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Request for Intent to Submit an LOI for 
DOE: Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator 


We are requesting notifications of Intent to Submit an LOI for DOE: Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Notice of Funding Opportunity.

DOE is requiring manadatory LOIs prior to submission of applications to this NOFO. LOIs to the agency are non-binding and submitters will not receive feedback, responses or invites from the funder. There is no limit to the number of LOIs an institution can submit.

There is, however, a limit on the number of full applications an institution may submit to each Topic (see description below). By registering your intent to submit an LOI, the limited submission process for this opportunity can be planned and expedited.

Funder LOI Deadline: April 21, 2026, 4:00pm CT
Internal Intent to Submit Deadline: April 22, 2026, 9:00am CT

NOFO Supporting Documents

• Notice of Funding Opportunity - PART 1 
• Notice of Funding Opportunity - PART 2 

DOE: Critical Minerals and Materials Accelerator Notice of Funding Opportunity

This NOFO supports critical minerals and materials as the building blocks for technologies foundational to U.S. energy dominance, national security, and industrial competitiveness. To build a secure domestic supply of CMMs, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) aims to support collaborative industry partnerships to prototype and pilot innovative processing technologies that are currently only proven at the bench scale to address CMM challenges in high impact areas. The CMM Accelerator program will advance these mid-stage innovations through validation, benchmarking, access to national lab test beds, testing in industry relevant environments, technoeconomic analysis, and life-cycle assessment. The program establishes a pipeline to support technology maturation to ultimately unlock private capital investments. It also will leverage other DOE lab-based activities, such as the Critical Materials Innovation Hub (CMI Hub) and the Minerals to Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC). Technologies resulting from the program are expected to have a path to domestic commercialization within 3-7 years.

This NOFO has 3 Topic Areas and is further divided into sub-topics for Topic Areas 1 and 3.

Topic Area 1

Production and material efficiency for critical materials including rare earth elements


Subtopics

• 1A: Recovery and production from postindustrial manufacturing scrap
• 1B: Recovery and production from postconsumer scrap (with an emphasis on electronic waste and drivetrains)
• 1C: Recovery and production from combinations of feedstocks including mine tailings, postindustrial scrap, and postconsumer scrap
  

Institutional Limit: Three (3) - One Application per Subtopic

Mandatory LOI Due: 4/21/2026, 5:00pm ET

Full Applications Due: 5/26/2026, 5:00pm ET

Topic Area 2

Processes to refine and alloy gallium, gallium nitride, germanium, and silicon carbide for use in semiconductor applications


Institutional Limit: One Application

LOI Due 4/21/2026, 5:00pm ET

Full Application Due: 6/22/2026, 5:00pm ET

Topic Area 3 

Cost-competitive direct lithium extraction, separation, and processing


Subtopics

• 3A: Cost-competitive direct lithium extraction
• 3B: Advancing pre- and post- treatment and disposal technologies for direct lithium extraction and from geothermal brines
• 3C: Exploration and Characterization of Critical Materials and Rare Earth Elements from Volcanically Hosted Geothermal Systems

Institutional Limit: One Application Across all Subtopics 

LOI Due: 4/21/2026, 5:00pm ET

Full Application Due: 7/20/2026, 5:00pm ET