Startup USA Guide
Part B · Startup-relevant scheme

DOE Loan Programs Office — Title 17 Clean Energy Financing (DOE LPO)

Department of Energy

Loan / Credit Growth / Scaling Energy & Clean Tech

LPO's Title 17 program finances later-stage clean-energy, supply-chain, and energy-infrastructure-reinvestment projects that are ready for commercial deployment but still face a financing gap, through loan guarantees rather than grants.

Type of support
Loan / Credit
Best suited for
Growth (late-stage/project finance)
Headline amount
Varies by project (no fixed cap)
How much
Varies by project

Objectives

Deploy clean energy and reduce emissions by guaranteeing debt for capital-intensive projects private lenders won't fully finance alone — a deployment tool, not an early-stage R&D program.

Who can apply?

  • Project-based, not company-based — must fall into the Innovative Energy, Innovative Supply Chain, State Energy Financing Institution-Supported, or Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment categories.
  • Non-competitive but rigorous, ongoing application process (not a single annual deadline).

What do you get?

  • Guarantees up to 100% of Federal Financing Bank loans.
  • Partial guarantees up to 90% of commercial lender loans.
  • No cap comparable to a typical grant program — sized to the project.

How to apply

Submit a Part I application directly to LPO through its ongoing, non-competitive intake process at energy.gov/lpo.

Go to official portal