The NETL-supported Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization (Energy Communities IWG) is providing centralized, easy-to-navigate tools and resources that help communities discover and access a range of federal funding that helps ensure that no communities are left behind during the nation’s transition to a clean energy economy.

The Energy Communities IWG is pursuing a whole-of-government approach to create good-paying union jobs, spur economic revitalization, remediate environmental degradation and support workers in America's energy communities.

Because IWG was directed by the president to break down the barriers energy communities often face when accessing federal assistance, IWG created a website that serves as a one-stop-shop for energy communities to find and access federal funding, resources and assistance.

The main feature of IWG website is a funding clearinghouse that offers a centralized, easy-to-navigate database where visitors can find funding from across the federal government in one place.

The clearinghouse includes information about more than $600 billion in federal funding opportunities and tax credits that are relevant to energy communities. These opportunities are funded through annual appropriations, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act, which directs historic amounts of investment to energy communities for revitalization, workforce development, and environmental and infrastructure improvement projects.

Since the launch of the website and clearinghouse in 2021, the Energy Communities IWG has added a variety of resources to help energy communities address their revitalization challenges, including:

• Technical assistance — The website houses a database of federal technical assistance programs that help communities that do not have the capacity to plan, apply for, manage and implement grants. Technical assistance consists of funding, hands-one help from real people, and educational resources. Like the clearinghouse, this feature allows energy communities to browse opportunities in one location, as opposed to visiting multiple federal agency websites.
• Eligibility maps — The Inflation Reduction Act includes several tax credits for which organizations in eligible energy communities can apply. The eligibility maps are available to view on the Energy Communities IWG website.
• Webinar recordings — The Energy Communities IWG hosts several webinars each year to share information about funding, resources and assistance and provide energy communities an opportunity to hear directly from federal officials. The webinar recordings are all shared on the Past Events page.
• Additional resources — Guidebooks, FAQs, toolkits, case studies, maps, videos, factsheets and more are available on the Resources page. These resources are compiled from various federal agencies to help both new and experienced funding applicants seeking support in the application process.

Learn more about the Energy Communities IWG funding clearinghouse in this demonstrational video.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers technological solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.