DOD Office of Strategic Capital Notice of Funding Availability (Equipment Finance)

FUNDING PROGRAM: DOD Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) Notice of Funding Availability (Equipment Finance).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: 2024-22229 (89 FR 79271).

FUNDING AGENCIES: United States Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Strategic Capital (OSC).

OPPORTUNITY:

This Notice of Funding Availability seeks applications for financing the construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial equipment in the United States. These commercial facilities and their products will support, either directly or indirectly, Covered Technology Categories identified in the funding notice. The eligibility and selection criteria for investments include compliance with statute, the extent to which an investment supports U.S. national security or economic interests, the impact that direct loans would have on the project or transaction, and the creditworthiness of the investment, among other factors OSC will evaluate in the application process.

OSC’s mission is to attract and scale private capital to technologies critical to the national and economic security of the United States. OSC goals:

• Develop, integrate, and implement capital investment strategies proven in the commercial sector to shape and scale investment in critical technologies and assets.
• Identify and prioritize promising critical technologies and assets that require funding and have the potential to benefit DoD.
• Make eligible investments in such technologies and assets, such as supply chain technologies not always supported through direct investment.

DESCRIPTION:

This Notice of Funding Availability will employ a two-stage application process. The application process under this Notice of Funding Availability consists of Application Part 1 to validate eligibility and project or transaction suitability. Applicants with a successful Part 1 submission will be invited to complete the full application.

Direct loans made under this Notice of Funding Availability will seek to strengthen U.S. economic and national security by providing equipment finance loans for companies investing in Covered Technology Categories.

Covered Technology Categories:

• Advanced bulk materials
• Advanced manufacturing
• Autonomous mobile robots
• Battery storage
• Biochemicals
• Cybersecurity
• Biomass
• Cybersecurity
• Data fabric
• Decision science
• Edge computing
• External communication
• Hydrogen generation and storage
• Mesh networks
• Microelectronics assembly, testing, or packaging
• Microelectronics design and development
• Microelectronics fabrication
• Microelectronics manufacturing equipment
• Microelectronics materials
• Nanomaterials and metamaterials
• Open RAN
• Optical communications
• Sensor hardware
• Solar
• Space launch
• Spacecraft
• Space-enabled services and equipment
• Synthetic biology
• Quantum computing
• Quantum security
• Quantum sensing

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS: 

• Individual
• Corporation
• Partnership, which may include a public-private partnership, limited partnership, or general partnership
• Trust
• State, including a political subdivision or any other instrumentality of a State
• Tribal government or consortium of Tribal governments
• Any other governmental entity or public agency in the United States, including a special purpose district or public authority, including a port authority
• Multi-State or multi-jurisdictional group of public entity

FUNDING AVAILABLE (ANTICIPATED): OSC will issue approximately $10-$150 million in loans to approximately ten successful applicants, subject to the availability of funds.

INDIVIDUAL AWARD AMOUNTS (ANTICIPATED): Direct loans in the amount of $10-$150 million.

APPLICATION DEADLINE(S): Part 1 deadline is February 3, 2025.