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PCR Consulting  Management Consultants

Grant Applications

50+ energy-related grant applications completed
in value >$500M to aid in the Energy Transition.

Partnering with Federal Agencies in the Energy Transition

We have collaborated on developing energy-focused applications in partnership with the following sponsoring agencies:

  • Energy, Utilities, & Energy Transition 

    • U.S. Department of Energy

    • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

    • U.S. Department of Transportation

    • Economic Development Administration

    • Inflation Recovery Acts (IRA) Grants

    • Bipartisan Infrastructure Acts (BIA) Grants

  • Other Agencies

    • CHIPS Act Grants

    • SBIR/STTR Grants

    • Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD Grants)

    • State, Local, Corporate and Foundation Grants

Grant Application Services

Grant Research and Prospecting

  • Using optimized search engines, we research and find federal, state and local funding opportunities by

    • Donor Agency

    • Topic, technology, process or methodology

    • Eligibility, funding available, and matching fund requirements

Solution Direct Concept Papers and Grant Strategy

  • Many donors require the submission of a concept paper to concisely summarize a project’s feasibility and value before being invited to apply for a grant formally

  • The purpose of the concept paper is to persuade the donor to invite you to apply formally

  • To that end, the paper must be concise, compelling, and convincing, telling the project's story, including:

    • A description of the problem your project focuses on placed in the context of the agency's policy goals and objectives

    • A technical explanation of your solution (technology, methodology, process, product), why it will work, and how it will make an impactful difference

    • Project budget, decision points, milestones, and benchmarking

    • Roles & responsibilities of project sponsors and contractors

    • Compliance with federal domestic content, workforce and apprenticeship, and environment and economic justice goals

    • Grant strategy involves developing a storyline that articulates key synergies between a problem targeted by a donor agency and your solution within agency goals, rules, and the greater subject area ecosystem (SAE)

Project Description or Technical Volume

  • Titled differently by agencies, this is the lynchpin of the formal application

  • The Project Description expands the concept to up to 25 or more pages written in detailed, technical, or scientific "jargon" familiar to the donor agency and industry

  • It details a project's goals, history, merits, justification, targeted technology, service, product, detailed budget, and how it will solve problems, citing supportive research and experience

Community Benefits and Support, Workforce, and Environmental Justice  

  • Winning federal grants now requires applicants to demonstrate how their projects will provide societal benefits, particularly for communities impacted by energy infrastructure development

  • Using the proprietary Eco-Scan tool and a wealth of experience, we narrate and visually present data to address these grant volumes, which have become as important as the technical volume in determining who wins federal grants

Budget, Schedule, and Reporting

  • Our team knows the rules and requirements governing grantmaking and completes the necessary documentation points, including budgets, the work program, schedule and major milestones, decision points, reporting and compliance, and other required elements.

Case Study:  Electric Utility Infrastructure Upgrade
Agency:  U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Grant:  GRIP  

Overview:  $180 million U.S. DOE grant to rebuild storm-damaged electric utility infrastructure for a public utility

  • Hurricanes and inadequate investment devastated the transmission grid of this electric utility serving 3.2 million customers.

  • We led a team of utility engineers and planners in drafting a highly technical 55-page application for a U.S. DOE GRIP grant.

  • The application requested funds to rebuild almost the entirety of a 110 mile underground critical transmission grid infrastructure.

  • Award decisions are expected in September 2023.

Case Study:  Electric truck manufacturing startup
Agency:  Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Grant:  TBD  

Overview:  $3 million to install advanced technology manufacturing for an electric truck startup

  • Rich with expertise, the Michigan start-up needed capital to buy equipment to tackle its first big order.

  • We wrote the state economic development corporation grant application.

  • We helped our client navigate the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s economic development finance program and successfully position itself for a win.

Case Study:  Electrification of Low-Income Housing
Agency:  U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Grant:  TBD  

Overview:  $1.5 million to install community solar and heat pumps to decarbonize and electrify affordable housing

  • We wrote this federal grant application to electrify an 80-unit low-income housing complex.

  • This was a pilot program. As part of the work, we demonstrated expected cost savings and reduced emissions from the electrification for the low-income multifamily housing property.

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