Commerce is accepting applications to assist public and private building owners in complying with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). This combined RFA offers four funding sources that can potentially cover the cost associated with some CBPS requirements including benchmarking, energy management plans (EMP), operations and maintenance plans (O&M), ASHRAE energy audits, and building retrofits.
$32.4 million is available in total for this program. Specific funding requirements for each individual pool of funding are detailed in the RFA. Funding for these grants is made possible by the Climate Commitment Act.
- Clean Building Performance Grants ($4.8 million)
- Energy Audits for Public Buildings ($12.2 million)
- Energy Efficiency Retrofit Grants ($10.6 million)
- State Project Improvement Grants ($4.8 million)
Who can apply
This competitive RFA is open to private, public and tribal building owners seeking compliance with the CBPS. Applicants should use this RFA to apply for all grants for which they are eligible. Individual applications may include projects covering multiple buildings or a campus of buildings, if eligible.
What projects can be funded
Project eligibility differs for each pool of funding. Applicants should confirm project and building eligibility in the RFA and submit a single financial request for all buildings in the proposal.
- Clean Building Performance Grants
- Eligible activities:
- Benchmarking
- Energy Management Plan (EMP)
- Operations and maintenance plans (O&M)
- Energy audits.
- Eligible buildings: Publicly and privately owned Tier 1 covered buildings or Tier 2 covered multifamily buildings financed by the Washington State Housing Trust.
- Notes: only privately owned buildings are eligible for audits funds under this program.
- Eligible activities:
- Energy Audits for Public Buildings
- Eligible activities: ASHRAE Level 1, 2 or Targeted Level 2
- Eligible buildings: Publicly owned Tier 1 covered buildings
- Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings
- Eligible activities: Energy efficiency capital improvements
- Eligible buildings: Publicly owned Tier 1 and Tier 2 covered buildings
- State Project Improvement Grants
- Eligible activities: Energy efficiency upgrades to currently planned and funded capital improvements
- Eligible buildings: State agency Tier 1 and Tier 2 covered buildings
How to apply
Applicants should submit all require documents to the Clean Buildings Compliance Support online application form. Full submission details and instructions are available in the detailed RFA document (PDF).
Pre-proposal conference
Two pre-proposal conference will be held online on December 11 and January 28.
- Register for the December 11 pre-proposal conference (1 of 2) at 1 p.m.
- Register for the January 28 pre-proposal conference (2 of 2) at 12 p.m.
Timeline
A full schedule of activities is available in the RFA.
- December 2, 2025: Proposal submission opens.
- December 3, 2025: Question and answer period begins.
- December 11, 2025: Pre-proposal conference 1 of 2
- January 28, 2026: Pre-proposal conference 2 of 2
- February 18, 2026: Question and answer period ends.
- March 4, 2026: Final day to submit proposals.
- April 23, 2026: Announcement of apparent successful applicants.
- May 11, 2026: Earliest date to sign contracts.