Tribal Electrification Program

Federal Agency

Sub-Department

Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs

Purpose

To provide financial and technical assistance to Tribes to increase the number of Tribal homes with zero-emissions electricity.

Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements

Eligible applicants are Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations, as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304(e), including Tribal Consortia and Alaska Native Corporations.

Decarbonization Considerations

When designing a project, select the best source of clean energy that tailors to each Tribal community, including new electrification technologies and energy efficient systems.

Equity Considerations

Preference will go to Tribes with higher poverty, and/or Tribes with fewer resources and less expertise to develop electrification projects at community or individual home levels. Higher levels of poverty is defined as having an average combined household income that does not exceed 150% of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Poverty Income Guidelines (published annually in January) (25 CFR 256.9-.11).

Helpful Tips

This funding can be used as a match. If planning for an integrated project involving other elements such as battery storage, consider braiding this funding with other programs to achieve a bigger impact.

Other Notes

The program requires that electricity is to be provided “to unelectrified Tribal homes through zero-emissions energy systems” and for “transitioning electrified Tribal homes to zero-emissions". The grant process aims to balance this zero-emissions requirement with the need to connect unelectrified homes to existing power grids. The BIA is working to establish funding criteria to balance these two considerations – options may be to define zero-emissions to include a netting option where energy efficient measures resulting in.