Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Energy Resilience Construction Grant Program

Funding Overview

Amount

Maximum of $6,000,000 grant and minimum of $10,000 per applicant

Total Funding Available 

Up to $24,000,000 in combined state and federal funds

Cost Match

Connecticut is required to match 15 percent of the amount of each grant provided to it under BIL Section 40101(d). A subawardee receiving a subaward under this RFP is required to match 100 percent of the amount of the subaward funded from the BIL Section 40101(d) formula funding. If the subawardee is an eligible entity that sells not more than 4,000,000 megawatt hours of electricity per year (Small Utility), the required match is one-third of the amount of the subaward.

CT DEEP intends to issue the grants to pay for the subawardees cost match. 

Application

Proposals due December 1, 2026

View the List of awarded Energy Resilience Construction Grant Projects

Energy Resilience Construction Grants are available for entities to support local distributed energy generation and resilient infrastructure deployment at critical state facilities, prioritizing proposals from Vulnerable Communities. This funding comes from the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program, BIL (P.L. 117-169) Section 40101(d) and the energy construction component of the DCRF authorized pursuant to Section 16-243y of the Connecticut General Statutes.

Sign up for updates on the Energy Resilience Construction Grant Program

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for grant funding include: 

  • An electric grid operator 
  • An electricity storage operator 
  • An electricity generator 
  • A transmission owner or operator 
  • A distribution provider, like an electric distribution company or participating municipal electric utility 
  • A fuel supplier
  • Any local or regional governmental entity
  • Municipal corporation
  • Regional council of governments
  • Public authority, including but not limited to quasi-public agencies
  • State and federally recognized tribe 
  • Energy improvement district, and
  • Any nonprofit, academic and private entity

Eligible Projects

Eligible projects for grant funding include: 

  • Weatherization technologies and equipment
  • Fire-resistant technologies and fire prevention systems
  • Monitoring and control technologies
  • The undergrounding of electrical equipment
  • Utility pole management
  • The relocation of power lines or the reconductoring of power lines with low-sag, advanced conductors
  • Fuel-load management
  • The use or construction of distributed energy resources for enhancing system adaptive capacity during disruptive events, including microgrids and energy storage subcomponents
  • Adaptive protection technologies
  • Advanced modeling technologies
  • Hardening of power lines, facilities, substations, of other systems
  • The replacement of old overhead conductors and underground cables
  • Other, subject to approval by DOE

How It Works

The application period for the 2026 funding round opened August 26th, 2026 and will close on December 1st, 2026. Additional information about eligibility, award amounts, and more is available in the Request for Proposals (RFP) document linked below. 

View 2026 Request for Proposals (RFP) Document

CT DEEP will host informational webinars about energy resilience construction grant funding on September 3rd, 2026 and September 9th, 2026.

Register for the September 3, 2026, virtual RFP conference

Register for the September 9, 2026, virtual RFP conference

Previous Rounds

  • Since 2013, DEEP has awarded more than $22 million to 10 operational microgrids across the state through four funding rounds. These projects support critical facilities like police stations, fire stations, municipal buildings, and hospitals during power outages. This program was the first statewide microgrid grant program in the nation. 
  • On November 11th, 2025, DEEP released the Energy Resilience Construction RFP to build on the past successes of that grant program while broadening the scope of eligible projects to a wider range of energy resilience projects, including microgrids, to best meet community needs across state. 
  • The initial release of the Energy Resilience Construction RFP in 2025 did not receive bids so the RFP has now been re-released on August 26th, 2026.

 Additional Resources

Previous public engagement related to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - Section 40101(d) - Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid:

Updated August 28, 2026