Equitable Access to Community-based Solar | DE FOA 0002527

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002527

The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Golden Field Office, announced a funding opportunity titled "Equitable Access to Community-based Solar" under Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0002527. The opportunity sits at the intersection of community development and energy, as reflected by its funding activity category, and it is associated with CFDA number 81.117. In practical terms, the focus implied by the title is on expanding fair and inclusive access to community-based solar models, which generally refer to solar projects that allow multiple participants to benefit from a shared solar installation rather than requiring rooftop panels on each individual home or building. Community-based (often called community solar) approaches are commonly used to reach renters, households with unsuitable roofs, people who cannot afford upfront installation costs, and organizations that may not have the capital or site conditions for on-site solar.

This opportunity was categorized under "Other" for both the opportunity category and the funding instrument type, which suggests it may not fit neatly into standard grant or cooperative agreement labels in the summary record alone, or that the listing is a placeholder pending more detailed solicitation language. Eligibility is listed as "Unrestricted," meaning the opportunity was broadly open to many kinds of applicants, provided they met any additional eligibility requirements described in the full announcement text (not included in the summary you provided). In DOE community energy programs, that broad eligibility can often encompass local governments, tribal entities, nonprofits, educational institutions, utilities, community-based organizations, and private-sector partners, sometimes as single applicants and sometimes as multi-organization teams.

Key timeline details are that the DOE created the listing on May 5, 2021, and the original closing date was June 1, 2021, indicating a relatively short application window of under a month from posting to deadline. The summary fields for award ceiling and expected number of awards are both shown as zero, which typically signals that those values were not populated in this high-level record rather than definitively indicating no funding. In many federal postings, those fields can be left blank, unknown at the time of posting, or managed in the full FOA documentation instead of the synopsis. The description provided in the source is brief and repeats the title, so the synopsis does not specify the total funding amount, the anticipated project scope, or the selection criteria.

Based on the title and the DOE program context, the underlying intent of the opportunity can reasonably be understood as supporting efforts that reduce barriers to participation in community solar, especially for underserved or historically marginalized communities. Common barriers that such programs aim to address include lack of access to credit, complicated subscription terms, limited consumer protections, insufficient outreach, and structural issues like interconnection constraints or program rules that disadvantage low- and moderate-income subscribers. A funding opportunity framed around equitable access often supports work such as community-driven project design, subscriber acquisition strategies that prioritize affordability and transparency, partnerships with trusted local organizations, workforce and contractor development tied to local hiring, and approaches that ensure tangible bill savings for participants. However, the specific allowable activities, required cost share (if any), reporting obligations, and evaluation metrics would be defined in the full FOA package rather than in the short synopsis.

In summary, DE FOA 0002527 is a DOE Golden Field Office opportunity focused on advancing equitable participation in community-based solar, broadly open to a wide range of applicants subject to the detailed eligibility language in the full announcement. It was posted in early May 2021 with an early June 2021 deadline, and the abbreviated listing does not provide award size or count details, implying that anyone assessing fit or next steps would need to consult the full FOA text for program goals, application requirements, and funding specifics.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the community development, energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Equitable Access to Community-based Solar" 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 May 05, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• 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.

Apply for DE FOA 0002527

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