Friends of FESI
DOE’s New Foundation Partner Can Accelerate Progress Towards a Cleaner, Safer Future
The Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) was authorized by Congress in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to serve as a flexible non-profit partner to advance the Department of Energy’s mission. FESI won bipartisan support in both houses of Congress over nearly a decade of research and advocacy. The model for it builds on precedents set by existing agency-affiliated foundations, which date back to the establishment of the National Park Foundation in 1935.
DOE received $3.5 million in FY24 to establish FESI. In May 2024, Secretary Granholm named FESI’s inaugural board—leaders in innovation, national security, philanthropy, business, science, and other sectors—who will be tasked with raising additional private and philanthropic funds and setting the new foundation’s agenda.
The Federation of American Scientists (FAS), along with many allies and supporters who collectively comprise the “Friends of FESI,” have been working to enable FESI to achieve its full potential as a major contributor to the achievement of DOE’s vital goals, such as:
- Accelerating the transition to clean energy,
- Meeting critical national science and technology needs,
- Strengthening energy security, and
- Addressing economic development and energy efficiency needs in underserved and low-income communities across the U.S.
A key task of the Friends has been encouraging and cultivating projects and activities that FESI could take on in collaboration with private sector and philanthropic partners. These include:
- Accelerating geothermal power innovation and commercialization by facilitating the interagency collaboration needed to compile an open-source public database or funding pilot wells by overseeing costhare agreements. For more, check out this blog post here.
- Filling funding and resource gaps for DOE-supported pilot stage technologies as they progress along the innovation pipeline from ideation to commercialization.
- Strengthening regional energy innovation ecosystems by reducing the transaction costs of collaboration and fostering multi-sectoral networks that build regional strengths and contribute to economic development through the commercialization of new low-carbon technologies.
- Setting up commercialization consortia to identify opportunities and needs in the development pipeline, and in parallel work with consortium members (including holders of DOE subject inventions, industry partners, and investors) to build teams and scope projects to advance targeted technology development efforts.
The Friends of FESI welcome the naming of the board and look forward to FESI’s establishment as an independent but tightly connected partner for DOE. Meanwhile, our work goes on! Do you have an idea for how FESI, with its unique flexibility, could aid clean energy innovation and deployment? Submit it here using the outline below.
Join us!
Have you ever wanted to be a proud Friend of FESI? It’s not too late, you can become one today! We don’t have badges, pins, or yard signs (yet), but in the meantime, you can keep up to date with our Initiative by signing up for our monthly email newsletter where we send out fresh updates, action items, and, on occasion, events you can attend to show your support. If you have any other questions, reach out to Addy Smith (asmith@fas.org).
If FESI is going to continue to receive Congressional appropriations through DOE, it should be structured from the start in a way that allows it to be as effective as possible while it receives both taxpayer dollars and private support.
The establishment of the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) was a vital first step, but its value depends on what happens next.
As emerging clean energy technologies move along the innovation pipeline from first concept to commercialization, they encounter hurdles that can prove to be a death knell for young startups.
As ‘Friends of FESI’ we want to see this new foundation set up from day one to successfully fulfill the promise of its large impact.