DE-FOA-0003517 Notice of Intent to Issue DE-FOA-0003518 and DE-FOA-0003520 | DE FOA 0003517

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003517

DE-FOA-0003517 is a Notice of Intent from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), issued through the Golden Field Office, signaling that DOE plans to release two upcoming Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO). In practical terms, this notice is an early heads-up for organizations that want to compete for future federal funding tied to bioenergy and renewable carbon innovation. The planned NOFOs are expected to align with BETO research and development priorities, particularly in the areas of Conversion (turning biomass or waste carbon into fuels, chemicals, and other products) and Renewable Carbon Resources (expanding and improving sustainable sources of renewable carbon for domestic use).

The first planned NOFO is DE-FOA-0003518, titled Sustainable Propane and Renewable Chemicals (SPARC). SPARC is expected to focus on advancing production pathways that use renewable feedstocks instead of fossil inputs, with the broader aim of strengthening domestic supply chains, supporting rural and agricultural economies, and improving the sustainability profile of the U.S. chemicals and fuels sectors. The notice anticipates two main topic areas. Topic Area 1, Bio-based Chemicals, is centered on producing chemicals from renewable feedstocks. While the market potential is large, the notice points out real-world barriers that often slow adoption, including complicated supply chains involving many stakeholders and the need for extensive product quality testing and validation when new processes and new sources of molecules enter the market. In other words, the program is likely looking for projects that do more than prove a reaction works in a lab; it is also concerned with how new bio-based chemical routes can be qualified, scaled, and integrated into existing industrial systems without failing performance, specification, or reliability requirements.

SPARC Topic Area 2, Bio-based Propane/LPG, is aimed at developing new ways to produce sustainable liquefied propane and/or other liquefied petroleum gases from a broad range of biomass and waste resources. The feedstocks called out include municipal waste, agricultural residues, forest resources, and fats, oils, and grease. The notice also emphasizes that multiple conversion routes may be supported, which suggests DOE is not limiting applicants to a single technology pathway. This topic area is essentially about expanding the set of viable, scalable methods for making drop-in gaseous fuels that can fit into existing storage, transport, and end-use infrastructure, while using waste and biomass inputs that can improve lifecycle sustainability and domestic resilience.

The second planned NOFO is DE-FOA-0003520, titled Maximizing Algal System Yield (MASY). MASY is described as targeting operational "pinch points" that currently limit the expansion of algae as a domestic bioenergy feedstock. The focus is on algal systems based on photosynthetic growth, and it explicitly includes microalgae, macroalgae, and cyanobacteria. The core idea is that algae can be an important renewable carbon resource in BETO's strategy, but real deployment is constrained by practical bottlenecks in cultivation and operations that limit yield, reliability, and scalability. While the notice does not list specific pinch points, the framing signals interest in solutions that improve overall system performance and productivity in ways that would make algae more viable as a consistent, large-scale feedstock for fuels and bioproducts.

From an administrative standpoint, DOE indicates the NOFOs are planned for release in or around January 2025 and will be posted through the EERE eXCHANGE platform (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/). Applicants are encouraged to register in EERE eXCHANGE to receive official updates, and once the NOFOs are issued, applications will only be accepted through that system. The notice lists eligibility as unrestricted, meaning it does not pre-limit applicant types in this announcement; however, final eligibility and teaming rules are typically defined in the NOFOs themselves. The notice also shows an original closing date of 2025-01-31 for this notice-of-intent entry, but the actual submission deadlines and award parameters will be set in the forthcoming SPARC and MASY NOFO documents. The listing is categorized under discretionary funding, with the activity category of Energy and CFDA number 81.087, which is commonly associated with DOE EERE financial assistance programs.

• The Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0003517 Notice of Intent to Issue DE-FOA-0003518 and DE-FOA-0003520" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-12-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-31. (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 $1.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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