Closes in 1 dayALN 81.121
- Award range
- Up to $2M
- Closes
- Oct 9, 2026
- Who can apply
- State governments, Public colleges & universities, Federally recognized tribal governments and 6 more
Assistance Listing 81.121
Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration
Assistance Listing 81.121, “Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration,” is a federal program administered by Department of Energy. It provides project grants and project grants (cooperative agreements) assistance. GrantsJunction currently tracks 6 open, 0 forecasted and 3 closed opportunities under this listing. The agency reported $973M in obligations for fiscal year 2023.
Program objective
The Department of Energy (DOE) promotes nuclear energy as a resource capable of meeting the nation's energy, environmental, and national security needs by resolving technical, cost, safety, security, and proliferation resistance through research, development and demonstration at our national laboratories, universities and colleges, and U.S. industry. Our financial assistance programs play a key role in helping the DOE accomplish its mission of leading the nation's investment in the development and exploration of advanced nuclear technology and its underlying sciences. With this financial assistance, DOE strives to stimulate nuclear science and engineering education through support of advanced research and by training the next generation nuclear energy workforce, while seeking to align the nuclear energy research being conducted at U.S. colleges and universities with DOE’s mission and goals.
As published in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing.
Current opportunities under 81.121
OpenALN 81.121
Advanced Nuclear Energy Licensing Cost-Share Grant Program
Idaho Field Office- Award range
- $5K – $8M
- Closes
- Nov 30, 2026
- Who can apply
- County governments, City or township governments, Public colleges & universities and 5 more
OpenALN 81.121
Silicon Carbide Cladding Lead Test Rod Development-Phase 1
Idaho Field Office- Award range
- Up to $62.5M
- Closes
- Dec 7, 2026
- Who can apply
- State governments, County governments, City or township governments and 9 more
OpenALN 81.121
- Award range
- Up to $3M
- Closes
- Oct 14, 2030
- Who can apply
- Public colleges & universities and Private colleges & universities
OpenALN 81.121
RFI - DOE Infrastructure Work Scope Development
Idaho Field Office- Award range
- Amount not specified
- Closes
- See notice
- Who can apply
- State governments, Public colleges & universities, 501(c)(3) nonprofits and 3 more
OpenALN 81.121
RFI - DOE R
Idaho Field Office- Award range
- Amount not specified
- Closes
- See notice
- Who can apply
- Public colleges & universities, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status and 3 more
Eligible applicants (program level)
- Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals)
- Local (includes State-designated lndian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals
- Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals)
- Other public institution/organization
- Federally Recognized lndian Tribal Governments
- State
- Native American Organizations (includes lndian groups, cooperatives, corporations, partnerships, associations)
- Profit organization
- State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals)
- Federal
- Minority group
- Other private institutions/organizations
- Individual/Family
- Small business (less than 500 employees)
- Specialized group (e.g. health professionals, students, veterans)
- Anyone/general public
Federal, State, local governments, universities, consortia, nonprofit institutions, commercial corporations, and individuals may apply.
Intended beneficiaries: State, Local, Private nonprofit institution/organization and Public nonprofit institution/organization.
Program-level eligibility from SAM.gov. Each funding notice sets its own requirements.
Reported obligations by fiscal year
Historical data · not a predictionRange and average of financial assistance (from the listing): The range of awards vary per funding opportunity and depends on available program funding. Information on awards is published in the Funding Opportunity Announcements and can be found on the NEUP.gov or Grants.gov website. For example, Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) awards typically range from $400,000 to $1,000,000; however, they can be more or less, as described in the FOA. NEUP R&D awards are capped at $1,000,000, whereas IRP awards can exceed $1,000,000, based upon the program's R&D focus and available funds. NEUP R&D awards with Nuclear Science User Facility (NSUF) access vary in that they can be funded both by DOE award and with NSUF resources and funding. Infrastructure awards greater than $250,000 require the university to share costs, calculated as a percentage of the amount over the $250,000 threshold. For IUP, Fellowship awards are typically $175,000 and Scholarship awards are $10,000 per student attending four-year colleges/universities and $5,000 per student attending trade schools and community colleges.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 81.121. Hatched bars are agency estimates. These totals do not indicate approval rates.Recently closed under 81.121
| Opportunity | Status | Award range | Closes | ALN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Closed | Up to $1.7M | Sep 30, 2026 | 81.121 | |
| Closed | Up to $1.6M | Jul 18, 2022 | 81.121 | |
| Closed | $250K – $3M | Aug 8, 2010 | 81.087, 81.089, 81.121, 81.122 |
Frequently asked questions
What is ALN 81.121?
81.121 is the Assistance Listing Number for “Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration.” Assistance Listing Numbers (formerly CFDA numbers) identify federal assistance programs; individual grant opportunities reference the listing they are funded under.
Who can apply under ALN 81.121?
The SAM.gov listing names these applicant types: Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals), Local (includes State-designated lndian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals, Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals), Other public institution/organization, Federally Recognized lndian Tribal Governments, State, Native American Organizations (includes lndian groups, cooperatives, corporations, partnerships, associations), Profit organization, State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals), Federal, Minority group, Other private institutions/organizations and 4 more. Each funding notice under the program sets its own eligibility, so check the specific opportunity.
How much funding does 81.121 provide?
The agency reported $973,321,767 in obligations for FY2023 in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing. These are program-wide totals reported by the agency, not a prediction of future awards.