipated making about 16 awards. The FOA was created on July 27, 2022, with an original application deadline of December 6, 2022. Overall, the opportunity targets practical, partnership-driven training and workforce pipelines for PV solar careers, with strong emphasis on equity outcomes, labor engagement, and durable career pathways that support both clean energy deployment and worker advancement.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the education, employment, labor and training, energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Advancing Equity through Workforce Partnerships" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.117.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 27, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 06, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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