Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum: Grantee Spotlight (Q3 2026)

The Giving Green Fund is awarding an unrestricted grant to the Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum (EIAF) for its work on financing and innovation. EIAF is a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. It focuses on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) lending and commercialization programs.

EIAF’s work falls within our philanthropic strategy of unleashing clean energy in the U.S. and, more specifically, our sub-strategy of supporting the innovation and deployment of clean firm power. Please see Giving Green’s strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: October 2026

What Is the Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum?

EIAF, launched in 2026, is a nonprofit working to improve U.S. federal government funding for commercializing clean energy technologies. Federal lending is one of the few tools large and risk-averse enough to close the current financing gap for developing new clean technologies. According to EIAF, DOE has hundreds of billions of dollars in lending authority that could play a much larger role in financing innovative, first-of-a-kind energy projects. DOE’s programs are currently complex to navigate and solely built around megaprojects rather than first-of-a-kind plants that newer technologies need.

To support federal financing reform, EIAF conducts research and policy analysis, convenings, policymaker education, and coalition building, alongside an affiliated 501(c)(4), EIA Action. It works across the political spectrum, framing federal lending around energy security, reliability, affordability, and technology leadership. What sets EIAF apart from many other nonprofits is that it is composed of former DOE staff who previously ran the lending programs it now covers. We think its staff’s direct experience means it has credibility with officials and congressional staff that others do not have.

What Are We Funding, and How Could It Help Address Climate Change?

In our strategy report on unleashing clean energy in the U.S., we identified opening new sources of financing and supporting research, development, and demonstration as promising sub-strategies for supporting clean firm power innovation and deployment. Our unrestricted grant supports these sub-strategies across four areas:

• Working with the companies, utilities, and investors that have applied for DOE financing to identify barriers and develop policy solutions
• Convening developers, investors, utilities, and policymakers to build support for federal programs that help new technologies reach the market
• Producing plain-language briefings for Members of Congress, congressional staff, and Administration officials on how DOE lending draws in private investment
• Building bipartisan support for federal lending to clean firm power projects

Innovative clean technologies will only reduce emissions once they are commercialized and built at scale. Reaching that point depends on whether innovation and financing tools are accessible. If DOE’s lending programs are easier to use and remain steady across administrations, more clean technologies will likely be commercialized and built. DOE has recently restructured and cut staff, but our understanding is that it hopes to regrow the agency, which means there is a window of opportunity to shape how these programs are run. Together, we think this work will support faster clean energy deployment, replace fossil fuel generators, and ultimately reduce emissions.

Why Do We Think the Energy Infrastructure Alliance Forum Will Use This Funding Well?

EIAF’s staff includes highly qualified individuals with hands-on experience at DOE’s lending programs—where they advise on financing decisions across a wide range of energy technologies—who are well suited to inform decision-makers. Although EIAF was only established this year, it has already been highly engaged in informing key stakeholders. It has published a white paper and a plain-language factsheet on DOE’s energy lending programs, hosted a roundtable bringing senior DOE officials together with industry stakeholders, shared policy proposals with DOE, and begun briefing congressional offices on innovation challenges. 

Given EIAF’s direct experience running DOE’s lending programs and its credibility with policymakers across the political spectrum, we think EIAF is well suited to navigate DOE's complexities and improve how federal lending supports the development and commercialization of clean technologies.

We publish grant spotlights to offer transparency to Giving Green Fund donors and resources for those interested in the impact strategies each grant supports. Giving Green believes our Top Climate Nonprofits have the greatest impact potential for large, unrestricted gifts. For several reasons, we also disburse and recommend grants to other organizations surfaced through our research process for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations.

This is a non-partisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.

EIAF is a registered nonprofit in the U.S. EIAF is a 501(c)(3). Energy Infrastructure Alliance Action (EIAA) is a 501(c)(4) that advocates for effective federal energy financing programs. As Giving Green is itself a charitable, tax-exempt organization, we are only offering an opinion on the charitable activities of EIAF’s 501(c)(3) arm, and not on EIAF’s 501(c)(4) entity.