U.S. Advanced Nuclear Energy Licensing Cost-Share Grant Program | DE FOA 0003339

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003339

The U.S. Advanced Nuclear Energy Licensing Cost-Share Grant Program (Funding Opportunity Number DE FOA 0003339) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity aimed at helping advanced nuclear reactor developers and related facility developers move through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing and review process. In practical terms, the program is designed to reduce the financial burden associated with NRC fees by offering cost-shared grant funding that covers a portion of those costs. The overall focus is on regulatory review activities that can help applicants clarify requirements, reduce uncertainty, and make steady progress toward NRC approvals needed to build, certify, or operate advanced nuclear technologies and supporting facilities.

The core purpose of the program is to provide direct assistance for work performed with the NRC during both pre-application engagement and formal application reviews. Eligible work can include efforts that support NRC interactions and submissions meant to increase regulatory certainty, such as preparing and having the NRC review topical reports or white papers, along with other licensing-related activities tied to certification and licensing approvals. The emphasis on topical reports and white papers signals support for early technical alignment and issue resolution, which can be critical for novel reactor designs that may not fit neatly into older regulatory assumptions. By helping pay for NRC review fees, the program essentially encourages developers to engage earlier, more often, and more thoroughly with the regulator, which can de-risk later stages of licensing.

The opportunity is administered by the Department of Energy, Idaho Field Office, and falls under the Energy funding activity category (CFDA 81.121). Awards are issued as grants, and the maximum (ceiling) amount per award is listed as $8,000,000. While the notice indicates expected awards, the specific number is not provided in the source data. The application deadline is April 8, 2025, and the opportunity was created on January 8, 2025, giving prospective applicants a defined window to prepare submissions.

A wide range of applicant types are eligible, reflecting the reality that advanced nuclear projects often involve partnerships across industry, universities, non-profits, and public entities. Eligible applicants include small businesses and other for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), nonprofits (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) organizations), public and private institutions of higher education, city or township governments, state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, and other Native American tribal organizations. This broad eligibility opens the door not only to reactor designers and developers, but also to organizations supporting enabling infrastructure, research, and licensing strategy work, as long as the proposed activities align with NRC fee-based pre-application or application review efforts.

Overall, this program is best understood as a targeted cost-share mechanism to accelerate and strengthen advanced nuclear licensing pathways in the United States. Instead of funding hardware construction or basic R&D directly, it focuses on one of the most expensive and schedule-sensitive parts of nuclear deployment: the regulatory review process. By offsetting NRC fee costs for well-defined licensing support activities, the program aims to help projects reach key regulatory milestones faster and with fewer financing obstacles, ultimately supporting broader commercialization and deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.

• The Idaho Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Advanced Nuclear Energy Licensing Cost-Share Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.121.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-08. (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 $8,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Small businesses.

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