Energy Department Issues Funding Opportunity to Strengthen American Critical Minerals and Materials Supply Chain

Funding opportunity will make up to $69 million available through the Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Program Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation April 7, 2026 Estimated Read Time 3 min Note: The letters of intent deadline for this opportunity has been updated since the original publication of this announcement. Please refer to the latest information below for current deadlines. **WASHINGTON—**The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) and Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) today announced a funding opportunity of up to $69 million for technologies or processes that advance the domestic production and refining of critical materials. Projects selected through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) will address the greatest technical obstacles to a stronger critical materials supply chain. “This funding will help establish a more secure and affordable supply of the critical minerals and materials that are foundational to American energy dominance, national security, and industrial competitiveness,” said Assistant Secretary of Energy (EERE) Audrey Robertson. DOE is seeking projects that bridge the gap between bench-scale innovations and commercially viable technologies. Selected project teams will form industry-led partnerships and conduct research and development with support from the U.S. national laboratories. The NOFO, which is part of DOE’s Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Program and jointly funded by CMEI’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and HGEO's Office of Geothermal, has three primary topic areas:

1. Production and material efficiency for critical materials including rare earth elements
2. Processes to refine and alloy gallium, gallium nitride, germanium, and silicon carbide
3. Cost-competitive direct lithium extraction, separation, and processing CMEI will host an informational webinar on April 16, 2026, to discuss the NOFO and application requirements. Letters of intent are due on April 24, 2026, by 5 p.m. ET. Deadlines for full applications will be staggered based on topic area, starting in May 2026. For more details on sub-topics and deadlines, visit the NOFO landing page. The Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator is one of several programs developed through DOE’s Critical Materials Collaborative. This NOFO is part of $1 billion in critical materials funding announced by DOE in August 2025, and follows the Manufacturing Deployment Office’s announcement of up to $500 million for the development of demonstration and commercial facilities to increase the domestic supply of critical minerals and materials for advanced batteries.