Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002549
DE-FOA-0002549 is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Golden Field Office notice labeled as a Request for Information (RFI), focused on the manufacturing sector and specifically on how to speed up the adoption and integration of smart manufacturing technologies along with energy management practices. In practical terms, this is not a conventional grant competition seeking proposals for funding; it is a market and stakeholder input-gathering effort where DOE is asking organizations and individuals to share insights, evidence, and ideas about what works (and what does not) when trying to modernize manufacturing operations with digital, connected, and energy-aware tools and practices. The overarching aim is to identify actionable pathways that could help manufacturers more quickly deploy technologies and management approaches that improve productivity, resilience, and energy performance.
The opportunity is categorized in federal listings as a discretionary grant-related posting under the Energy funding activity category (CFDA/Assistance Listing 81.086), but the key detail is that it is an RFI rather than an announcement of available funds. That is reinforced by the posting details showing expected awards of zero, which typically indicates DOE is not planning to make awards from this notice. The listed "Award Ceiling: 2" should not be interpreted as an actual promise of grant funding; in RFI contexts, those fields sometimes appear because of standardized forms, even when no awards will be issued.
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning the DOE was open to receiving input from essentially any type of entity, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may have been contained in the full text of the RFI. This generally signals that DOE wanted broad participation from the manufacturing ecosystem, such as manufacturers of different sizes, technology providers, industrial energy service companies, utilities, national laboratories, universities, workforce and training organizations, state and local governments, industry associations, and other stakeholders with relevant experience. RFIs like this are commonly used to collect perspectives from both adopters and solution developers so the agency can understand real-world constraints, incentives, gaps, and deployment conditions.
The substance of the RFI centers on two connected themes: smart manufacturing technologies and energy management practices. "Smart manufacturing" commonly refers to the use of sensors, controls, industrial internet of things (IIoT), advanced analytics, automation, digital twins, cybersecurity practices, and interoperable data architectures to improve the way industrial facilities operate. Energy management practices typically include structured approaches to measuring, managing, and continuously improving energy performance, often leveraging standards-based management systems, energy monitoring and targeting, operational controls, maintenance strategies, and integration of energy considerations into production scheduling and decision-making. By pairing these themes, DOE is signaling interest in approaches that do not treat energy as a standalone engineering concern, but instead embed energy intelligence into core manufacturing workflows and digital transformation efforts.
The phrase "identifying pathways to accelerate the uptake and integration" is important because it implies DOE was seeking more than a catalog of technologies. The agency likely wanted input on deployment pathways, which usually includes barriers and enabling conditions such as up-front costs and financing structures, availability of skilled labor, change management challenges, data quality and interoperability, cybersecurity and intellectual property concerns, vendor lock-in risks, uncertainty about payback, production downtime constraints, and differences between subsectors (for example, batch vs. continuous processes). It also implies interest in strategies that move beyond pilots and demonstrations into scalable, repeatable adoption models, particularly for small and medium-sized manufacturers that may lack dedicated engineering staff or capital budgets for digitization.
Administratively, the notice was created on June 16, 2021 and had an original response deadline of July 30, 2021. Because it is an RFI, respondents would typically submit written feedback rather than a full application package, and DOE would use those responses to shape future program decisions. The most common outcomes of an RFI are refinements to DOE priorities, the design of subsequent funding opportunity announcements, the development of technical assistance programs, the creation of public-private partnerships, and adjustments to how DOE frames performance targets and evaluation metrics for future solicitations.
In summary, DE-FOA-0002549 is best understood as an information-gathering action by DOE to learn from the field about how to speed up deployment of smart manufacturing and energy management in U.S. manufacturing facilities. It is open to broad participation, tied to DOE industrial efficiency and competitiveness objectives, and structured to inform future policy, program design, and potential future funding opportunities rather than to directly award grants under this specific notice.Apply for DE FOA 0002549
- The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0002549: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 16, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2021. (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 $2.00 in funding.
- 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.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - DOE RFI DE-FOA-0002549
What is DE-FOA-0002549?
DE-FOA-0002549 is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Golden Field Office notice issued as a Request for Information (RFI). It focuses on the manufacturing sector and seeks input on how to speed up the adoption and integration of smart manufacturing technologies alongside energy management practices.
Is this a grant funding opportunity?
No. This notice is an RFI, not a conventional grant competition. It is designed to gather market and stakeholder feedback rather than to solicit applications for funding.
Does this RFI provide any awards or funding?
Based on the posting details described, DOE expected awards of zero. That typically indicates DOE is not planning to make awards from this notice and is using the RFI to collect information and perspectives.
What does it mean that it is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 81.086?
The notice is categorized in federal listings under an Energy funding activity category (Assistance Listing/CFDA 81.086). However, the key point is that this specific notice is an RFI, meaning it is information-gathering rather than a solicitation that provides funds.
What does the "Award Ceiling: 2" field mean in this context?
It should not be interpreted as a promise of grant funding. In RFI contexts, standardized form fields such as award ceiling can appear even when no awards will be issued.
Who was eligible to respond?
Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning DOE was open to receiving input from essentially any type of entity (subject to any additional clarifications that may have been included in the full RFI text).
What types of organizations did DOE likely want to hear from?
The RFI signals an interest in broad participation from the manufacturing ecosystem, including manufacturers (large and small), technology providers, industrial energy service companies, utilities, national laboratories, universities, workforce and training organizations, state and local governments, and industry associations.
What is the main purpose of this RFI?
The purpose is to collect insights, evidence, and ideas about what works (and what does not) when modernizing manufacturing operations with digital, connected, and energy-aware tools and practices. DOE’s goal is to identify actionable pathways that could help manufacturers deploy these approaches faster and at scale.
What does DOE mean by "smart manufacturing technologies" in this RFI?
In this context, smart manufacturing generally refers to tools and approaches such as sensors, controls, industrial internet of things (IIoT), advanced analytics, automation, digital twins, cybersecurity practices, and interoperable data architectures that improve how industrial facilities operate.
What does DOE mean by "energy management practices" here?
Energy management practices typically include structured approaches to measuring, managing, and continuously improving energy performance. Examples include energy monitoring and targeting, operational controls, maintenance strategies, standards-based management systems, and integrating energy considerations into production scheduling and decision-making.
Why does the RFI pair smart manufacturing with energy management?
The pairing signals interest in approaches that embed energy intelligence into core manufacturing workflows and digital transformation efforts, rather than treating energy as a standalone engineering topic.
What kinds of feedback was DOE seeking?
DOE was seeking practical, real-world input on pathways to accelerate uptake and integration, not just a list of technologies. That typically includes experiences, evidence, lessons learned, and recommendations about deployment conditions and what enables successful adoption.
What does "pathways to accelerate the uptake and integration" imply?
It implies DOE was interested in how adoption happens in practice, including barriers, enabling conditions, and strategies to move beyond pilots and demonstrations toward scalable, repeatable adoption models across the manufacturing sector.
What barriers and constraints are relevant to this RFI?
The RFI highlights that deployment barriers can include up-front costs and financing structures, availability of skilled labor, change management challenges, data quality and interoperability issues, cybersecurity and intellectual property concerns, vendor lock-in risks, uncertainty about payback, production downtime constraints, and differences across manufacturing subsectors (such as batch versus continuous processes).
Was DOE especially interested in small and medium-sized manufacturers?
The RFI context suggests interest in scalable approaches, particularly for small and medium-sized manufacturers that may lack dedicated engineering staff or capital budgets for digitization.
What would a response to this RFI typically look like?
Because this is an RFI, respondents would typically submit written feedback rather than a full application package. The aim is to provide insights, evidence, and ideas DOE can use for future planning.
How would DOE use the information submitted?
DOE would typically use RFI responses to shape future program decisions. Common outcomes include refining priorities, designing subsequent funding opportunity announcements, developing technical assistance programs, creating public-private partnerships, and adjusting performance targets and evaluation metrics for future solicitations.
When was this RFI posted and what was the deadline?
The notice was created on June 16, 2021, and had an original response deadline of July 30, 2021.
Which DOE office issued this notice?
The notice is associated with the U.S. Department of Energy Golden Field Office.
What is the overall goal DOE is trying to support through this RFI?
The overall goal is to identify actionable ways to help manufacturers more quickly deploy smart manufacturing technologies and energy management approaches that can improve productivity, resilience, and energy performance.
If this RFI does not provide funding, could it lead to future funding opportunities?
Yes in the sense that RFIs are commonly used to inform future program design and subsequent funding opportunity announcements. This specific notice itself, however, is not described as making awards.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Energy
Next opportunity: Service Area Competition
Previous opportunity: Program Year 2021 National Farmworker Jobs Program: Career Services and Training Grantees and National Farmworker Jobs Program: Housing Grantees
Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for DE FOA 0002549
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (DE FOA 0002549) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Request for Information: Section 242 Hydroelectric Incentive Payments Updated Definitions Apply for DE FOA 0002511 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002511 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Request for Information- Energysheds: Exploring Place-Based Generation Apply for DE FOA 0002548 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002548 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002417 Apply for DE FOA 0002541 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002541 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002543 Advanced Building Construction (ABC) - 2021 Apply for DE FOA 0002544 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002544 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| DE-FOA-0002553: FY21 Advanced Manufacturing Office Multi-Topic FOA Apply for DE FOA 0002553 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002553 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $4,000,000 |
| Massachusetts Staffing Project, Phase II. Apply for 21JD08 Funding Number: 21JD08 Agency: Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections Category: Energy Funding Amount: $60,000 |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002519 titled Natural Gas Demand Response Pilot Program. Apply for DE FOA 0002567 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002567 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Technical Research Opportunities for 50-Year Photovoltaic System Service Life Apply for DE FOA 0002576 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002576 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Natural Gas Demand Response Pilot Program Apply for DE FOA 0002519 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002519 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION TO INCREASE HYDROPOWER FLEXIBILITY Apply for DE FOA 0002417 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002417 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $4,000,000 |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0002588 "Regional Clean Hydrogen Analysis" Apply for DE FOA 0002587 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002587 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Integrated Microgrids Apply for W81EWF22SOI0003 Funding Number: W81EWF22SOI0003 Agency: Department of Defense, Dept. of the Army -- Corps of Engineers Category: Energy Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Request for Information: Office of Technology Transitions Current and Future Commercialization Programming Apply for DE FOA 0002607 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002607 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Direct Air Capture Combined With Dedicated Long-Term Carbon Storage, Coupled to Existing Low-Carbon Energy Apply for DE FOA 0002560 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002560 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: $4,375,000 |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement No. DE-FOA-0002638 Apply for DE FOA 0002637 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002637 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0002610 entitled Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) Apply for DE FOA 0002622 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002622 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| FOA: WAP Enhancement & Innovation Apply for DE FOA 0002520 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002520 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Clean Hydrogen Production, Storage, Transport and Utilization to Enable a Net Zero Carbon Economy Apply for DE FOA 0002663 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002663 Agency: Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Silicon Carbide Cladding Development Apply for DE FOA 0002662 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002662 Agency: Department of Energy, Idaho Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: $45,000,000 |
| Bioenergy Technologies Office Overcoming Barriers to Renewable Fuel Scale-up and Demonstration Request for Information (RFI) DE-FOA-0002615 Apply for DE FOA 0002615 Funding Number: DE FOA 0002615 Agency: Department of Energy, Golden Field Office Category: Energy Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Inside Our Applicants Portal
Access Applicants Portal
- Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
- Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
- Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Learn More
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "DE FOA 0002549", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.