Rural Energy for America (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program | RD BCP 23 TAG REAP

Opportunity Information: Apply for RD BCP 23 TAG REAP

The Rural Energy for America (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program is a USDA Rural Development funding opportunity run through the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS). For fiscal year 2023, the agency opened this program to fund organizations that can help agricultural producers and rural small businesses successfully apply for REAP support. In practical terms, these grants are not meant to pay for renewable energy systems or energy efficiency upgrades directly; they are meant to pay for the hands-on guidance that applicants often need to prepare strong REAP applications, assemble required documentation, and move projects from an idea to a fundable submission.

This opportunity is listed as a mandatory grant (Funding Opportunity Number RD BCP 23 TAG REAP) and falls under the Agriculture, Business and Commerce, and Energy activity areas (CFDA 10.868). The application window for this FY 2023 announcement opened July 18, 2023, and originally closed August 15, 2023. The program set an award ceiling of up to $500,000 per award and anticipated making roughly 200 awards, signaling an intent to fund a substantial number of technical assistance providers across different regions and applicant types.

The core purpose of the TAG funding is to expand and strengthen technical assistance capacity for REAP applicants. That can include helping clients understand REAP eligibility and requirements, identify viable renewable energy or energy efficiency opportunities, gather supporting information, and prepare the application package. The target beneficiaries of the assistance are agricultural producers and rural small businesses, which are the groups that typically seek REAP support for projects like energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy installations in rural areas.

USDA also identifies clear policy priorities for how these technical assistance dollars should be aimed. Preference is given to applicants that will serve distressed or disadvantaged communities, which generally reflects an emphasis on ensuring rural communities with fewer resources are not left behind in accessing federal clean energy and efficiency programs. Additional priority is given to applicants supporting projects that rely on underutilized technologies, encouraging innovation or wider adoption of solutions that have not yet reached broad market penetration in rural settings. The notice also highlights smaller projects, stating priority for applicants pursuing projects under 20,000 (as stated in the source description), which suggests the program is particularly interested in helping smaller, potentially harder-to-serve projects that may not have the internal capacity or funding to hire consultants.

Eligibility is broad and designed to attract a wide range of technical assistance providers. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled colleges and universities; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. The listing also includes an "Others" category, with a note to consult the opportunity text for additional eligibility details or clarifications, implying there may be specific conditions or examples in the full announcement.

Overall, this REAP TAG opportunity is best understood as a capacity-building grant: USDA funds intermediaries (governments, nonprofits, schools, tribes, and certain for-profits) so they can provide structured, practical support to rural energy applicants. By prioritizing disadvantaged areas, underused technologies, and smaller-dollar projects, the program aims to broaden access to REAP and help more rural producers and businesses navigate the application process and compete successfully for energy-related funding.

• The Department of Agriculture, Rural Business-Cooperative Service in the agriculture, business and commerce, energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Energy for America (REAP) Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.868.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 18, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for RD BCP 23 TAG REAP

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: