LIHEAP DCL 2025-01 First Funding Release of FFY 2025

Publication Date: October 31, 2024
Current as of:

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program 

Dear Colleague Letter

DCL#: ACF-OCS-LIHEAP-DCL-2025-01

DATE: October 31, 2024

TO: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Grant Recipients

SUBJECT: First Funding Release of Federal Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25)

ATTACHMENT(S): 

  1. FY25 Funding Release of LIHEAP Block Grant Funds to States and Territories (PDF)
  2. FY25 Funding Release of LIHEAP Block Grant Funds to Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations (PDF)

Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS), Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) is pleased to announce the release of $3.7 billion of Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding. This announcement includes approximately $3.6 billion of federal Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) regular block grant funding to LIHEAP grant recipients. This funding is provided under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, which President Biden signed into law on September 26, 2024. This funding also includes an additional $100.108 million for FY25[i]. One hundred million of these funds became available through the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Appropriations Act (IIJA), (Public Law 117-58) and the remaining $108,197 became available from unobligated FY23 IIJA funds that were returned to HHS for redistribution.

Please find attached a table detailing the allocations to all state and territory recipients. Also attached is a table detailing the allocations to tribal government and tribal organizations under this release. OCS released 90% of the funding available under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, a Continuing Resolution (CR) and 100% of the funding available under the IIJA to each grant recipient with an approved FY25 LIHEAP plan. The funding was allocated utilizing the annual updates to the LIHEAP allocation formula. Each grant recipient will be able to access their Notice of Award (NOA) for both the CR and the IIJA funding through the OnLine Data Collection (OLDC) system and draw down funds from the Payment Management System (PMS).

Resources to Support LIHEAP Administration and Outreach

Launched in 2023, the LIHEAP Eligibility Tool , is a user-friendly tool that allows households across the country to quickly identify if they may be eligible for LIHEAP. Households can see if they may qualify by inputting basic information such as location, income, and household size. The tool will also direct households to the contact information for their local agency. Over 900,000 households have utilized this tool! The LIHEAP Eligibility Tool can be found on energyhelp.us and is available in Spanish, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Diné, and Yup’ik. The public can also call the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) hotline toll-free at 866-674-6327 to receive information on LIHEAP and where to apply for assistance.

OCS would also like to highlight the LIHEAP Heating Assistance Toolkit, which includes a variety of outreach materials, spotlight videos, and winter safety resources. OCS has recently added the LIHEAP Crisis Assistance Animated video to the toolkit webpage. We hope this video and other resources assist grant recipients administering LIHEAP and reaching households in their area.

In light of ongoing natural disasters, OCS would like to remind grant recipients of the flexibility to revise their FY25 LIHEAP Plans as needed. Disaster planning resources are available and include the disaster Q&As, Dear Colleague Letter 2021-03: LIHEAP Flexibilities in the Wake of Recent Storms and Power Outages, and LIHEAP DCL 2023-08 LIHEAP Flexibilities During Hurricane and Tropical Storm Season. These resources and more are available on the OCS Disaster Flexibilities Hub .

If you have any questions or need any assistance from our office regarding LIHEAP, please contact your federal LIHEAP liaison.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS partners.

/s/
Megan Meadows
Director
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services

[i] The IIJA provides a total of $500 million in additional grant funding for LIHEAP with instruction to obligate $100 million each year through September 30, 2026. The IIJA funding is supplemental to the annual, regular LIHEAP appropriation, and the allocation formula for both sources of funding is therefore calculated together. Due to the Congressionally mandated LIHEAP funding formula provisions applicable to this current federal fiscal year, 11 state grant recipients will not receive funding from IIJA.

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