Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, multiple entities may join together in the form of a consortia to submit a joint application.  Please see section III.A of the FOA for more information regarding the eligibility of Incorporated and Unincorporated Consortia.

Due to the competitive nature of the announcement and in order to provide fairness to all potential applicants, DOE is unable to advise or provide input to any potential applicants during the FOA process.  Applicants must make their own determination as to whether or not their current circumstances fulfill the requirements of the announcement.

Please try either using a different web browser to open/download the document or download the document to your computer and then use the Adobe software on your computer to open the file locally.

Please see Section I.A.iv. (p16) of the FOA: Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, Brief Description of Capabilities, and Area of Interest. Interested parties should email the information to DE-FOA-0002678@netl.doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information.” Please read the disclaimer on p 16 of the FOA.

Section IV. C. (page 56) describes the content required for the Letter of Intent

DE-FOA-0002677 is the Notice of Intent which states that the Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0002678 will be released.  You can only apply to  DE-FOA-0002678.

It is the prospective applicant’s responsibility to make the determination if their proposed project meets the requirements identified in the FOA.  DOE definition of electric vehicles includes all battery based modalities.

Please refer to the AOI 12 objective statement regarding innovative.

1. Please try either using a different web browser to open/download the document or download the document to your computer and then use the Adobe software on your computer to open the file locally.  2. Sample Letters of Intent will not be provided.  Section IV. C. on page 56 describes the content required for the Letter of Intent.

Existing equipment that is in use, installed, or purchased prior to the start of the period of performance of an awarded project is not eligible to be used as cost share.  

The minimum award values were prescribed by BIL and the FOA must comply.  Accordingly, we must adhere to the minimum award value prescribed by the law.

Please provide the current location(s) of work that is (are) under consideration.  If it changes, you can notify DOE.

This is the language that was used in the BIL. DOE will not provide a definition that will limit the scope.

Please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)

Please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)

Applicants are not limited to one AOI and applicants can submit more than one LOI to an AOI.  See Section III.F. of the FOA:  “An entity may submit more than one Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an eligible Letter of Intent (LOI) for each application the Applicant is intending to submit.”

Please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)

Please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)

Applicants are not limited to one AOI and applicants can submit more than one LOI to an AOI.  See Section III.F. of the FOA:  “An entity may submit more than one Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an eligible Letter of Intent (LOI) for each application the Applicant is intending to submit.”

Please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)

A domestic entity is any prime recipient or subrecipient receiving funding under this FOA that is incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, has a physical place of business in the United States, and has majority domestic ownership or control (for publicly traded companies, this would include stockholders). Any prime or subrecipient that does not meet all of these criteria is a foreign entity in terms of the FOA and must submit a waiver in accordance with the directions provided in Appendix C of the FOA.

Please review Section III.B of the FOA for requirements regarding cost share.  While DOE generally refrains from making determinations at this stage, note that “cost share contributions must be specified in the project budget, verifiable from the prime recipient’s records, and necessary and reasonable” for the project.  A tax credit does not meet this requirement.

Appendix E of the FOA describes the TRLs.  For AOI 12 it is anticipated that the beginning TRL range would be 6 to 7 and the end TRL range would be 8 to 9.

A domestic entity is any prime recipient or subrecipient receiving funding under this FOA that is incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, has a physical place of business in the United States, and has majority domestic ownership or control (for publicly traded companies, this would include stockholders). Any prime or subrecipient that does not meet all of these criteria is a foreign entity in terms of the FOA and must submit a waiver in accordance with the directions provided in Appendix C of the FOA.

Please read the Areas of Interest in Section I.B. to see what technology areas are covered.

DOE will not send out any reply to the LOIs.  (Replies of ‘Encouraged’ or ‘Discouraged’ are used with Concept Papers).

The DOE does not provide guidance or direction regarding the creation or the organization of applicant companies. Please refer to Section IV.D.xiv of the FOA regarding Foreign Entity Participation requirements.  Please also review Amendment 000001 regarding LOIs.

DOE does not provide guidance or direction regarding which AOI to apply to and how best to position an application. Also, please refer to the amended FOA.  (Amendment 000001)  

A battery chemistry is not specified in AOI 12.

Please refer to section III.F of the FOA regarding the limitation on number of full applications eligible for review.

The DOE does not provide guidance or direction regarding the creation or the organization of applicant companies. In accordance with section III.G of the FOA, the DOE will not make eligibility determinations prior to submission of the application. 

Please see Section I.A.iv. (p16) of the FOA: Any organization that would like to be included on this list should submit the following information: Organization Name, Contact Name, Contact Address, Contact Email, Contact Phone, Organization Type, Area of Technical Expertise, Brief Description of Capabilities, and Area of Interest. Interested parties should email the information to DE-FOA-0002678@netl.doe.gov with the subject line “Teaming Partner Information.” Please read the disclaimer on p 16 of the FOA.

Each Application submitted must adhere to a specific AOI’s scope and requirements.    

The minimum award values were prescribed by BIL and the FOA must comply. Accordingly, we must adhere to the minimum award value prescribed by the law.

The Projects were prescribed by the BIL and the FOA must comply.  Accordingly, projects must be at the demonstration stage.

Appendix E of the FOA provides definitions of the TRLs to be used with this FOA.

Subcriteria will be evaluated according to the Technical Review Criteria for the prescribed AOIs as described in Section V.A.& V.B. of the FOA.

Per FOA Section I.A.C. (Applications Specifically Not of Interest), applications that include mining operations (mining and extraction) or mining equipment, excavation, labor, siting, etc. within the project scope.  It would be acceptable if a project has an offtake agreement with a mining company and the mining company is not being funded by the project.

The DOE does not provide guidance or direction regarding the creation or the organization of applicant companies. Please refer to Section IV.D.xiv of the FOA regarding Foreign Entity Participation requirements.  Also, please refer to the amended FOA (Amendment 000001) for updated information on the Letter of Intent.

From Section IV. J. vi. - To the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with funds made available under this FOA should be American-made. This requirement does not apply to used or leased equipment.  From The Buy America Executive Order: A Buy America preference only applies to articles, materials, and supplies that are consumed in, incorporated into, or affixed to an infrastructure project. As such, it does not apply to tools, equipment, and supplies, such as temporary scaffolding, brought to the construction site and removed at or before the completion of the infrastructure project. Nor does a Buy America

preference apply to equipment and furnishings, such as movable chairs, desks, and portable computer equipment, that are used at or within the finished infrastructure project, but are not an integral part of or permanently affixed to the structure.

DOE currently has no plans to change the due dates.  If this changes in the future, it will be communicated via an amendment to the FOA.

A domestic entity is any prime recipient or subrecipient receiving funding under this FOA that is incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, has a physical place of business in the United States, and has majority domestic ownership or control (for publicly traded companies, this would include stockholders). Any prime or subrecipient that does not meet all of these criteria is a foreign entity in terms of the FOA and must submit a waiver in accordance with the directions provided in Appendix C of the FOA.

Please refer to the FOA.  If a specific TRL is required, it will be noted.

Yes. From the Applicant Manual in Exchange: "Please note that submission of EERE Letters of Intent are not required to continue on in the FOA process, but you are encouraged to submit before the posted deadline if you intend to complete a Concept Paper and/or Full Application. Once the Letter of Intent is complete, you will be immediately directed to the next stage of the FOA process."  The letter of Intent (LOI) must include project participants that contribute to the tasks identified in the project statement of project objectives and are also included in the project budget.

Yes.  Indicating that the submission status is new when submitting an LOI meets the requirement as it would be followed up by submitting a new application.

There is no Template for the Technical Volume.  The requirements are listed within the FOA - Section IV.D. ii.

DOE will not send out any reply to the LOIs.  (Replies of ‘Encouraged’ or ‘Discouraged’ are used with Concept Papers).

Please refer to the Amended FOA (000001).

A new facility would be defined as a facility that was not there before.  Retooling, retrofitting, expanding would ocurr to a facility that is currently existing.

Please refer to the amended FOA further details regarding cell chemistry.  (Amendment 000001)

The questions seem to be centered on two different things:  one is registering in the various required systems and one is being the official applying entity.  DOE takes no position on one entity assisting another with system registrations.  Per the Exchange Manual: "At any point in the submission process, you may share your submission with other Exchange users using the Share Submission feature. Sharing a submission with another user will give that user access to edit, view submission decisions, and view reviewer comments for all stages of a FOA."  However, if Company A is to hold the role of prime recipient, then Company A must be registered in Exchange with its own UEI and submit the LOI/Full Application.   This cannot be done by one entity/UEI and later switched to another.  Per Section III.F. of the FOA:  “An entity may submit more than one Full Application to this FOA, provided that each application describes a unique, scientifically distinct project. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit an eligible Letter of Intent (LOI) for each application the Applicant is intending to submit.”  Regarding signing the LOI, a form in Exchange is filled out. Please refer to the amended FOA further details.  (Amendment 000001)

Please refer to the amended FOA further details and clarifications.  (Amendment 000001)

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on cost share outside of an application.  Appendix C provides some general guidance, also please see Section I.C.  of the FOA "Applications that propose cost share contributions in the form of donation of land, existing buildings, or existing equipment."

Please review Section III.B of the FOA for requirements regarding cost share.  While DOE generally refrains from making determinations at this stage, note that “cost share contributions must be specified in the project budget, verifiable from the prime recipient’s records, and necessary and reasonable” for the project.

Please review Section III.B of the FOA for requirements regarding cost share.  While DOE generally refrains from making determinations at this stage, note that “cost share contributions must be specified in the project budget, verifiable from the prime recipient’s records, and necessary and reasonable” for the project.

New partners may be added to the project after the award is negotiated if the new partner would have been eligible under the FOA when the application was originally submitted and with the Approval of the Department of Energy.  

Statements of Project Objectives (SOPOs) should be written broadly enough to allow for some flexibility and innovative approaches through the life of the project.  Once the project is underway, changes can be discussed with DOE and the SOPO could potentially be amended with DOE approval.

For the purposes of this question, DOE is assuming "ownership" refers to the prime recipient of the grant.  Ownership of the project cannot transferred without the consent and approval of the DOE.

There are no restrictions on this.   

Please see Sections IV. D. xvii. & V.A & B.

There is no prescribed format regarding Letters of Commitment.

It is up to the applicant to best define how "participation" is quantified in their proposed project.

Synthetic graphite production is included.

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on how best to satisfy the requirements listed in the AOI.

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on how best to satisfy the requirements listed in the AOI.  There is no need to form an exclusive teaming arrangement with a specific customer, but the applicant must show their product will meet customer requirements.

AOI 4 is directed to the domestic feedstock sources that will be used and is not meant to include recycling.

AOI 4 is directed to the domestic feedstock sources that will be used and is not meant to include recycling.

AOI 4 is directed to the domestic feedstock sources that will be used and AOI 5 is directed to innovative separation processes.

EERE Exchange requires a UEI to be included to submit an LOI.  Please see Amendment 000001 for further updated details on the LOI.   A UEI must be secured to submit a Full Application.   However, the form includes a N/A field to use if the UEI number is not available.

Please note that none of the AOIs require an applicant to include TRLs for their proposed projects.  DOE provides these definitions as a convenience to applicants to develop their applications.

A domestic entity is any prime recipient or subrecipient receiving funding under this FOA that is incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, has a physical place of business in the United States, and has majority domestic ownership or control (for publicly traded companies, this would include stockholders). Any prime or subrecipient that does not meet all of these criteria is a foreign entity in terms of the FOA and must submit a waiver in accordance with the directions provided in Appendix C of the FOA.  The full application team must be legally established when the full application is submitted.

Due to the competitive nature of the announcement and in order to provide fairness to all potential applicants, DOE is unable to advise or provide input to any potential applicants during the FOA process.  

The Letter of Intent consists of an online  form that is completed and submitted in EERE Exchange.  No documents are uploaded.

1.a.  Yes.  The Foreign Entity subsidiary must meet the Domestic Entity qualifications outlined in Section III.A.iii.  1.b. Yes.  2. The DOE will review the request for novation and provide a determination.  The determination is not at the sole discretion of any single DOE organization or individual.

1. For purposes of the LOI, TBD can be used to describe the team members. The team members will need to be defined for the full application.   2. The down stream battery customers do not need to be a team member under the project (subrecipient).  

A downstream customer is required to be identified in the application.  If the customer is within the company, the relationship must be described in the application as well as the downstream customer for the final product provided by the company. In this case, a customer for the final battery product manufactured by the company must also be identified.

The application requires creation of a commercial-scale production facility for production of battery components.  Please refer to the AOI for specific requirements.  As such, the technology should not be under development other than design efforts required to achieve customer requirements.  A TRL of 8 or greater is therefore required.

1. DOE will not be providing feedback to the LOIs.  2. Please read the AOIs to determine if your proposed project is within the scope of the FOA.  3. Please read the AOIs to determine if your proposed project is within the scope of the FOA.                        Due to the competitive nature of the announcement and in order to provide fairness to all potential applicants, DOE is unable to advise or provide input to any potential applicants during the FOA process.  

1. Unincorporated consortia must pick a prime recipient.  2. Funds flow first to the Prime Recipient and then to the subrecipients.  Amounts are established during award negotiations. The Prime Recipient is responsible for establishing agreements with the subrecipients. 3. Please refer to the AOIs for requirements.

The purpose of the BIL is to enhance the domestic processing capacity of
minerals necessary for battery materials and advanced batteries (40207b) and to ensure that United States has a viable domestic manufacturing
and recycling capability to support and sustain a North American battery supply chain (40207b&c).  For purposes of this FOA - "Domestic" refers to the United States.

Each Application submitted must adhere to a specific AOI’s scope and requirements.    

Majority control refers to a person or entity having more than 50% ownership/control.

The existing Building is considered to be the building and all fixtures that are included within the building at the start of the project’s proposed period of performance.  See also  2 CFR 200.439

These requirements apply to the entire project funding.  Please refer to section IV.D.xvii of the FOA regarding the definition of benefits and the requirements for tracking the benefits.  Justice 40 anticipates that 40% of of the overall benefits arising from the project should flow to underserved communities and underrepresented groups.

Whether EPAct applies is dependent on the type of award  and the type of recipient.  Please refer to Section VI.B.x. of the FOA for a link to the various applicable IP Provisions.

The FOA notes battery chemistry objectives for AOIs 6 and 11.  A battery chemistry is not specified in AOI 12.  Applicants may submit multiple LOIs as long as they describe separate and distinct projects.

Please see 2 CFR § 200.1 for the definition of a subrecipient.  An unincorporated consortia must designate one member to serve as the prime; the remaining members would be subrecipients.

There are no restrictions on how the funding is distributed between the prime and the subrecipients.

Per the FOA Section IV. D. xiii.: "Prime recipients and subrecipients are required to complete and submit SF-LLL, “Disclosure of Lobbying Activities” (https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-individual-family.html) to ensure that non-federal funds have not been paid and will not be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence any of the following in connection with the application:
• An officer or employee of any federal agency;
• A Member of Congress;
• An officer or employee of Congress; or
• An employee of a Member of Congress."

Please ensure you read the AOI requirements closely to determine if your project meets the stated objectives.  Per the FOA Sections IV. D. xix. & xx. "You must complete the Environmental Information Volume." & "You must complete the Environmental Questionnaire."

See 2 CFR 910.130(e) for a definition of Demonstration. Please note  that "pilot" is one of the two categories of demonstration available. For the purposes of this FOA,  a Commercial scale facility would be at a TRL level of 8 or higher.  For Demonstration scale it is anticipated that the beginning of the project TRL range would be 6 to 7 and the project end TRL range would be 8 to 9.

Please review Section III.B of the FOA for requirements regarding cost share.  While DOE generally refrains from making determinations at this stage, note that “cost share contributions must be specified in the project budget, verifiable from the prime recipient’s records, and necessary and reasonable” for the project.  A tax credit does not meet this requirement.  However, state and local funding, not derived from federal sources can be used as cost share, generally, upon the approval of the Contracting Officer.

A downstream customer is required to be identified in the application.  If the customer is within the company, the relationship must be described in the application as well as the downstream customer for the final product provided by the company. In this case, a customer for the final battery product manufactured by the company must also be identified.

Please review Section III.B of the FOA for requirements regarding cost share. The DOE does not generally provide a determination regarding cost share prior to review of the full application.

DOE is not considering any broadening of AOI 6, please see AOI 10.

The downstream customer does not need to be a co-applicant. Participation means that the downstream customer will be purchasing the applicant’s product.

Project labor agreements are not required at the application stage, but may be included as part of the Quality Jobs and Community Benefits (Equity Plan).  Please refer to FOA Sections IV.D.xvii, V.A., & V.B. for more information.

The criteria is a measure of the validity and appropriateness of the cost share for the proposed project.

See FOA section VIII.D regarding treatment of application information.

Costs to validate to the DOE that the facility is operational is within the scope of the grant.

All applications will be reviewed in accordance with the technical review criteria for the area of interest under which the application was submitted.

Domestic entities must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States with majority (≥51%) domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States.  If any of these criteria are not achieved, the entity is considered a foreign entity for the purposes of this FOA.  If a the U.S. Subsidiary is 100% foreign owned, it is considered a foreign entity. The waiver must address all foreign ownership of the company (immediate and ultimate parents) and comply with the requirements set for in Appendix C.

The DOE will review the request and provide a determination.   The mechanism is likely a novation and it is not guaranteed.

The refinement of extracted material , including   brine is considered to be within scope.  The extraction of the material from natural deposits is not within the scope of the potential project.  

Generally, a Commercial scale facility would be at a TRL level of 8 or higher.  For Demonstration scale it is anticipated that the beginning TRL range would be 6 to 7 and the end TRL range would be 8 to 9.

DOE will not evaluate the proposed the technology outside of a Full Application.

If a UEI is not available at the time the application is submitted in EERE Excahnge, the applicant may check the N/A box for that field in EERE Exchange and proceed with their submission.

If a UEI is not available at the time the application is submitted in EERE Excahnge, the applicant may check the N/A box for that field in EERE Exchange and proceed with their submission.

Adjustments can be made to the team member list between the LOI and application.  Regarding adjusting the Team Member list after selection, due to the fact that some of the evaluation criteria are based on the assembled team, DOE may stop negotiations, depending on the nature and rationale for the change.

A downstream customer is required to be identified in the application.  If the customer is within the company, the relationship must be described in the application as well as the downstream customer for the final product provided by the company. In this case, a customer for the final battery product manufactured by the company must also be identified.

 Letters of Commitment must be submitted by the application due date.   Please see section IV.D.iv. for the content requirements.

DOE will not evaluate any proposed technology outside of a Full Application.  Nor will DOE advise a potential applicant on which AOI is best for a proposed technology.

The existing facilities can be other types of facilities, as long as they are capable of being retooled, retrofitted, or expanded for battery material processing.  Please see Amendment 000002.

Exchange will restrict each application to a single AOI. Please refer to Amended FOA 000002.

Please refer to the amended FOA (Amendment 000002).

Exchange will restrict each application to a single AOI. Please see Amendment 000002.

A facility  that processes and integrates multiple precursors is acceptable.  Please see Amendment 000002.

1) In AOI 10, battery cell manufacturers would be eligible.  2) Please refer to Section II.  The minumum FEDERAL share amount for NEW commercial scale awards is $100,000,000.  The minimum FEDERAL share amount for retooling, retrofitting, expanding is $50,000,000.  3)  The applicant is to choose a time frame for the project duration (less than 5 years) and communicate it in the application.

The FOA is available at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdc53b6390-dfb8-480a-9265-3ffdec6c97b3.  Instructions for registering and submitting a Letter of Intent are found in the FOA document.  Submittal is through the EERE EXCHANGE website and you must be registered in EXCHANGE before you can submit an LOI or a Full Application.

The refinement of extracted material , including   brine is considered to be within scope.  The extraction of the material from natural deposits is not within the scope of the potential project.  

1. The EIV and EQ require specific locations for the work to be accomplished, including the factory.  1a. The document referred to on FOA Section IV. D. xix. is the same at  https://www.netl.doe.gov/sites/default/files/2018-02/451_1-1-6.pdf     2.  The application must reflect what you will be fulfilling if the grant is awarded.  If there is a deviation from what is in the application, it will need to be reviewed by DOE and negotiations may cease depending on the change/deviation.

Please see the requirements for the LOI in Section IV. C. (being certain to look at the most recent amendment to the FOA.)  There is no letter that is uploaded, but the information is input into Exchange.  

DOE is not considering reducing the cost share at this time.

DOE will not make a determination absent a Full Application.  Please see the CFR for definitions of contractor vs subrecipient. (2 CFR § 200.22 Contract; 2 CFR § 200.23 Contractor; 2 CFR § 200.92 Subaward; 2 CFR § 200.93 Subrecipient; 2 CFR § 200.330 Subrecipient and Contractor Determinations)

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on how best to satisfy the requirements listed in the AOI.  There is no need to form an exclusive teaming arrangement with a specific customer, but the applicant must show their product will meet customer requirements.  The down stream battery customers do not need to be a team member under the project (subrecipient).  

Submitting the WBS as part of the Technical Volume is all that is required. A high level WBS is sufficient.

Please refer to section IV. D.ii. of the FOA.  The Technical Volume must address the applicable Criteria and the requirements of the AOI being applied to.

Please refer to section IV. D.ii. of the FOA.  The Technical Volume must address the applicable Criteria and the requirements of the AOI being applied to.

DOE will not make a determination absent a Full Application. Applicants are free to submit multiple applications (one for each project). Investment in multiple facilities/buildings is allowable.  Each application must meet the requirements of the FOA (e.g., dollar thresholds - $100M in Fed Share for a new commercial facility).

Current and Pending support are due at the application stage and then are updated if selected for award.  Please see FOA sections IV. D. xviii. & VI. B. xvii.

All application documents must reflect an honest picture of what the status is at the time of application.  Things may change in 2-5 months while applications are being assessed.  If selected, it is the applicant's responsibility to alert DOE to the changes that have occured.  If the changes are significant and material enough, the negotiations will cease.

At this time, there is no statutory deadline for grant money to be used.  However, this can change. DOE is expecting that the awards that are granted from this FOA will have a maximum length of award/project of 5 years.

The EIV and EQ require specific locations for the work to be accomplished, including the factory.

Per Section IV. D. ii, the applicant is to address the legal/regulatory considerations that INCLUDES four factors, one of which is "data dissemination."  Data dissemination consists of distributing or transmitting statistical data to users.  What data will be made public will be addressed in the plan.

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on how best to satisfy the requirements listed in the AOI.  There is no need to form an exclusive teaming arrangement with a specific customer, but the applicant must show their product will meet customer requirements.  The down stream battery customers do not need to be a team member under the project (subrecipient).  

Domestic refers to being within the United States borders.

If there are no other paricipants, N/A would be appropriate on DOE F 540.

(1)  Per Section IV.A., a Control Number is issued when the Applicant begins the Application Process.  The Application process begins when the LOI is submitted.  At that point, a control number is assigned to the LOI that the applicant is to use on the FULL APPLICATION documents.    (2)  The LOI is submitted via the form in EXCHANGE.  Please see Section IV.A. of the FOA.  No documents are uploaded for the LOI.

DOE STRONGLY reccommeds submitting an LOI for each application. If a UEI is not available at the time the application is submitted in EERE Exchange, the applicant may check the N/A box for that field in EERE Exchange and proceed with their submission.   DOE will not contact recipients during the application stage.

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on how best to satisfy the requirements listed in the AOI.  There is no need to form an exclusive teaming arrangement with a specific customer, but the applicant must show their product will meet customer requirements.  The down stream battery customers do not need to be a team member under the project (subrecipient).  The customer can be immediately down stream or a little further.  

A Letter of Intent (LOI) and/or application may be submitted without having completed the full SAM registration process and submittal must be done through the EERE Exchange website.  If a UEI is not available at the time the application is submitted in EERE Exchange, the applicant may check the N/A box for that field in EERE Exchange and proceed with their submission.   

DOE will not send out any reply to the LOIs.  (Replies of ‘Encouraged’ or ‘Discouraged’ are used with Concept Papers).

Thank you for the clarification!

Regarding the teaming arrangements for AOI 9, what does "participation by at least one downstream customer" mean? Does the downstream customer have to be a subrecipient or a letter of commitment from the downstream partner to buy products produced at the manufacturing facility is sufficient?

DOE will not instruct a potential applicant on what assurance to provide regarding cost share.  Please see FOA Section III. B. and Appendix A.

1.  The team would comprise those who will be participating in the project.  2.  The potential location for the project need not be disclosed in the LOI.  3. An "Off Taker" need not be disclosed.  4. The LOIs will not be searchable, but are subject to FOIA requests.  See FOA section VIII.D regarding treatment of application information.

Those interested in competitive grant opportunities are encouraged to monitor DOE grant opportunities at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html as well as EERE Exchange:  https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. The DOE cannot respond to questions other than those pertaining to DE-FOA-0002678.

1. The grants have a minimum value dictated by statute. Sec Section II of the FOA.  2.  The team list was started.  Please go to Exchange:  https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdc53b6390-dfb8-480a-9265-3ffdec6c97b3  

If the applicant does not have all of the subrecipients determined for the LOI, it is acceptable to note "TBD" for each subrecipient.

Please refer to AOI  10.  

Please refer to Section III.A. for eligibility information.   All summary information regarding the opportunity is contained in DE-FOA-0002768.  Regarding DOE's efforts on the supply chain, please contact ee.media@.doe.gov.

You are referencing the Notices of Intent.  Please visit Financial Opportunities: FOA Edit Details (energy.gov) and Financial Opportunities: Funding Opportunity Exchange (energy.gov) for the complete FOA details.

Battery Packs are included within AOI 10.

The DOE will amend the FOA in the event there is a change in status for application requirements.

See section IV.D.xix and xx regarding requirements for the Environmental Information Volume and Environmental Questionnaire. The Environmental Information Volume serves as a guide for the required informaion.   The documents must be submitted in accordance with section IV.D.i without deviation. The documents must include information known at the time of application submission.

See section II.B.i of the FOA regarding the approach to funding FFRDCs under the FOA. See section III.E of the FOA regarding all requirements for FFRDCs included as subrecipients.

The FOA does not include a requirement for submission of a Concept Paper.  Please refer to the FOA for all submission requirements.

The DOE will amend the FOA in the event there is a change in status for application requirements.

See the FOA registration requirements regarding the process to receive automatic updates when amendments are posted.

See section III.B regarding cost sharing requirements. DOE cannot make determinations regarding the allowability of project costs before receipt and review of a full application.

An Earned Value Management Plan is required to be submitted for review and consideration under the technical merit review element noted.

This item refers to the percentage of the total project budget associated with each team member.

Color is acceptable for graphics, photos, and illustrations.

See section IV.D.iii of the FOA for all resume content and limitations.

The DOE will not provide a response to the Letter of Intent. Per the FOA, the Letter of Intent will be used for merit review process planning.

See amendment 2 to the FOA regarding the Letter of Intent (LOI) and associated UEI instructions.

The FOA includes all information necessary to both understand the requirement and submit a full application. It is paramount for all applicants to carefully read the FOA  and follow all instructions.

The DOE has not created a video or explanation of the FOA.  The FOA includes all information necessary to both understand the requirement and submit a full application.

Please see section VIII.D of the FOA regarding treatment of application information. The DOE will not release the number of  LOIs or applications for each area of interest.  

Please refer to the SOPO template.  Timeframes and time durations are not required for completion of the SOPO.  

Please refer to 2 CFR 200.330 regarding the subrecipient and contractor determinations.  Please see section IV.D.x of the FOA for specific funding thresholds requirements for subrecipient budget justifications.

Yes.  The DOE will not screen application participants based upon the Letter of Intent. Per the FOA, the Letter of Intent will be used for merit review process planning.

The item identified is not a typo. As per 31 U.S. Code 1352, lobbying with Federal funds is unallowable.  The SF -LLL is for applicants to disclose lobbying activities taken with non-Federal funds.

Cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, and lithium carbonate are considered precursors.

Letters of Commitment or Offtake Agreements must meet the requirements set forth in IV.D.iv and must reflect accurate and correct information.  See Technical Review Criteria 1 regarding the use of Letters of Commitment and offtake agreements in the merit review process.

Per the FOA, a domestic entity is any prime recipient or subrecipient  (see  2 CFR § 200.330 regarding Subrecipient or contractor determinations) that is participating in the proposed project (receiving Federal Funds or providing cost share)  that is incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a State or territory of the United States, has a physical place of business in the United States, and has majority domestic ownership or control (for publicly traded companies, this would include stockholders). Any Recipient or Subrecipient that does not meet all of these criteria is a foreign entity in terms of the FOA and must submit a waiver in accordance with the directions provided in Appendix C of the FOA. The DOE will not provide determinations regarding Domestic or foreign entity participation in the project absent a full application.

It is acceptable to use the typeface/point-size in any Government-provided template.  The SOPO template provided in Exchange has been changed to Calibri 12-point.  However, the DOE will accept a SOPO in either Times New Roman or Calibri, as long as a 12-point font is used.

See section IV.D.xix and xx of the FOA regarding requirements for the Environmental Information Volume and Environmental Questionnaire.  EERE’s review will occur both during the application process and post-award (See section IV.F. regarding post selection information requests).  All documents must be submitted in accordance with section IV.D.i without deviation and must include all information known at the time of application submission.  The FOA does allow for “Reply to Reviewer” comments (please see FOA section IV.E.) which could include environmental topics.  Applicants must submit one EQ and one EV with ALL project locations noted in both documents.

DOE does not plan on increasing the number of pages of the SOPO.

DOE is not currently planning to amend the FOA.

DOE is not currently planning to amend the FOA.

Applications that are submitted must be a true and accurate representation of what the scope of work will be.  If it is found at the time of selection that there is a material discrepancy, DOE reserves the right to cease negotiations.  If there is a change between the time of application and possible selection, it is incumbent upon the Successful Applicant / Selectee to show that the change is not material.  

The DOE cannot make broad determinations regarding the eligibility of project participants absent review and consideration of a full application.  However, proposed project team members that participate in the development of an application are not typically precluded from project participation.

THE EIV does not have a page limit.  However, please keep in mind that the maximum file size that can be uploaded to the EERE Exchange website is 10MB.

Non federal funds can be used for lobbying.  However, if it is used in any of the ways described, it must be disclosed on the SF-LLL.

The application submission requirements, due dates, planned number of awards, etc. are included within the FOA. Applications must be accurate at the time of submission. FOA amendments are not planned at this time, however applicants should consider registering for automatic notifications in the event of an amendment.  The DOE cannot provide determinations regarding the content of an application absent review and consideration of the full application.

DOE does not provide advice on applications or subrecipient selections during the application process.

Per the FOA, the Letter of Intent will be used for solely merit review process planning and is therefore not a prerequisite for submission of a full application. Please refer to section II.A.i regarding funding for this FOA.  The DOE cannot provide information regarding future appropriations.

Please refer to the due date for full applications provided on the FOA cover page.

The deadline for the Letter of Intent has passed. Per the FOA, the Letter of Intent will be used for solely merit review process planning and is therefore not a prerequisite for submission of a full application.  

The DOE is not requesting Letters of Support.  Letters of commitment must meet the requirements set forth in section IV.D.i in the FOA.  The DOE cannot make legal determinations regarding project commitments made by perspective project applicants.

DOE will not confirm application-specific scenarios absent a full application.

Per the FOA, the Letter of Intent will be used for solely merit review process planning and is therefore not a prerequisite for submission of a full application.  The deadline to submit the Letter of Intent has now passed.  Applicants should now focus only on their full application.

A word version of this form is available at the NETL website: https://netl.doe.gov/business/business-forms/financial-assistance  

Not filing a Letter of Intent does NOT disqualify an applicant from submitting a full application.  Section  IV.C.a of the FOA states that Letters of Intent are strongly encouraged. Additionally, please refer to section  IV.C.b of the FOA regarding full application compliance requirements.

Potential applicants interested in competitive grant opportunities are encouraged to monitor DOE grant opportunities at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html as well as EERE Exchange:  https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. The DOE cannot respond to questions other than those pertaining to  DE-FOA-0002678.

Please refer to the National News Release, “U.S. Geological Survey Releases 2022 List of Critical Materials” (U.S. Geological Survey Releases 2022 List of Critical Minerals | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov) ) for the list of USGS Critical Materials.  Please note that phosphate is not included on the list.

(1.) Re the DMP - please refer to IV.D.xi for instructions regarding the DMP, which is a required application document.  The DOE will not make determinations  regarding the contents of the DMP absent a full application. (2.) Project participation by an FFRDC is not required. If a proposed project will not use a FFRDC there is no need to submit anything.  Section IV.D.xii is to be used only if applicable.  (3.)  All participants providing cost share are considered to be  subrecipients and MUST be disclosed at the time of application. (4.) The requirements under section IV.D.xviii apply to Recipients and subrecipients regardless of the funding source or type of activity. (5.) Please refer to section IV.D.xvi regarding waivers for the Buy American Requirement for Infrastructure Projects.  The DOE cannot make any determinations regarding these requirements absent review and consideration of a full application.

Per Section IV.D. iii. Applicants are required to submit two-page resumes for the Principal Investigator and all Senior/Key Personnel. For the purposes of this FOA, the Business POC is also considered to be key personnel.

See section III.B of the FOA regarding cost sharing.  Please note that cost share must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.)

See section IV.J.ii regarding pre-award costs.  The DOE will not make determinations regarding pre-award costs absent a full application.  Please note that the costs must be "necessary for efficient and timely performance of the scope of work".

It is not permissible to embed a web link into the PDF of the application.  If there is such a link, the reviewers are instructed to not click on it because it circumvents the maximum page requirement.

All sub criteria are weighted equally is referring to the individually numbered sub criteria (1a, 1b, 1c, etc) and not to the broader categories.  

Please refer to the FOA section entitled, "Introduction: Battery Component Manufacturing and Recycling Grants pursuant to Section 40207 (c)(3)(A) Areas of Interest 6-12" regarding thresholds for Federal funding limitations.  See section I.C of the FOA regarding applications specifically not of interest.  The DOE will not make determinations regarding the allowability of project costs or cost share absent a full application.

As stated in AOI3 of the FOA - applications must NOT use minerals as lithium, nickel (class I), cobalt, manganese, or graphite as the primary product since these items are addressed in other areas of interest. AOI 3 applies to all lithium-ion based battery or other alternative advanced battery grade precursors that are not covered in AOIs 1 & 2.

Please referred to the amendment FOA (Amendment 000003), which clarified this section.

DOE does not provide specific advice on applications.

(1) &(2)  DOE does not provide advice on applications. (3) DOE does not provide sample Equity Plans. (4) According to Executive Order 13985, the term “underserved communities” refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the preceding definition of “equity.”   https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/

A thermal blanket is part of the battery pack in the described scenario. The letter of commitment must be from customers of the products produced at the manufacturing facility. As long as the identified entity is a customer, the letter would be considered compliant.

DOE will not provide direction or guidance on cost share without review of a full application.  Appendix C provides some general guidance, also please see Sections I.C. & III.B. of the FOA .

The minimum content requirements for the Letter(s) of Commitment is provided in each area of interest.  The LOC is not intended to be legally binding.  Please review the "Technical Review Criteria" included within the FOA regarding the criteria  for application reviews.

The format requirements for the entire application are included within section IV.A of the FOA.  Use of landscape pages are not precluded within these requirements.

In cases where there are not enough rows to list all equipment, please identify a grouping (i.e. Group A, B,...) for use in the budget justification equipment table.  Please provide a detailed listing of each group to in the rows and columns to the right of the equipment table that describes the equipment and cost of each group.

See  section III.B of the FOA regarding cost sharing requirements.  Please note that recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.)

See the SOPO template provided with the FOA.  Please note that the SOPO template requires technical milestones.

See  section III.B of the FOA regarding cost sharing requirements.  Please note that recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.)

See  section III.B of the FOA regarding cost sharing requirements.  Please note that recipient share of allowable costs equals the total allowable cost of the project) and must come from non-federal sources unless otherwise allowed by law. (See 2 CFR 200.306 and 2 CFR 910.130 for the applicable cost sharing requirements.)

See section IV.D.Xxix and xx regarding requirements for completion of the Environmental Information Volume and Environmental Questionnaire in addition. Please review the "Technical Review Criteria" included within the FOA regarding the criteria  for application reviews.

The Environmental Questionnaire has been updated to correct the issue.

Notice of Intent No. DE-FOA-0002677 was related to the upcoming release of DE-FOA-0002678.  DE-FOA-0002678 "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing" was released on May 2, 2022.  The Funding Opportunity Announcement is located here:  https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdc53b6390-dfb8-480a-9265-3ffdec6c97b3

See section IV.D.viii regarding requirements for the "Summary/Abstract for Public Release".  As the name states, the document may be made available ot the public after selections are made.

See section IV.D.viii regarding requirements for the "Summary/Abstract for Public Release".  As the name states, the document may be made available ot the public after selections are made.

The item references a block on the financial assistance award cover page reserved for the name of a project manager assigned to an award. A project manager name is not a requirement for completion of the SOPO.

Per the SOPO Template, the SOPO should not include funding amounts  or timeframes in addition to the other items listed.  Budget Period numerical designations (i.e., "Budget Period 1" or "Budget Period 2") are not considered timeframes. The Budget Period durations and funding requiments  are addressed in other areas of the application.

The SOPO template language must not be altered.  Technical presentations, briefings, and presentations will need to be given to DOE personnel as described in Section E of the SOPO.

All locations where project activites would occur, including FFRDCs, must be listed in the Environmental Questionnaire.

DOE is not considering issuing an amendment at the present time to extend the deadline.  A UEI, which is obtained through SAM.GOV, is required before a full application can be submitted. However, the form includes a N/A field to use if the UEI number is not available.

There is no page limit on the Gantt Chart as long as the other sections are permitted space in the Technical Volume and their respective section requirements are met.  A "higher level" Gantt Chart may be used.

"Returning Citizens" are those citizens who are transitioning from the criminal justice system to productive lives.

Please refer to the DOE interim Conflict of Interest Policy for Financial Assistance (COI Policy) found at: PF 2022-17 FAL 2022-02 Department of Energy Interim Conflict of Interest Policy Requirements for Financial Assistance. The document provided a defination of Investigator.

As stated in the FOA, the requirement applies to the principal investigator and all senior/key personnel at the applicant and subrecipient.  The DOE cannot make a determination regarding these requriements absent a full application.

Place the statement "No lobying activities were performed to obtain this award." in box 10

CFDA numbers are no longer used and have been replaced with Assistance Listing Numbers.  For this FOA it is 81.086.  The LLL form has not "caught up" with this yet.

The reference to battery material processing facilities is not limited.

A Word version of the Environmental Information Volume has been uploaded to Exchange.

Programs issued under Assistance Listing 81.086 are excluded from coverage under E.O.12372.

See section IV.D.i of the FOA for full application content requirements.  See section IV.D.ii of the FOA for Technical Volume content requirements.  Please note that discussion of the total project funding is not precluded from discussion in the technical volume.

The answer provided to question 242 is correct.  While projects may include costs to validate, verify, or qualify  the first items produced, the costs to produce items for sale are not allowed.

Letters of Commitment should be addressed to the prime applicant, to whom the commitment is being made.  

According to Section IV. A. of the FOA, graphics and tables may be 10 point font. If it is not possible to use Calibri font in a graphic, use a similarly legible font that is at least 10 point font.

Refer to the respective AOI text and requirements  for Specific DOE technical targets.  See also IV.D.ii. for other items the Technical Volume must address.

The full application deadline for this FOA is listed on the front page.  The deadline is currently July 1, 2022.

See FOA section VIII.D regarding treatment of application information.

According to the instructions on the form, a basis of cost can include engineering estimates, prior construction, etc. for work completed by the Recipient.  For a vendor, a quote must be included where the cost is more than $250,000.

A Letter of Intent (LOI) and/or application may be submitted without having completed the full SAM registration process.  Please note that a UEI number IS required in order to submit an application. However, the form includes a N/A field to use if the UEI number is not available.

The Funding Opportunity Announcement is located here:  https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Default.aspx#FoaIdc53b6390-dfb8-480a-9265-3ffdec6c97b3

Please see section II. A. of the FOA for a discussion on BPs and go/no-gos.  1. & 2.) Each Budget Period will be for a duration of 12 months.  3.)  Go / No -Go's should be at the end of a budget period.

Please proceed with submitting the application per your company's original plan.  If selected for negotiation of an award, the DOE will address the ownership issues at that time.  

Each tab of the  budget justirfication workbook must be completed in accordance with IV.D.vii of the FOA.

As stated in Section VI.B.xi of the FOA, reporting requirements are subject to change. The model cooperative agreement and Federal Reporting Reporting Checking Checklist of BIL awards is not yet available for release.  Please note that a Reporting/Deliverables plan is not required in the list of application requirements.  The references to the Vehicle Technologies Program are in error and should be replaced by MESC.

See section IV.J.ii regarding pre-award costs.  The DOE will not make determinations regarding pre-award costs absent a full application.  Please note that the costs must be "necessary for efficient and timely performance of the scope of work".

DOE will not comment on the suffciency of a a particular document without reviewing the entire application.

Applicants that have projects in progress would include what was there before the project started and what is there now.

With regards to the budget justification document, 100% of the subrecipient costs must be reflected in the contractual tab.  The portion of that value that is to be provided by cost share must also be reflected in the cost share tab.  A separate subrecipient budget justification document must also be submitted for any subrecipient that meets the specified threshold (either $250,000 or 25% of total award costs).

The EIV may be broken into two parts and named similar to the Technical Volume. The EIV form has been coverted to WORD and is available.  Please follow the Application instructions when prepaing the EIV.

 Domestic entities must be incorporated (or otherwise formed) under the laws of a particular State or territory of the United States with majority (≥51%) domestic ownership or control and have a physical place of business in the United States.  If any of these criteria are not achieved, the entity is considered a foreign entity for the purposes of this FOA.  If the parent company is 100% foreign owned, the entity does not meet the 3 points to be considered domestic. The waiver must address all foreign ownership of the company (immediate and ultimate parents) and comply with the requirements set for in appendix C.

Yes.  However, if selected for negotiations leading to award, a completed SAM registration must be in place.  All Applicants must follow the registration requirements listed on page iii and section VI.B. of the FOA.

Please review Section VIII.D. regarding the treatment of application information.  This would include team members.  

If an applicant believes the "Buy American"does not apply to their project, there is no need to provide a waiver.

DOE cannot comment on what is within scope of an award without the seeing the full application.

See Section III.F of the FOA regarding limitations on the number of Full Applications submitted to the FOA.  Multiple applications for the same project/concept will not be accepted.  It would be expected that a "team" would submit one application with one of the "team" members functioning as the prime awardee.  See Section III.B.i regarding the responsibilities for cost sharing under financial assistance awards.

The Location Of Work template is available on Exchange under "Required Application Documents" with the other templates.

DOE will not disclose how many LOIs were submitted for this FOA.

DOE is unable to comment on SAM registrations.  Applicants should contact the System for Award Management (SAM) regarding SAM status messages.

See Section III.C.b of the FOA. Submission of a LOI is not a prerequisite for submission of a full application.

An applicant or subawardee does not have to submit an indirect rate (IDR) proposal if the de minimus rate of 10% is charged.  

This is not an error.  Line 32 is a subtotal that represents contractual cost share and Line 33 is Total Cost Share.

See Section I.C of the FOA regarding applications specifically not of interest. The purchase or donation of existing buildings are not an allowable project cost. The allowability of new facility construction, expansion of an existing facility, or simply retooling and retrofitting an existing facility is identified within each AOI.

The FOA does not preclude a building lease as an allowable project cost.  The DOE cannot make a determination regarding project costs absent review and consideration of a full application.

If an Applicant needs to withdraw their application, please submit formal notification to the FOA email box at DE-FOA-0002678@netl.doe.gov.  This notification should include a letter (pdf) prepared and signed by an authorized offiical.

The page size can remain at 8.5 x 11' and the reader can magnify the maps as needed for reading.

See Section III.C.b of the FOA. Submission of a LOI is not a prerequisite for submission of a full application. Full applications for FOA 2678 are due no later than 7/1/2022 5:00pm ET.

The Technical Volume must address Evaluation Criteria 1-4.

 At this point, Applicants do not have a "DOE Contact". Please fill out the indirect tab as best as possible.

See section IV.D of ther FOA regarding full application content requirements.  Specifically note Section IV.D.xviii regarding requirements for current and pending support submissions and required certifications.  Applicants must submit all required documents and certifications in accordance with these requirements.

See 2 CFR § 200.430 and 48 CFR § 31.205-6 regarding compensation for personal services for non-profits and for-profits respectively.

If the applicant has not performed any covered lobbying activities as described in the FOA, please just place a note stating that it is not applicable - applicant has not engaged in lobbying regarding this application.

Vendor Quotes may be embedded within the Excell File or provided with the letters of commitment.

See section IV.D of ther FOA regarding full application content requirements.   Applicants must submit all required documents and certifications in accordance with these requirements.

The Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing Grant Program is not specifically mentioned in EPAct 2005 Title XVII.  The cost sharing requirement for DE-FOA-0002678 is based on EPACT 2005 section 988 (42 USC 16352) (and the parallel DOE regulation at 2 CFR 910.130) which provides that in calculating the amount of a non-Federal cost-sharing, other appropriated Federal funds shall not be included.  

The file size limit is 20MB.

This issue has been corrected in system.