Department of Energy Foundation Issues Request for Feedback

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently published a request for information (RFI) seeking feedback on the creation of the first ever agency-related philanthropic foundation, the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI). FESI was directed to be established under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, and will work to support DOE in fulfilling its overall mission as well as to accelerate the commercialization of new and existing energy technologies by raising and investing funds through engagements with the private sector and philanthropic communities.

The purpose of DOE’s RFI is to seek input on how DOE stakeholders may engage with the FESI directly and how DOE may engage with the FESI and the communities it will serve. According to the DOE notice, “Since 1959, twelve agency-related independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations have been created, which have averaged a return of $67 for every dollar in federal contributions. Once established, FESI will bring the potential for greater flexibility and efficiency to how the Department supports a broad portfolio of energy research, commercialization, coordination, and support to a variety of stakeholder groups. FESI will help foster public private partnerships, invest in companies commercializing critical energy technologies, support underrepresented groups and regions responding to DOE funding opportunities, and tackle a wide variety of systemic and distributed federal, state, and local deployment challenges.”
 
Instructions for responding to the Request for Information can be found here. Responses are due no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on March 27, 2023.