FederalRolling / continuousDirect grant
Internal Revenue Service
Rolling — pre-file registration, then claim on annual return
Lets tax-exempt farms, co-ops, tribes, and municipalities receive the value of clean energy tax credits (solar, storage, EV charging, biogas) as a cash payment instead of a tax offset. Pairs well with REAP grants.
- Tax-exempt entity, tribal government, co-op, or public entity
- Owns a qualifying clean energy asset placed in service that tax year
30%+ of eligible project cost paid as cash refund
Climate & energyNon-profitTribal
FederalRolling / continuousLoan / credit
USDA Rural Development
Rolling — depends on your utility's participation
Zero-interest USDA loans to rural utilities and co-ops, which re-lend to farms and rural households for energy efficiency upgrades — repaid on the utility bill. Ask your electric co-op whether they run a RESP program.
- Customer of a participating rural utility or electric co-op
- Upgrade must reduce energy use (insulation, HVAC, coolers, lighting, irrigation motors)
Consumer loans up to $40,000 through participating utilities
Climate & energyIndividual producerNon-profitTribal
FederalRolling / continuousDirect grant
US Environmental Protection Agency (via regional grantmakers)
Regional rounds open periodically — check your EPA region's grantmaker
Regional pass-through grantmakers award small environmental justice subgrants — urban agriculture, soil remediation, food access, community resilience — with light applications designed for groups that have never had a federal grant.
- Community-based organization, tribe, or coalition
- Project benefits a disadvantaged or overburdened community
Subgrants commonly $75,000–$350,000
Climate & energyNon-profitTribalOther