Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants

Eligible recipients include entities that were not eligible for direct federal formula funds, including the following:

• City governments
• County governments
• Municipal governments
• Township or village governments
• Groups of eligible entities

NOTE: Entities that are eligible for direct formula EECBG allocations from USDOE are not eligible. For a list of entities eligible for EECBG formula allocations directly from USDOE, please review USDOE's Final Allocation of Funds document.

EECBG funding may be used for projects that fall within the following eligible project categories:

• Strategy development and implementation
• Retaining technical consulting services
• Residential and commercial building audits
• Financial incentives for energy efficiency
• Energy efficiency retrofit grants for government agencies and nonprofit organizations
• Energy efficiency and conservation programs for buildings and facilities
• Conservation of transportation energy
• Building codes and inspection services
• Energy distribution technologies
• Material conservation programs
• Reduction, capture, and use of landfill gases
• Replacement of traffic signals and street lighting
• On-site renewable energy on or in a government building
• Programs for financing, purchasing, and installing energy efficiency, renewable energy, and zero-emission transportation (and associated infrastructure) measures and capital investments, projects, and programs for leveraging public and private sector funds

NOTE: Depending on the nature of the individual project, additional reporting requirements regarding the National Environmental Policy Act; Davis-Bacon Act; and Build America, Buy America Act may apply. EECBG funding may not be used to finance new construction projects; funds may only support retrofits and efficiency improvements to existing structures and buildings. The proposed project must be located within the borders of Missouri and be in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal environmental laws and permits. A grant award does not necessarily imply that the specific project has been reviewed for compliance with environmental or other regulations. Subgrantees are responsible for securing all required permits for implementing their projects.

Funding is limited and will be awarded through a competitive grant application process. Recipients will be eligible for a grant no smaller than $100,000 and no larger than $500,000. No cost-share is required. As part of the process, each applicant will submit budget information identifying their requested subaward amount and what, if any, non-EECBG funding would be used as part of their project. 

Once a project is complete, the subgrantee will send a Missouri Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Request for Reimbursement MO 780-3051 — including any required additional information related to the project (e.g., payrolls and invoices) — to the department’s designated project lead.

The department opened a second application period for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. (The first application period was open from June 5 to Aug. 5, 2024.) Applications for this application period will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. central time on Dec. 12, 2024. Applicants must submit their application through the department's Funding Opportunities Portal (preferred) or by email to energy@dnr.mo.gov. 

New funding portal users must submit a Funding Opportunities Portal Access Request to establish access and use the portal. Please allow up to 48 hours for your account to be created. Upon verifying that the new account works, applicants can click on the review record link to the left of the EECBG funding opportunity, followed by the Begin Application button. If you are an eligible entity and do not see it as an available option, contact MoDNR at DNR.FundingOpportunityRequest@dnr.mo.gov with the entity and contact name. 

Forms

The application form and related materials are accessible through the funding portal and the links provided below. The applicant will fill out all form information, followed by a careful review of all listed attachments required for this funding opportunity to ensure they have been read and correctly filled out before attaching them to the application when prompted. There may be some overlap between information provided in attached forms and the information directly filled out in the portal. In this instance, the applicant is asked to just repeat the information for the sake of consistency.

Each applicant must read, fill out and sign the following provided documents. If applicants require additional space, they may attach additional pages:

• Missouri Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Funding Application MO 780-3049
• Missouri Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Funding Project Description MO 780-3052
• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Subapplication Budget

   - Instructions for filling out the budget documents are provided within the budget.

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Subapplication Budget (non-EECBG Funding)

   - Only applicable if the applicant will be using non-EECBG funding in addition to the applied-for funds.

• U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) - Environmental Questionnaire if applicable. The department will work with selected applicants to draft a Statement of Work/ Statement of Project Objectives. 
• As a condition for the award of any grant by MoDNR to any business entity, project sponsors meeting the definition of a business entity must, by sworn affidavit and provision of documentation, affirm its enrollment and participation in a federal work authorization program with respect to employees working in connection with the project. Every such business entity shall also sign an affidavit affirming that it does not knowingly employ any person who is an unauthorized alien in connection with the project. Documentation shall include the following:
  • The E-Verify Employment Eligibility Verification page listing the company name and company ID OR a page from the E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) listing the company name and the MOU signature page completed and signed, at minimum, by the company and the Department of Homeland Security, Verification Division. If the signature page of the MOU lists the company’s name and company ID, then no additional pages of the MOU must be submitted.
  • A completed, notarized Affidavit of Work Authorization. 

Applicants who do not meet the definition of a business entity will still need to fill out the documentation to verify their status as a non-business entity. Should you need assistance in obtaining documentation, visit e-verify.gov or contact the E-Verify federal work authorization program at 888-464-4218 or e-verify@dhs.gov.

• A copy of a resolution or similar document from the applicant's governing board or body, certifying the application.

According to Code of Federal Regulations, 2 C.F.R. § 200.331, MoDNR’s Federal Financial Assistance Agreements General Terms and Conditions, as applicable, apply to all subgrantees and subcontractors, as appropriate. According to Term 2 of the Special Terms and Conditions of the EECBG award provided by U.S. DOE, the Special Terms and Conditions of that award, as applicable, (including Intellectual Property Provisions) apply to subgrantees and subcontractors, as appropriate, as required by 2 C.F.R. § 200.101.The U.S. DOE award terms as required by 2 C.F.R. § 200.337 apply to all subgrantees and subcontractors, as appropriate. Subgrantees must maintain compliance with both the applicable USDOE Terms and Conditions and any other terms and conditions set forth in a Subgrant Agreement. Each subgrantee must comply with additional requirements as they may be amended from time to time by the department or the federal government. 

Awards

Awards will be made within eight weeks of the application period closing date. Applications will be evaluated following the end of the application period based on factors including ease of implementation, projected benefits to small-to-medium-sized communities and disadvantaged communities, projected cost-benefit ratio, projected energy savings, projected emissions reductions and the suitability and measurability of proposed performance metrics. Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) are defined consistent with U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) guidance and those areas designated by USDOE’s Energy Justice Mapping Tool, or those areas identified by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Small-sized communities are defined as rural areas or non-urban areas with a population of less than 2,500 people, whereas medium-sized communities are defined as urban areas with a population of 2,500 to 50,000 people. Small-to-Medium-Sized Communities (SMSCs) is a collective term for both of these communities. For more details on scoring, please refer to the EECBG Scoring Criteria.

Additional Forms

Following award, awardees will be required to fill out a Sub-Recipient Informational Form. This form is required in response to the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006. The FFATA legislation requires information on federal awards (federal financial assistance and expenditures) to be made available to the public on the USASpending.gov searchable website.

Reporting Requirements

Within seven business days after the close of each quarter (March 31, June 30, Sept. 30, and Dec. 31), the subgrantee must provide to the department, progress reports and reports on selected financial information and other information necessary for the department to submit required reports to the federal government. Each quarterly progress report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Total amount spent on the project(s) with details for each budget category, as applicable:
  • Personnel, including time sheets
  • Fringe
  • Contracts, including copies of contracts
  • Travel, including receipts
  • Equipment, including receipts
  • Supplies, including receipts
  • Other, including receipts
  • Indirect, including a cost rate agreement
• Status description of each project funded
• Emissions reduced, as applicable. (e.g., amount of Greenhouse Gas Emissions reduced)
• Summary of necessary information for NEPA log submittals, as applicable.
• Energy savings, as applicable. (e.g., Projected energy cost savings)
• Jobs created/retained, as applicable. (e.g., number of sustainability officers or energy managers hired)
• Funds leveraged
• Any other information required by subgrantee’s selected process metrics and milestones, as applicable (Example Program Process Metrics)
• Summary of recommended or anticipated next steps
• Summary of items that require guidance or decisions from the department

Additional reporting requirements related to the Davis-Bacon Act (DBA), Build American Buy American (BABA) and other requirements may be necessary depending on the scope and nature of the subgrantee’s project. It also may require more frequent additional reporting than the baseline quarterly reports. These additional potential requirements are covered in the Reporting Requirements Summary. Failure to provide adequate reporting information in a timely manner may be considered cause for reducing or terminating the subaward.